When Steve and Christine moved back to BC after being up in the Yukon for over a decade, they were looking to buy an affordable home in one of North America’s most expensive cities: Vancouver, BC. They were looking at small condos, but also stayed open to alternatives and ended up exploring float homes.
source.image: Exploring Alternatives
They found a 40-year old homemade float home for sale that was a definitely fixer upper, but they had no idea just how much work was needed until they started removing the flooring and had a roof leak and realized there was an ongoing water damage issue. They ended up having to hire contractors to do some structural work, to replace the roof, and to add more styrofoam flotation, and they also did some aesthetic renovations themselves like redoing the floors, and putting in a new kitchen and bathroom.
source.image: Exploring Alternatives
The couple has created their dream home on the water – what they call the “last affordable home in Vancouver” – and they’ve lived there for just over a year with their dog Lozen and their cat Kitten. They say that despite the unexpected renovations, living on the water has turned out better than they expected. They love the community and neighbours at the marina, the proximity to both natural spaces and city amenities, and of course the affordability compared to a home on land.
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But living on the water isn’t without it’s challenges. The couple shares that moorage contracts at their marina are year-to-year so there is always a little bit of insecurity there, knowing that the marina owners could choose not to renew their moorage from one year to the next.
And there are also day-to-day quirks to live with, like the fact that the home sometimes “bottoms out” during really low tides, and that the exposed pipes can freeze during Vancouver’s brief subzero winters. But overall, Steve and Christine say they are really happy with their choice to live on the water.
