Episode 8 - Floating Summer Homes
Boat lover Laurence Kent has always lived by the water. Previously living on a small narrowboat moored in his own marina in East Farleigh, he had dreams of an upgraded pad. A comfortable living space on the water, that was big enough for his grandson to have a sleepover but small enough to fit in his marina. Laurence put his faith in the hands of Richard Homewood, an engineer that has designed a new floating home with a bespoke micro- home, called The Riverpod.
To save costs, Laurence hopes to fit out the interior himself and with a background in renovation, he would like to re-design the layout of the Pod, offering a larger bedroom and bigger open plan kitchen/living area.
Before it is complete, there is a difficult challenge to get the Riverpod from Richard’s yard to Laurence’s marina. A tight squeeze down Kent roads, a launch and then towing the home down the river Medway … that’s if the snow doesn’t cause a problem or flood warnings done stop the final bit of the journey. Laurence hopes to finish the interior in just 2 weeks, just in time for his birthday and to enjoy the first rays of the spring Sun.
Arizonian action duo, Jan and Don Hansen, love to holiday on the Willamette River in Oregon, so they’ll design and build the ultimate floating summerhouse, giving them unparalleled access to the water. Costing 450 thousand dollars, they want vast outdoor decking, a custom built steel and wood staircase, a wood burning stove and an open plan living space.
Building this supersized summerhouse will not be easy – the local build team face delays as the harsh Oregon winter takes hold. They also come close to calamity as a weight imbalance threatens to capsize the floating foundation!
The exquisite staircase is installed and we’re onboard for the tow down river, as the crew has to dodge float-piercing logs to make it to Jan and Don’s mooring. Finally, we discover if this dream summerhouse matches Jan and Don’s exacting expectations.