El Sutcliffe, from Burton-on-Trent, East Staffordshire, purchased a 49ft narrowboat for £15,750 in May 2024, which was a lot less than the average price, and she has spent the past year renovating it
A firefighter has opted for narrowboat life after moving out of her Birmingham home.
El Sutcliffe has taken an unconventional approach to the “mad” housing market by purchasing and renovating a 49ft narrowboat that had previously sunk, for £15,000.
The 27 year old firefighter from Burton bought her first home in Birmingham with an ex-partner in 2022, found herself with £15,000 after their split and the subsequent sale of the property.
Rather than buying a one-bedroom flat in a less desirable part of town, El opted for a narrowboat life, acquiring her new home for £15,750 in May 2024, despite it needing a complete overhaul due to previous submersion and lacking even basic flooring.
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Undeterred by the extensive work needed, which she estimated at £10,000 for the interior alone, El has dedicated nearly a year to transforming the boat. She’s installed a log burner, a fully-equipped kitchen with fridge, sink, and gas cooker, and is now close to finishing the bathroom and final touches.
El has been documenting her renovation adventure on TikTok, aiming to show the realities of narrowboat living. While she admits she’d be “heartbroken” to leave the home she’s lovingly crafted, she believes that videos of “gorgeous boats going through stunning parts of the British countryside” don’t always tell the full story.
El, a full-time firefighter, made the bold choice to trade traditional housing for living on a boat, with zero regrets. “It just seemed like a no-brainer and I don’t have any regrets, I think the housing market is all a bit mad,” she told PA Real Life.
Affordability was a key factor for El, who admitted: “I could never afford to live where I do if I didn’t live on a boat.”
She highlighted the flexibility of her new lifestyle, saying: “Things can change and your work can move – with a house, that’s a lot of paperwork and a lot of stress.”
The ease of relocation is clear: “With the boat, I can up and move it, and I can access a lot of the waterways here in the UK, it can come with me wherever I end up.”
After parting ways with her partner, they sold their jointly owned Birmingham house in 2022. Reflecting on her next move, El said: “I came out of that with about £15,000 and I was looking at what I could afford,” She considered her options: “I could have got a one-bed flat in quite a rough part of Birmingham where I would have had to pay ground rent, maintenance fees and things like that.”
The idea of living on a narrowboat had been appealing to El, but time was ticking for her to decide. She mentioned: “I’d always liked the idea of living on the boat but I was running out of time, I needed to figure something out.”
A work colleague connected her to someone selling a narrowboat, albeit one needing extensive work. Despite its challenges, including having previously sunk, El saw potential: “It had no flooring, it had sunk previously, it was all very questionable – but I thought ‘what have I got to lose?'”.
In May 2024, El took the plunge and bought her 49ft narrowboat for £15,750, recognising it as a bargain compared to market prices, given its state.
Setting herself a modest budget of £10,000 for interior renovations, which she secures from her monthly earnings, El embarked on rejuvenating her new abode.
With the support of her parents, Helen and Haydn, aged 58 and 61, El has managed to install a cosy log burner with a chimney, assemble a fully-functional kitchen complete with gas cooker, fridge, and sink, and erect walls to carve out a bedroom space.
“Everything had to come out, we had to take it back to bare metal, rust-treat it all, it had to be fully insulated, we put in new ceilings, new flooring,” she explained.
To finish the indoors, El is looking to set up an additional wall for a proper bathroom area, featuring a toilet, shower, and sink, as well as completing all painting and decorating tasks.
On the exterior side of things, the current paint job requires stripping, but faced with a professional quote of £12,500, El is determined to tackle this endeavor too.
“I can’t see myself getting rid of it – it would absolutely break my heart because we’ve built it from the ground up,” she confessed.
“It’s not been all sunshine and roses, I’ve banged my head against walls, I’ve stormed off crying and sat in my car going ‘is this a terrible idea?'”.
“But now it’s nearly done, I love it.”
El estimates that once her boat renovations are complete, it’s going to set her back about £550 each month for mooring and upkeep – and that doesn’t even cover the unforeseen repairs.
“They require maintenance work which can be expensive, like taking them out of the water and blackening the hull to protect it, repainting, getting the engine serviced, things like that,” she shared about the hidden costs of narrowboat living.
Though the expenses might sound daunting, El highlighted the upsides and downsides of life aboard a narrowboat.
“I’m moored in a stunning spot, I’ve got amazing neighbours and the boating community is fantastic,” she expressed, finding joy in her unique living situation.
Yet, El didn’t shy away from discussing the challenges, “There are some parts which are hard, it’s such a small living space, it works out less than 20 square metres, so the storage is a nightmare.”
The cramped quarters led to a wardrobe cull, but El reckons she’s adapted quite well, “I had to get rid of a lot of clothes but I seem to have settled into it really well.”
Keen to provide a realistic portrayal of residential boating, El took to TikTok to document her renovation progress.
“People will comment ‘oh my god, this is my dream lifestyle’ and TikTok videos will show gorgeous boats going through stunning parts of the British countryside,” she observed, cautioning people who might be swayed by idyllic presentations.
“It’s like that about 10% of the time and I think that needs to be spoken about more.”
With the rising interest in affordable living solutions, El urges aspiring boaters to consider all aspects, “Especially now when people are looking for cheaper ways of living and it’s becoming all the more popular, people need to make informed decisions.”