{"id":476922,"date":"2026-03-15T12:28:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T12:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/476922\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T12:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T12:28:26","slug":"designing-a-houseboat-from-scratch-rocked-my-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/476922\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing a houseboat from scratch rocked my world"},"content":{"rendered":"

About \u201cten seconds\u201d scrolling through Rightmove was enough for Rosanna Irwin to conclude that buying a home in London \u201cwas not on the cards financially\u201d. It was April 2021: the Irish-born 31-year-old had just quit her fast-paced tech job at Meta in Dublin and, in the throes of a \u201cquarter-life crisis\u201d, had moved to a rental in Hackney, east London, with her film-producer partner Killian Connolly, 33. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do I want to do with my life?\u201d Irwin asked herself. \u201cIt definitely wasn\u2019t selling social media ads.\u201d One sunny afternoon, as the couple explored their local web of canals on an inflatable kayak, they got chatting to a boater while waiting for a lock to open. \u201cHe offered us a look inside his boat,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\u201cI could not believe how spacious it was. His boat was amazing. We decided that we wanted to buy one.\u201d And so in July 2022 they paid \u00a3100,000 for a 60ft x 12ft widebeam boat, transported via truck from Manchester to Watford before cruising into central London to their first mooring. \u201cThe guy next to us immediately asked, \u2018Do you want a beer?\u2019\u201d, which summed up the open-hearted energy of the boating community. <\/p>\n

\"Rosanna<\/p>\n

Irwin: \u201cContinuous cruising is the magic of living on a boat\u201d<\/p>\n

AKIRA SUEMORI FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n

Getting to grips with their new lifestyle didn\u2019t take long. \u201cContinuous cruising is the magic of living on a boat,\u201d Irwin says. \u201cEvery couple of weeks you\u2019re in a new borough.\u201d Asda groceries would be delivered along the towpath; fuel \u2014 whether coal, gas or logs \u2014 could be ordered by text message via a roaming supplier dubbed \u201cthe fuel guy\u201d. The most surprising thing, though? \u201cHow much it felt like living in a house.\u201d <\/p>\n

Together, the couple revamped the boat\u2019s interiors. \u201cI love anything to do with interior design. I would inhale Architectural Digest and all of those magazines,\u201d she says. Despite Connolly regularly travelling for work (filming sports documentaries for Netflix), Irwin never felt unsafe while staying solo on the boat. \u201cEven if you are only passing for a couple of days, the person in front of you and behind you is always looking out for you,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s such a tight-knit community.\u201d <\/p>\n

Yet Irwin\u2019s ongoing pursuit of purpose and a high-octane succession of jobs in London left her completely burnt out. \u201cI worked in film for a bit, documentary, reforestation, carbon credits and then finally broke down mentally,\u201d she says. July 2023 marked a \u201cbreaking point\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u2022 How an accessible houseboat turned the tide for my family with disabilities<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI was doing all the things that you\u2019re meant to do to feel good \u2014 exercising, eating well, doing acupuncture, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy \u2014 but I couldn\u2019t have felt worse,\u201d she admits. That summer proved a fateful gearshift. While visiting a friend in Denmark, the couple ended up on an \u201caccidental digital detox\u201d in a yurt on Samso, a carbon-negative island where Copenhageners escape to immerse themselves in pristine nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter three days on this island with no internet, I came back feeling like I hadn\u2019t felt in years. It was so profound that I came back to London, quit my job and, that week, moved back in with my parents to Ireland at the age of 28. I thought, OK, how can I recreate the experience that I had, but for others? It made me think, how many [people like] me are out there quietly burning out, but pretending everything\u2019s OK because there is this pressure to work hard, be online and show off our social lives.\u201d <\/p>\n

That low point led to Irwin setting up Sams\u00fa<\/a> \u2014 now a small collection of secluded stylish digital detox cabins \u2014 she\u2019s named her first cabin Saoirse (which means freedom in Irish). The idea is simple: to spend 72 hours entirely offline. Guests stay in the countryside beyond Dublin with no wifi; locking away smartphones and receiving notebooks, a film camera and an old Nokia for emergencies. <\/p>\n

\u2022 \u2018A boat building apprenticeship paid for my first home\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Back in London, the couple sold their boat in an unconventional way: TikTok. After casually posting photos to the social media platform in November 2023 before planning to list it on the marine marketplace Apollo Duck, Irwin was inundated with inquiries, selling \u201cwithin less than two weeks\u201d for \u00a3160,000, more than 10 per cent over the \u00a3145,000 asking price.<\/p>\n

