Dottie was simply 20 when she determined to ditch renting, purchase a ship and reside on the water together with her boyfriend Tristan and 9 month outdated pet, Teddy.
Residing in a rundown one-bedroom cottage together with her boyfriend, their landlord gave them three months discover as they wished to promote the home after that they had reworked the place.
Shocked by the sudden eviction, Dottie and her boyfriend Tristan determined to take an unconventional strategy to modern-day residing and opted to ditch renting for good in September 2021.
Getting into the unknown, the end result turned out being extra ‘good’ and ‘rewarding’ than they might have ever imagined.
Now at 21 and with a devoted following on TikTok and Instagram, Dottie runs the accounts named @tanglewoodandtwo, the place she paperwork her life on her 25-year-old boat.
Talking to Metro.co.uk Dottie opened up about her choice to surrender life as she knew it and transfer into Tanglewood, her narrowboat.
Together with her month-to-month prices down round 50%, maintain studying and have a look round Tanglewood.
Final summer season, Dottie and her boyfriend have been renting a one-bedroom cottage in Cambridgeshire.
‘It was fairly run down after we have been moved there, however inside six months we had utterly reworked the place,’ she tells us.
Due to how a lot that they had modified the place and in flip given the property a brand new lease of life, the owner determined to promote it – giving them three months discover to maneuver.
She defined that when mulling over their choices, she found that each she and her boyfriend liked characterful properties, however didn’t have a big sufficient deposit to purchase one.
Not eager on new-builds both, they determined to not use the assistance to purchase scheme.
Having a realisation, one thing set the wheels – or paddles – in movement.
‘At the moment, I’d at all times identified I’d like to reside on a narrowboat, however by no means thought 4 months later I’d be there,’ she says.
Broaching the subject of transferring onto a ship had ‘at all times been fairly exhausting,’ she explains.
‘We’ve had plenty of, “Why would you?”s as we have been full novices, however equally shut household and pals have at all times been supportive.’
Since transferring into the boat, she has documented the method on social media – with one query typically popping up greater than some other.
Essentially the most requested query posed to Dottie is about the price of residing on her boat, and whether or not it’s cheaper than renting.
‘It's cheaper: sure, particularly now with value of residing, however you'll at all times want a little bit extra money for upkeep as issues go fallacious much more typically than a home.
‘We’ve additionally renovated the boat and so have put fairly some huge cash into doing it up.’
Prices to purchase a narrowboat
Boat itself: £30,000 – ‘anyplace between £20,000-40,000 is your common used worth.’
Survey: £1,000 – ‘I’d at all times suggest a survey because it saves you plenty of problem long run’.
‘We additionally changed the cooker, fridge, mattress and couch which totalled: £1,500.’
Value of residing on Dottie's boat per 30 days
Mooring: £400 – ‘that is extraordinarily excessive, however we profit from having on web site amenities, bathrooms, showers, bins, safety and there’s a pub.
‘We do have a bathroom and bathe on board, but in addition useful as again up if something goes fallacious!’
Insurance coverage: £16 – 200 per yr, covers third celebration
License: £84 – (about £1,000 per yr). ‘This additionally relies upon the place you progress the boat, rivers and canals or simply rivers.’
Wifi: £20 – ‘we used a 4g router which works completely for working from dwelling, watching television, listening to music.’
Gasoline (for cooker): £6 – ‘roughly calculated, to place in perspective we popped a brand new gasoline cannister in December and it’s nonetheless not completed but.’
Electrical: £10 – ‘now we have a sensible card the place we high up’
Heating (in Winter): £50 – ‘now we have a diesel heater for the radiators in addition to a log burner.’
Diesel (to maneuver): £30 – ‘On high of the above £50 for the heating, we spend possibly about £30 per 30 days if we need to transfer. Clearly we’re on a marina, however we wish to get out as a lot as potential.’
‘We don’t should pay council tax or TV licence.’
(bar any upkeep or renovation)
Prices of residing of their outdated cottage (earlier than the price of residing disaster)
Hire: £800
Gasoline & Electrical energy – £100
Water – £60
Council Tax – £180
TV License & Sky – £60
Wifi – £30
On high of normal prices to run her narrowboat, Dottie has needed to renovate it too, and admits that there's nonetheless an extended approach to go.
‘We’ve utterly reworked the kitchen and lounge, with plenty of color, and we’re now beginning to add our on touches onto our dwelling.
‘We’ve put down new flooring and have just lately simply completed turning our little outdoors space right into a backyard with pretend grass and chairs.’
She defined how renovating their rest room is subsequent on the listing, after which they plan on doing up their bed room earlier than tackling the outside.
Planning to color a number of the outdoors of Tanglewood, Dottie was quoted £10,000 by a tradesperson, so she's going to do it herself as a substitute.
As one would anticipate, residing on the water is way totally different to residing on land – and though picturesque and idyllic, it does include its personal issues.
‘A ship is rather more guide,’ Dottie notes, earlier than detailing what it’s wish to run Tanglewood.
‘We have now to refill our water tank to get recent water in our faucets as soon as a month, high up our sensible card for electrical, re-fill our diesel and so forth.
‘There’s additionally much more issues that may go fallacious with boats – since we moved in October, we’ve had a 200 litre water leak. Twice. Our heating broke, which additionally meant no scorching water.’
Though Dottie defined to us how issues can go fallacious and also you have to be ready, she has discovered that she appreciates the smaller issues in life since residing on her boat.
‘What I might say about residing on water is that it makes you recognize the smaller issues in life,’ she provides.
‘Though there’s extra upkeep, it’s a way more slower way of life.
‘And the individuals! The individuals are pretty, and there’s such a way of group in our marina – they’d do something for anybody.’
When requested whether or not she would suggest residing in a narrowboat to the typical renter, Dottie was fast to say how she is aware of her life-style isn’t for everybody.
‘However truthfully, when you love journey and nature, it’s good,’ she says.
Explaining how it may be very ‘rewarding’ to reside on a narrowboat, Dottie doesn’t see this as a ‘perpetually factor’.
She reckons her boat can be value ‘much more’ than what she purchased it for in 5 years time as a result of sheer demand they're in in the intervening time.
‘It’s undoubtedly a now factor,’ she affirmed to us.
‘I’d ultimately wish to put it on AirBnB to permit individuals to have a taster earlier than leaping in on the deep finish and shopping for a ship.’
When requested whether or not she would use the cash saved by residing on a ship for a morgatage sooner or later, the jury was out however Dottie appeared adamant that life on the water was nonetheless on the horizon.
‘There are additionally some unbelievable huge beam boats on the market that are just about homes on water so that may be a possible.’
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