So many people dream of building their own home, ensuring it’s just as they want it. Whether it's a ten-bedroom mansion or a one-bed bungalow, being able to design a house and see it built exactly the way you want it is special. While many like the idea of a self-build, not many can afford the labourers or time to do it, let alone the land to build on! Well, Jay Blackmore solved all of those issues and built his own house himself and didn't even need to buy any land as it's a floating off-gridhouseboat!

Spectacular Houseboat

The floating home which is shown in the picture above is a 700-square-foot self-build which is fully off-grid. Relying completely on solar power to run, this amazing house has all the necessary facilities anyone would need to live including a pellet stove, a composting toilet, and it even has an evaporation greywater system that ensures nothing is dumped overboard, minimizing waste.

It's extremely generous in terms of living space too. It has an open concept kitchen, living and dining areas, a master bedroom, and even a bathroom, all on the main floor alone. There are a further two bedrooms on the second floor and a wraparound deck on the top which offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding locale.

Self-Build

This houseboat was built entirely by Jay himself. While this may seem like a very time-consuming venture, this was actually more of a side-project. The whole house was built it in his spare time, all fitted in between working, spending time with his kids, and even sailing, over the course of 4 years.

Feeling that his country home was too expensive, too much maintenance, as well as being too far from town, this houseboat was designed to be an alternative housing option to his aforementioned country house.

Now, thanks to living in the houseboat, there's no lawn to mow, or driveway to shovel snow out of in the winter. Moreover, the house is just a few minutes walk away from all the necessary amenities and just a few steps from his sailboat that is docked in the same marina.

Plain Sailing

While it may sound like the ideal lifestyle, it's not all plain sailing for Jay and his family. Everything that goes in and out of the float home has to be carried on or off and moved to and from a car. This includes propane tanks, pellets for the woodstove, groceries, garbage, etc. even in the middle of winter when docks are icy and the wind is blowing, it all has to be done to keep the house running. Not to mention that it's quite a public location boaters and paddlers going by all day, right past their house! Jay says these smaller issues don't bother him too much as he can deal with most challenges that the boat throws up as it allows him to live his perfect lifestyle, something which not many people can say.

Jay is the perfect example of someone who figured out what he wants, and then went and got it. If living on a self-built houseboat is what you want, then go for it! Even though there are still challenges that this house causes, those don't seem to be much of an issue for Jay Blackmore. Allowing him to live his perfect lifestyle means these small inconveniences are irrelevant, which house doesn't have problems anyway? Good on him for achieving his dream