We had no money to buy a house and were kicked out of our flat so we took a boat instead…it’s so cheap we pay £4 for petrol

BUYING a house is certainly not a simple thing to do and a couple, Dottie and Tristan, didn’t know where they would live after their landlord evicted them from their rented property.

The Cambridge County coupleDottie Turnbull, 21, and Tristan Van, 25, said they were renting a one-bedroom apartment chalet but the owner randomly gave them three months notice, leaving them shocked at what to do next.

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Dottie, who works in marketing, told Fabulous: “A year and a half ago Tristan and I were renting a one bedroom cottage in Cambridgeshire.

“It was quite run down when we moved there, but within six months we had completely transformed the place – so much so that the landlord put our tiny house up for sale and gave us our three months’ notice, which honestly shocked us both..

“We were in a bit of a rut then, as we both liked houses with character but didn’t have a big enough deposit to buy.

“We could have made a Purchase Assistance in a new housing estate but it was not really our thing.”

Dottie explained that she and her partner Tristan, who is a barber, made the decision to buy and live on a boat instead.

She continued: “At that time I had always known that I would like to live on a houseboat, but I never thought that four months later I would be there.

“From a little girl, I had my sights set. I never wanted to settle down as such and like change, so it always seemed like an adventure I had to do. Even though I didn’t think I could live this dream so soon.

“We bought the boat and started living on the boat in October 2021. It cost us £30,000.

“We have lived in Tanglewood for over a year now and there are now three of us with our pup Teddy.”

But Tanglewood, the couple’s boat, needed a lot of work – so the couple set out to renovate their home on the water.

Dottie added: “When we bought the boat it was very old. In fact, I don’t think we’ve touched it once.

“We completely transformed the kitchen and the living room, with lots of color and we are now starting to add our own touches to our house.

“We installed new flooring and have just finished transforming our small outdoor space into a garden with fake grass and chairs.

“The next step is the bathroom, then the bedroom – followed by the painting of the exterior of the boat which we are going to do ourselves – we have been offered £10,000 for someone to do this.”

Dottie revealed that she loves boat life because it’s a much cheaper and more affordable way of life.

She revealed that boat life is “cheaper, especially in the Cost of life.

“We pay around £4 a month for gas, £20 a month for our heating and £10 for electricity.”

Not only that, but Dottie loves being able to see nature every day and loves the flexibility her new life gives her.

She said, “It’s beautiful! Nature. Looking out the window at the swans every day is amazing.

“Being able to move your house – we literally take our house to the pub!”

The 21-year-old also explained that her houseboat will increase in value over the years and that she would eventually like to put it on Airbnb.

Dottie concluded: “A lot of people think narrowboats lose value, but that’s only if you don’t look after them.

“They are in such high demand at the moment that our boat will be worth much more than what we bought in five years.

“I don’t think it’s a forever thing, but it’s definitely a thing now.

“I’d like to put it on Airbnb eventually to let people get a taste before they jump in the deep end and buy a boat.

“There are also some amazing wide beam boats that are pretty much houses on the water, so that would be potential.”

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