I bought my ‘dream’ boat home for just £3,800 but it turned into a DISASTER – don’t make the three mistakes I did

AN UNHAPPY homeowner made 3 large mistakes erstwhile renovating her cleanable home.

Elizabeth Earle, 36, thought she was getting her "dream" location for conscionable £3,800 but it turned retired beryllium much of a nightmare.

The self-employed writer and illustrator bought a vessel with her overdraft, hoping to renovate it.

After 2 years of revamps and upgrades, Elizabeth is yet blessed but determination are a fewer things she would person done differently.

HEATING

Elizabeth was perfectly determined to get clasp of her imagination location - truthful overmuch truthful that she adjacent went without heating.

While she doesn't counsel going without warmth implicit the winter, she's is gladsome to beryllium wherever she is now.

"The mode I did it was the dumbest, hardest mode possible," she told Sky.

"I was conscionable truthful afloat of dreams and wanting to marque it but I made it work.

"I was good with being cold."

Elizabeth acknowledges the challenging manner and understands it's not everyone's cupful of tea.

Especially during wintertime it tin go incredibly pugnacious and adjacent dangerous.

"If your occurrence goes retired it is simply a immense woody oregon if you've tally retired of ember and you're 2 miles away, you person to transportation 25kg of ember connected your enarthrosis done the mud," she added.

During her the acold seasons Elizabeth discovered the worth of endurance skills.

Now she says she wouldn't adjacent see dating a antheral who couldn't stat a fire, saying "it's an contiguous no."

BATHROOM FACILITIES

Owning a houseboat has truthful galore perks but unluckily luxurious bath facilities aren't 1 of them.

Elizabeth said: "I wanted a vessel truthful overmuch that I was good with surviving without a shower, I was good with utilizing a bucket for a toilet for the archetypal fewer months."

Canal boats travel with a fewer antithetic toilet types including pump-out toilets, cassette toilets, and a compost toilet.

Elizabeth bravely went without immoderate of these for the archetypal fewer months but insists the conflict was worthy it.

By surviving frugally and redoing her vessel she was capable to upgrade to a compost toilet and is thrilled,

However, she does admit utilizing an on-land loo does inactive consciousness similar a treat.

"When you get to usage a toilet - it's fabulous," she added.

"When you spell circular to your friend's location and you get to usage their toilet you can't judge your luck.

"You tin spell for a posh poo and it's fabulous."

She besides has a ablution but admits she washes astatine the gym to debar having to refill her 700-litre vessel excessively frequently.

BOAT SPACE

In spring, Elizabeth says she gets to unbend connected her extortion and ticker the sunset - a representation of luxury.

Unfortunately, with the nippy British weather, these days aren't excessively predominant and she spends a batch of clip down beneath deck.

For this reason, having capable surviving abstraction is crucial.

Even aft 2 years of renovations, Elizabeth decided to upgrade to get a much comfy 70ft 100-year-old narrowboat.

After jazzing up her erstwhile vas and selling it for £20,000 she was capable to splash retired connected a bigger exemplary for £35,000.

With her caller spacious home, which she shares with rescue German Shepherd premix Leela, Elizabeth says determination is present obscurity other successful the satellite she would alternatively be.

"I'm successful the mediate of the countryside close present and it's beautiful," she says.

"I've got nary 1 bothering maine and if I privation to permission this spot I tin conscionable permission tomorrow."