Young woman turning £15,000 'sunk' narrowboat into dream home to avoid 'mad' housing market

Wales Online

07-05-2025

Young woman turning £15,000 'sunk' narrowboat into dream home to avoid 'mad' housing market
El Sutcliffe, a 27-year-old firefighter, was left with £15,000 after selling the home she bought with her ex-partner - but instead of buying a flat, she decided to buy a narrowboat
El has spent the best part of a year renovating her narrowboat home
(Image: Collect/PA Real Life )
A young woman opted to purchase and refurbish a previously sunken 49ft narrowboat for £15,000, instead of dealing with the 'mad' housing market. El Sutcliffe, a 27-year-old firefighter from Burton-on-Trent, East Staffordshire, bought her first house with her ex-partner in Birmingham in 2022.
However, after their relationship ended and they sold the property, she found herself with £15,000.
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Rather than buying a one-bedroom flat in a 'rough' part of the area, El decided to buy a narrowboat for £15,750 in May, 2024. The boat, which had less than 20 square metres of living space, needed complete gutting as it had previously sunk and had no flooring. For money-saving tips, sign up to our Money newsletter here
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Despite the extensive work required, for which El budgeted £10,000 just for the interior, she has spent nearly a year fitting out the space.
She has installed a log burner and a fully-functioning kitchen with a fridge, sink and gas cooker. Only the bathroom and a few finishing touches remain to be completed, reports the Manchester Evening News.
El has been documenting her renovation journey on TikTok to show the reality of living on a narrowboat.
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While she admitted she would be "heartbroken" to leave the home she has created, she believes that videos showing "gorgeous boats going through stunning parts of the British countryside" don't paint the full picture.
"It just seemed like a no-brainer and I don't have any regrets, I think the housing market is all a bit mad," El shared with PA Real Life.
"I could never afford to live where I do if I didn't live on a boat. Things can change and your work can move – with a house, that's a lot of paperwork and a lot of stress.
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"With the boat, I can up and move it, and I can access a lot of the waterways here in the UK, it can come with me wherever I end up."
Reflecting on the aftermath of her relationship ending, El shared: "I came out of that with about £15,000 and I was looking at what I could afford. Certain options like a one-bed flat in a rough part of Birmingham were unappealing due to additional costs such as ground rent and maintenance fees."
Boat living had long resonated with El, and under pressure to choose a new path, she found herself drawn to it once again.
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Through a colleague, El discovered a narrowboat for sale that called for substantial refurbishment – an opportunity that arose because the vessel had unfortunately taken on water and sunk.
Despite the clear risks, including a lack of flooring and its dubious past, El pondered her situation - "It had no flooring, it had sunk previously, it was all very questionable – but I thought, 'what have I got to lose?'".
Taking a leap of faith, she acquired the 49ft narrowboat at the incredible price of £15,750 in May, 2024, despite its daunting state.
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Dedicated to transforming her new abode, El budgeted £10,000 for internal changes, leveraging her salary for funding. Her parents, Helen and Haydn, 58 and 61 respectively, provided invaluable support, helping her to install a log burner complete with a chimney, fit out a functional kitchen and erect walls to demarcate a bedroom area.
The whole boat needed gutting
(Image: PA )
"Everything had to come out, we had to take it back to bare metal, rust-treat it all, it had to be fully insulated, we put in new ceilings, new flooring," said El, describing her renovation process.
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She is now turning her attention to constructing an additional internal wall for a bathroom compartment that will include a toilet, shower, and sink. Additionally, she's progressing with the painting and decorating work.
Facing the task of stripping the old paint from the boat's exterior, El received professional quotes up to £12,500; determined, she's preparing to undertake this substantial job herself.
"I can't see myself getting rid of it – it would absolutely break my heart because we've built it from the ground up," El said, sharing the depth of her connection to the project.
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"It's not been all sunshine and roses, I've banged my head against walls, I've stormed off crying and sat in my car going 'is this a terrible idea?'", El revealed as she spoke about the difficulties she had encountered.
"But now it's nearly done, I love it."
El said she and her parents had built the narrowboat 'from the ground up'
(Image: PA )
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El calculated that when her boat restoration was complete, she would be spending around £550 a month on mooring and maintenance, excluding major repairs.
"They require maintenance work which can be expensive, like taking them out of the water and blackening the hull to protect it, repainting, getting the engine serviced, things like that."
Despite the possibility of reduced living costs, El highlighted that living on a narrowboat posed a unique set of hurdles.
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"I'm moored in a stunning spot, I've got amazing neighbours and the boating community is fantastic," she enthused.
"There are some parts which are hard, it's such a small living space, it works out less than 20 square metres, so the storage is a nightmare.
El has installed a log burner with a chimney and a fully functioning kitchen
(Image: PA )
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"I had to get rid of a lot of clothes but I seem to have settled into it really well."
"People will comment 'oh my god, this is my dream lifestyle' and TikTok videos will show gorgeous boats going through stunning parts of the British countryside," she observed.
"It's like that about 10% of the time and I think that needs to be spoken about more.
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"Especially now when people are looking for cheaper ways of living and it's becoming all the more popular, people need to make informed decisions."