LIFE on the waterways sounds idyllic. Being able to simply move your home to a new part of the country whenever you like, a slower pace of life, de cluttering... but what if you have a family, a job, and all that entails?
Well, it is still a viable prospect as Michelle and Jeremy Greenwood can prove.
Michelle, 41, and Jeremy, 46, have two children, Billy, 9, and Lola, 7, as well as a thriving bespoke boat building business, Tristar Boats.
They live in a house boat at Trent Lock, their home of four years, and have permanent moorings, which means they can send their children to the local school just like their foundation anchored neighbours.
Jeremy's commute to work is a leisurely canoe journey from Trent Lock to Redhill Marina at Ratcliffe on Soar.
The couple put their heart and souls into the interiors of the boats they fit. They only take on three to four projects a year, all from recommendations, and are currently working on a narrow boat and a dutch barge.
There are huge variations in what people want from their new homes, and with the talents of a former theatre designer and television set builder, Michelle and Jeremy are the perfect people to create that interior styling.
The couple have included traditional 'gentlemen's club' type decor finished with Farrow and Ball wallpaper, secret passages between rooms (pull forward the children's toy cooker and scurry through the space like Alice in Wonderland), bathrooms with digital shower controls and LED lighting, bedrooms with four poster beds and even installed CCTV cameras into their boats.
Boats can have central heating or traditional stoves, your only restriction is space.
Michelle said: "Space becomes very precious and every little nook and cranny is used.
"Space wise, a boat is usually comparable to a one-bedroom flat; the kitchen will take a washer dryer, a dishwasher, then there's living and dining space, bedrooms and a bathroom."
Narrow boats were originally working boats, 6ft 6in wide and 45 ft long – to carry their cargo and fit along with waterways and lock system for which they were designed. However, boats come in all shapes and sizes. The width of the dutch barge the couple are currently working on is 12ft 6 inches wide, still navigable through the waterways.
The couple say the average cost of a second-hand boat is £30,000 to £40,000 and a bespoke built narrow boat from them coming in at around £80,000, so they advise doing your homework and researching the costs and logistics of living afloat before you set your heart upon it.
"Hire a boat for a holiday first," said Michelle, "make sure you like it."
"Visit and view lots of boats and boat builders. You'll soon work out who are good builders," said Jeremy. "Get quotes from boat builders and visit a boat show. The inland waterways National Festival takes place in July and even more locally, there's an open day here at the Redhill Marina.
"We blog all our boats' construction progress – we like to have an open relationship so that owners know exactly how their home is constructed.
"You can get finance from specialist companies, similar to a mortgage.
"Boats are not difficult to live in and there is a good sense of community on the river – we find you talk to people a lot more."
But you do need to do your homework before you start the journey.