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New 'Floating Homes' for non-moving boaters


Alan de Enfield

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BWML (now Aquavista) is embarking on a new venture with the launch of floating homes at two of their marinas.

BWML hopes that the new homes at Sawley in Nottinghamshire and Priory in Bedfordshire will appeal to those who would enjoy a life on water but have been put off by the responsibilities of owning and maintaining a boat.

"We understand what a life on water requires and the health and well-being benefits that are gained from such a lifestyle," said BWML.

"The homes perfectly address the gap in the market for those looking to pursue a life on water, attracted by the idyll and tranquillity of waterside living but with the responsibility of owning a boat and cruising the waterways."

The 21 new homes are available for purchase only and can be lived in all the year round. If the launch proves successful then more may be introduced to other UK marinas. There is a planning application for 12 of these at Kings Marina (Newark) to replace the current A-Pontoon.

 

The new venture represents a 'significant' investment by BWML.

 

BWML has launched 21 waterside homes at its Sawley and Priory marinas Photo: BWML

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They had one of these, or similar, at Priory when we were last there in 2015.

 

Hartford Marina have had similar for some years with full residential use and the ability to moor up to a 60 ft boat alongside. They have a service charge of just under £400 month which is much the same as a widebeam leisure mooring there.

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Navigable water is a finite and precious resource,   what a waste, why not just put them on the land next to the water, or even better on the edge of an old quarry.

I suspect the dwellers of these floating cabins will soon be complaining about boats moving and making waves.

 

................Dave

  • Greenie 2
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What did I tell you the other day.....

 

more like CrapaJeffster(Jeff Whyatt) in tribute to the sky high price rises and determination to be the Park Homes of the waterways.

from his Linkedin.....

Joined in 2014 with the prime objective of modernising the business, improving performance and bringing a much stronger focus on the customer.
As at 2017 we are well placed having succeeded in most of our strategic goals
We have some great plans for the future including Floating home developments and Lodges

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Sorry, but I am maybe missing something.  These homes float, so have a hull that will from time to time need maintenance.  How can the owners avoid the responsibility of owning and maintaining a boat?  And how the heck do you get one out of the water?

The homes are to be purchased it says, but is the water space used also for purchase? If not what is the security of tenure, who dredges under the home?  Etc etc ....

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Just now, BEngo said:

The homes are to be purchased it says, but is the water space used also for purchase? If not what is the security of tenure, who dredges under the home?  Etc etc ....

No different to buying / owning a NB, WB or Barge, you pay a mooring fee to rent your water space and Council Tax for the right to live there.

 

 

1 minute ago, BEngo said:

And how the heck do you get one out of the water?

Good question, but they 'got there' in the 1st place so presumably they are 'movable'.

 

 

7 minutes ago, BEngo said:

These homes float, so have a hull that will from time to time need maintenance.

Foam Concrete pontoon-hulls, no blacking needed.

 

Benefits of a floating foundation using concrete

Whether it be for a residential floating home, office, restaurant, clubhouse or other commercial structure, there are many benefits in using a floating foundation built using materials that are already used in the construction industry for the rest of the superstructure. For our first prototype floating home measuring 16m x 4.3m we have used a reinforced concrete hull.

  •  Maintenance free.
  •  No antifouling or treatment needed.
  •  Very large floating foundations can be built using the FlexBase system.
  •  Enables floating homes to be seen as buildings so they can have build regulations applied to them.
  • Fantastic longevity when compared to steel hulls (in fact, even better than many house foundations).

 

 

 

 

 

Have you seen the TV Programme 'Floating Homes' and the type and size of some of the Dutch ones (similar to those proposed by BWML) that are moved along the Dutch system from manufacturer to mooring.

 

UK manufacturer :

 

http://www.floatinghomes.ltd.uk/index.html

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15 minutes ago, BEngo said:

 

The homes are to be purchased it says, but is the water space used also for purchase? If not what is the security of tenure,

One hopes that it's secure: you wouldn't want to meet one of those lumbering along the canal in search of its new mooring.

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Lots of answers to people’s questions on their website but search for BWML Floating Homes, a search for Aquavista brings up water things. The price is not too bad, £179,000 at Sawley and £230,000 at Bedford. You are buying the building but not the water or land underneath it. There is an annual service charge of £2,759 at Sawley and £3000 at Bedford. 

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Canal were built for working boats. I'm kind of OK with anyone who is actually using their boat for haulage being a snob about leisure/liveaboards. Anyone else can float on by... I mean I'm not sure I see the point in retired couples trying to tick off different bits of the waterways/collect those little brass plates (can't see the market for an equivalent set of 'I once drove down the M3' style ones!). I absolutely don't 'get' CC-ing through choice. I'm indifferent to cycling and I'm positively anti-fishing. But I'm _fine_ with ppl using the waterways to do those things. If someone wants a floating flat/caravan, good luck to them! Those exercising snobbery should be far too busy campaigning for the (re)introduction of more of those little (well, horse-sized, so, not tiny) escape ramps for when their working horses take an unscheduled dip. Oh, hang on...

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1 minute ago, PaulD said:

Price is high for Sawley. £179k would buy a nice home in the area with no annual service charge.

But it wouldn't be afloat and I wonder if it falls into the old static caravan trap, you can only sell through them and when it gets to a certain age it cant be sold on, that added to the moorings "service charge" being hiked up each year could end up painful.

  • Greenie 1
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Some people don't like leasehold for not dissimilar reasons (there are leasehold flats near me with service charges of over 12k/yr - but that does include maintenance of the block's swimming pool, and probably doesn't include such a nice view by anyone's standards...). As long as people are well-informed on purchase, *shrug*...

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18 hours ago, PaulD said:

Price is high for Sawley. £179k would buy a nice home in the area with no annual service charge.

Similarly at Newark.

 

Park homes and  floating homes are not necessarily  a cheap option and almost certainly a poor financial deal in the longer term.

However  the same could be said of boats .

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17 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Similarly at Newark.

 

Park homes and  floating homes are not necessarily  a cheap option and almost certainly a poor financial deal in the longer term.

However  the same could be said of boats .

I would want to know what happens if Aquavista goes into administration or hikes the charges unreasonably. Is there somewhere else you can move to? Also I would like to see the small print about selling the floating home after reading recently about some park home contracts. You can buy a house and a boat around here for £179k so I think this is for a few people who might have won the lottery or something. 

 

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With a leasehold, if enough of you get together, you can do 'right to manage' (even if you don't do 'right to buy' on the freehold bit) and have the fun and games of arranging your own services. Doubt that applies here so you'd be looking at finding a new mooring and craning... CRT do do 'houseboat' licenses and there are certainly other big enough moorings around. So, _in theory_ market forces apply? Albeit with high transaction costs...

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5 minutes ago, matty40s said:

It's a daily(sorry, fortnightly) occurrence now on the Grand Union...

Well, meeting one every two weeks doesn't sound too bad. I shouldn't think that they are as wide as those floating homes though - they look as if they're over 14 feet wide, though it's hard to tell. They certainly wouldn't fit under bridges, so their cruising range would be limited!

 

Again, it may just be the angle from which the photo was taken, but they don't appear to have a chimney, so no fireplace or stove, which would be a minus point.

Edited by Athy
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There is more detail on the Rightmove website https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63979206.html

Didn't find a boiler / fireplace - looks all electric.

Width appears to be 4.267m - just road legal.  4.567m over the floating base so would need to be removed for road transport. Certainly wouldn't get far up the Trent and Mersey canal!

 

 

Edited by PaulD
corrected rightmove link
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