Latest news with #EastStaffordshire
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
I love living on my canal boat... but it can be so hard I've burst into tears
A 27-year-old firefighter opted to purchase and renovate a 49ft formerly sunken narrowboat for £15,000 instead of contending with the 'mad' housing market. El Sutcliffe, based in Burton-on-Trent, East Staffordshire, bought her first house with her former partner in Birmingham in 2022 – but after their relationship broke down and they sold the property, she found herself with £15,000 to work with. Faced with the prospect of buying a one-bedroom flat in a 'rough part' of the area, El decided instead to purchase a narrowboat for £15,750 in May 2024. The entire boat, which had a living space of less than 20 square metres, needed gutting as it had sunk previously, and there was 'no flooring'. Despite the scale of work required, for which El budgeted £10,000 solely for the interior, she has spent the best part of a year kitting out the space, fitting a log burner and a fully-functioning kitchen with a fridge, a sink and a gas cooker, and just the bathroom and a few finishing touches are left to complete. She admitted the renovations has 'not been all sunshine and roses' and that she has 'stormed off crying' and asking herself 'is this a terrible idea?'. However, she said that 'now it's nearly done, I love it' and that she 'can't see myself getting rid of it'. El has been sharing her renovation journey on TikTok to highlight the reality of living on a narrowboat – she said she would be 'heartbroken' to move on from the home she has created, but feels videos showing 'gorgeous boats going through stunning parts of the British countryside' do not show the whole 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, who works as a full-time firefighter, told 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. '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.' El purchased her first house in Birmingham in 2022 with her former partner, but after the relationship broke down, they made the decision to sell the property. 'I came out of that with about £15,000 and I was looking at what I could afford,' she said. 'I could have got a one-bed flat in quite a rough part of Birmingham where I would have had to pay ground rent, maintenance fees and things like that. 'I'd always liked the idea of living on the boat but I was running out of time, I needed to figure something out.' El said one of her work colleagues mentioned she knew someone selling a narrowboat, but it came with a warning as it would need a lot of work. 'It had no flooring, it had sunk previously, it was all very questionable – but I thought 'what have I got to lose?'' El purchased her 49ft narrowboat for £15,750 in May 2024, which she said was a lot less than the average price due to its condition. She set herself a budget of £10,000 to put towards the interior renovations, which she takes from her wages every month, and got to work fixing up her new home. With the help of her parents, Helen and Haydn, 58 and 61 respectively, El has now installed a log burner with a chimney, a fully-functioning kitchen with a gas cooker, a fridge and a sink, and she has put up walls to section off the area to create a bedroom. '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,' she said. To complete the interior, El now needs to install another wall to create a section for the bathroom, which will include a toilet, a shower and a sink, as well as finishing the painting and the decorating. For the exterior, she estimates the existing paintwork will need to be removed entirely but as she has been quoted £12,500 to have it done professionally, it is another job she will be taking on 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,' she said. '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?' 'But now it's nearly done, I love it.' At present, El estimates it will cost her around £550 a month to moor and maintain the boat once the renovations are complete – although this will not include any costly repair jobs. '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,' she said. Despite the low living costs, El said living on a narrowboat can be a mixed bag. 'I'm moored in a stunning spot, I've got amazing neighbours and the boating community is fantastic,' she said. '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. 'I had to get rid of a lot of clothes but I seem to have settled into it really well.' El has been sharing her renovation journey on TikTok with the aim of highlighting the realistic process of living on a narrowboat. '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 said. 'It's like that about 10% of the time and I think that needs to be spoken about more.
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I ditched my flat & broke up with ex to live in 49ft narrowboat – I save £100s on rent..but there's HUGE downside
A FULL-TIME firefighter ditched her flat — and her ex — to live on a 49ft narrowboat, saving £100s on rent… but faces a huge downside. El Sutcliffe, 27, from Burton-on-Trent, East Staffordshire, took the plunge into boat life in May 2024 after selling the Birmingham home she shared with her ex-partner. 6 6 6 With just £15,000 to spend, she chose not to buy a one-bedroom flat in a rougher part of town. Instead, she snapped up a narrowboat – even though it had previously sunk and came without basic flooring – for £15,750. Speaking to PA Real Life, El said: 'It just seemed like a no-brainer. I don't have any regrets – I think the housing market is all a bit mad.' El has since spent the last year renovating the boat with help from her parents, transforming it from a rusting shell into a cosy floating home. So far, she's installed a log burner, fitted a full kitchen with a gas cooker, sink and fridge, and carved out a bedroom and living area. The bathroom is nearly finished, and once the inside is complete, she plans to repaint the exterior herself to avoid a hefty £12,500 professional fee. 'I can't see myself getting rid of it – it would absolutely break my heart because we've built it from the ground up,' she said. 'It's not been all sunshine and roses. "I've cried, I've stormed off, I've sat in my car wondering if this was a terrible idea. "But now it's nearly done, I love it.' Despite the savings, boat life isn't all smooth sailing. El says she spends around £550 a month on mooring and general upkeep, and that doesn't include surprise repair bills. From servicing the engine to repainting the hull and dealing with maintenance below deck, the costs can quickly add up. 'There are parts that are hard,' El admitted. 'It's such a small living space – less than 20 square metres – so storage is a nightmare. "I had to get rid of a lot of clothes but I've settled into it really well.' The narrowboat lifestyle has forced El to rethink what she really needs. She's pared back her wardrobe and belongings and now lives much more simply. 'I've realised how little stuff you actually need,' she said. 'It's quite freeing, actually.' She's also using TikTok to show what real life on a narrowboat looks like, beyond the romanticised views often seen online. 'People say, 'This is my dream lifestyle,' but those beautiful boat scenes you see – that's only about 10 per cent of the reality. "I think that needs to be spoken about more.' El often posts updates about the renovation process, showing both the triumphs and the setbacks. Her videos have attracted thousands of views, and she's found an online community that's both supportive and curious. 'It's been lovely to connect with other boaters and people who are interested in alternative living,' she said. Living on the water has brought unexpected upsides too. 'I'm moored in a stunning spot, I've got amazing neighbours, and the boating community is fantastic,' she said. The sense of community and freedom to move around are things she says she'd never find in a typical home. El also enjoys the flexibility of being able to relocate easily. 'If work changes or I want a new adventure, I can just untie the ropes and go,' she explained. 'That's a freedom you don't get with a house.' But she's realistic about the work involved. 'It's not for everyone,' El warned. 'You have to be ready to get your hands dirty. There's always something that needs fixing or checking.' El hopes her experience helps others make informed choices. 'Especially now, when people are looking for cheaper ways of living and it's becoming more popular, they need to know the full picture.' 6 6 6