\"Rosanna<\/p>\n

Irwin and her partner, Killian, spent more than \u00a3180,000 on the build<\/p>\n

AKIRA SUEMORI FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n

Boat life had left an indelible mark on the pair, though, and despite Irwin now being based mainly in Ireland, they hatched a plan to build a new boat. \u201cBoth of us had this itch: what boat could we create if we designed it from scratch?\u201d she says. Work kicked off in February 2025, at which point Connolly was splitting his time between London and Dublin: \u201cWe thought we could keep [the boat] in London and Killian would stay there when he\u2019s over for work\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u2022 What it\u2019s like living on a narrow boat<\/a><\/p>\n

The nine-month build took \u201cfar longer\u201d than they\u2019d planned and cost more than \u00a3180,000. Their new design applied all they\u2019d learnt from their previous vessel. Natural light was a priority: \u201cAnywhere we could, we put in a window.\u201d The second principle was flexibility. Connolly\u2019s idea to add a multi-functional library room\/office\/second bedroom behind a pocket door, within the kitchen\/living\/dining area, meant the sitting room could be extended or closed off as required. \u201cIt makes the boat feel so much more spacious,\u201d Irwin adds. \u201cThe first and second boat are ultimately the same size, but this one has a second room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Natural light was a priority during the design phase, hence the large skylight<\/p>\n

ROSANNA IRWIN\/KILLIAN CONNOLLY<\/p>\n

\"Rosanna<\/p>\n

Irwin in the houseboat\u2019s multi-functional library\/office\/second bedroom<\/p>\n

AKIRA SUEMORI FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n

Floorboards were salvaged from an old church in Wales; the vintage furniture and fixtures were sourced on Facebook Marketplace and eBay. \u201cThe first thing that we bought for the boat, before the steel work was even done, was the double butler sink\u201d \u2014 a generous flourish that you wouldn\u2019t expect on a boat and an aesthetic borrowed from the pared-back bathroom at the caf\u00e9 Jolene in Newington Green, north London. With custom copper taps and a heated towel rail, this sink sits upon a repurposed record cabinet: \u201cA drawer slides out and fits toilet rolls perfectly and underneath, there\u2019s loads of space for toiletries\u201d. The walk-in rainfall shower, with reeded glass, has a tiled seat and recessed shower nook for toiletries, with light pouring in through the skylight above. <\/p>\n

The main bedroom is kitted out with a king-size bed and fitted birch wardrobes. It took them \u201cdays\u201d and multiple coats to stain the birch panelling and cupboards in the library, bedroom and kitchen in a mid-century-inspired teak tone. Irwin and Connolly \u201cwork really well together\u201d. \u201cWe have similar tastes. During the design process, we would have debates, but rarely disagreements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The main bedroom is kitted out with a king-size bed, while the bathroom features a double butler sink<\/p>\n

ROSANNA IRWIN\/KILLIAN CONNOLLY<\/p>\n

They christened their chic new widebeam Pomeroy, after Connolly\u2019s father\u2019s boat \u2014 a renovation project he began years ago but, being a lawyer rather than a handyman, never finished. \u201cWe did all the furnishing and design,\u201d Irwin says, however professionals handled the carpentry and structural work, as well as fitting a Barrus Shire 70hp engine, Victron lithium battery and a solar system, meaning Pomeroy is fully off-grid. <\/p>\n

The boat, in \u201csail away\u201d condition, is moored at Willowtree Marina on the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal in west London near Hayes and Harlington station (on the Elizabeth Line).<\/p>\n

\"Rosanna<\/p>\n

Irwin: \u201cThis was the first project where we effectively got to design a house exactly how we would want to live in it\u201d<\/p>\n

AKIRA SUEMORI FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were no corners cut. This was the first project where we effectively got to design a house exactly how we would want to live in it,\u201d she says. \u201cAs we got to the end, we knew that we would be selling it; 2025 was also the year that we chose to get married and also add a cabin to Sams\u00fa. We\u2019ve now both settled in Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pomeroy is ready for a new owner to take the helm. The couple are selling via London Town & Country Property Auctions<\/a> with an opening bid of \u00a3195,000. The final opportunity to view will be on Thursday, March 19 at 11am. Bidding opens Wednesday, March 25 at 10am and closes at midday. The mooring (\u00a3900 monthly) at Willowtree is transferable, subject to an interview with the marina and a transfer fee (2.5 per cent of the purchase value of the boat) or the buyer is free to go on a continuous cruising licence if they prefer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About \u201cten seconds\u201d scrolling through Rightmove was enough for Rosanna Irwin to conclude that buying a home in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476923,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-476922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}