First-time buyers who couldn t afford their dream starter home reveal how they saved money by spending £42,000 buying and renovating a houseboat instead.
Small business owner Sylvie Doleman, 25, and her boyfriend Ben Lount, 25, a joiner, wanted to move in together but said they couldn t afford a mortgage on a house and didn t want to live in a flat.
Instead the Derbyshire couple bought a 55ft narrowboat for £18,000 and spent a further £24,000 finishing and decorating it over the course of a year, keeping costs down by sourcing second-hand items and doing most of the handiwork themselves.
Small business owner Sylvie Doleman, 25, and her boyfriend Ben Lount, 25, a joiner, wanted to move in together but said they couldn t afford a mortgage on a house and didn t want to live in a flat. Instead they spent £42,000 on a houseboat they could make their own
Inventions Competition highlights from the past 3 years >More in
Intermediate category winner 2019
The wackiest invention of 2019 was John Stephens’ Cornish loader. It is based on a 5t Thwaites dumper, from which he removed the skip and replaced it with a loader from a David Brown 995.
The dump truck’s swivel means it can turn in either direction – ideal for getting into awkward corners of cow sheds.
He also lowered the roll bar and fitted a roof canopy to provide some protection from winter rain and a mounting point for the lights.
It is used daily through the winter for feeding and bedding, and it also works on the silage clamp in early summer.