A couple who couldn’t afford to get on the property ladder in London have transformed a 1960s cargo barge into a stunning two-storey floating home.
Christina Miles, 33, and her partner Rohan Tully, 36, who have been together 13 years and have a one-year-old daughter, Elara, have been living on their boat – currently moored near Kew Bridge on the River Thames in south west London – since January.
The couple spent 20 months converting the old vessel, which cost less than £100,000, into a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom family home, and have charted their journey on their Instagram page @thisonefloats.
After giving up their rental property in Paddington, they lived with friends while the work was being done, moving seven times – during which ‘exhausted’ Christina was breastfeeding and caring for their newborn.
Christina Miles, 33, and her partner Rohan Tully, 36, transformed a 1960s cargo barge into a stunning two-storey floating home. Pictured before at a dockyard in Holland
The couple have been living on their boat – currently moored near Kew Bridge on the River Thames in south west London – since January. Pictured: the boat making its way down the Thames in central London
But their hard work and sacrifice was worth it, as they now wake up to views of swans gliding past their windows and are using their boat sourcing and renovation experience to help other people set up home on the river through their new company Isla Yachts.
Christina told FEMAIL: ‘There is a life on our River Thames that I was completely oblivious to before. The paddle-boarders, rowers, even the swans and the herons. It’s quite amazing being immersed in it.’
After suggesting living on a boat as a ‘joke’ while on a riverside walk, Christina, who works for an events agency, and Rohan, who works in FinTech and grew up sailing with his family, decided to take the plunge.
Rohan travelled to Belgium to purchase an old cargo barge, hoping to pay somewhere between £50,000 and £150,000 – and claims he got ‘quite a good deal’ for his 40m-long vessel, paying less than £100,000.
While the work to their boat was being done, Christina was breastfeeding and caring for their newborn daughter Elara, who is now one
Rohan takes his kayak out for a daily trip – pictured being watched by their daughter from one of the ‘super-sized’ porthole windows
After suggesting living on a boat as a ‘joke’ while on a riverside walk, Christina, who works for an events agency, and Rohan, who works in fintech and grew up in a family of sailors, decided to take the plunge. Pictured: the interior of the boat before and after (right: the downstairs living area)
‘A lot of these are being scrapped because EU regulations mean they can no longer be working boats,’ he told the The Sunday Times.
Due to the barge being too big for most moorings back in the UK, the couple decided it would be ‘easier and cheaper to buy a 40m boat, snip 10m out the middle and stick it back together’.
They found a shipyard in Holland to do the work, and made the 10-day crossing to the Dutch port, which Rohan described as ‘quite the adventure’.
When they arrived they booked into an Airbnb for an hour to use the shower – which they’d done without for the entire journey – and described it as the ‘best they’d ever had’.
Rohan travelled to Belgium to purchase an old cargo barge, hoping to pay somewhere between £50,000 and £150,000 – and claims he got ‘quite a good deal’ for his 40m-long vessel
Being a cargo ship, the boat needed ‘ballast’ – a foundation of cement – pouring into the hull to give it stability and to enable it to sit lower in the water
They also cut 10 ‘super-sized’ porthole windows into the sides to give them more light and views of the water – perfect for wildlife spotting along the river
The boat remained in Holland for two months before sailing homeward to the Medway in Kent. While working full-time during the week, Rohan invested his weekends into their new energy efficient family home along with his father, installing insulation and underfloor heating.
Christina admitted this period was ‘beyond stressful’, telling FEMAIL: ‘It was the middle of winter and the boat obviously had no lights or heating. It was miserable chipping away at it.
‘Towards the end of the build there were delays – as there always are – which caused us logistical chaos with childcare and work. In the last two months I was commuting two hours to and from work each day to get Elara to a childminder local to the boat.
‘We were having to leave our daughter with grandparents every weekend towards the end which I found very difficult – we ended up moving in with no heating and running the electrics from one extension cable just because I couldn’t bear it any longer. It was a huge relief to finally be on-board, even in that state!’
Being a cargo ship, the boat needed ‘ballast’ – a foundation of cement – pouring into the hull to give it stability and to enable it to sit lower in the water.
While the work was being done, Christina spent her days looking for design inspiration on Pinterest while caring for their daughter. Pictured: the living area downstairs
Pictured: Elara’s bedroom, which is tastefully decorated with a few ‘nautical’ nods here and there
The boat has underfloor heating, power showers, heated towel rails and a Crittall-style shower. Unlike in a house, the plumbing has to go upwards
Writing on Instagram, Christina explained: ‘Pouring this in while on the river meant that we had a four-hour window to pour the cement and hope for it to dry whilst sitting level at high tide.
‘Team was there ready. But of course the cement mixer was late… very late. The guys had 90 minutes to pour the cement and then we had a painful 24 hours waiting for it to dry, waiting to find out if we were going to build a wonky house.
‘It was a sleepless night but at least we know if we’re feeling wonky, it’s not because of our foundations.’
They also cut 10 ‘super-sized’ porthole windows into the sides to give them more light and views of the water – perfect for wildlife spotting along the river, a new favourite pastime of their daughter and pet Husky.
While the structural work was being done, Christina spent her days looking for inspiration on Pinterest while caring for their daughter. The interiors are modern and chic, and are designed to look like a house rather than a boat – one of Christina’s prerequisites.
The interiors are modern and chic, and are designed to look like a house rather than a boat – one of Christina’s prerequisites. Pictured: the view from the driving seat, overlooking the kitchen and the deck
The boat’s stylish kitchen, which features geometric-patterned units, caesarstone worktops and views overlooking the river
Christina and Rohan’s bedroom is decked out much like the rest of the boat in wood flooring and also features a large porthole window
Christina designed the ‘powder room’, which has varnished wallpaper for better durability, a tiny sink and inbuilt speakers
Christina told The Sunday Times: ‘For the money it would have cost us to get a more conventional home, we would have had to make a lot of sacrifices, such as moving out of London, and we would have had to settle on something quite average’. Pictured: their boat on the river in south west London
The kitchen boasts a breakfast bar and large glass doors which open out onto their ‘terrace’, which features a walk-on glass skylight enabling you to peer down into the lounge and dining area.
The family has also invested in a small motor boat, enabling them to cruise up and down the Thames during the summer evenings, and Rohan gets his daily exercise on his kayak.
Christina told The Sunday Times: ‘For the money it would have cost us to get a more conventional home, we would have had to make a lot of sacrifices, such as moving out of London… we would have had to settle on something quite average.’