Ever dreamed of living on the water? One man took matters into his own hands to make this dream a reality by building a completely off the grid floating home.
Jay Blackmore constructed his family’s float home over the course of four years. Before building the float home, he and his family lived in the countryside. He felt that the country home was too expensive, too far from town, and required too much maintenance.
The primary reason Blackmore traded in his country home for a floating house is to be closer to the water. “When I was thinking about what I wanted my life to look like over the next number of years, I wanted to be as close to the water as I could, so a floating home become a really viable option for me,” Blackmore said.
Floating Home Specs
The floating home is 700-square feet with completely off-the-grid solar power. The kitchen, master bedroom, living and dining space are on the main floor. There are two bedrooms on the second floor that have a wraparound deck with 360 degree views. There’s a composing toilet, pellet stove, and an evaporation grey water system.
Building a floating home solved many of the issues Blackmore had with his country home. Blackmore is now walking distance to town. He has no driveway to shovel or lawn to mow. Conveniently, his sailboat is docked in the same marina as the floating home.
Living in a float home has unique challenges. Everything that goes in and out of the float home has to be carried there. Blackmore has to carry propane tanks, pellets for the wood stove, groceries, garbage, etc. even in the middle of winter or heavy storms.
Another challenge for Blackmore and his family is that the home lacks the privacy of his country home. The float home is quite public with boaters and paddlers regularly in the area.
While building the float home, Blackmore tracked his progress on Instagram. Check out more photos of the home on Blackmore’s Instagram here:
Take a full tour of the float home from the Exploring Alternatives YouTube channel above.
