Alternative ways of housing / living

In the early 90s I lived on a double decker bus that the previous owner had converted. We travelled all over the country in it. Sleeping was up stairs and cooking/chilling was downstairs. Great fun although I don’t think I could of done it permanently I still look back at those days fondly.

Was quite cold in the winter but you soon got used to it.

Kevin Connery For many it is a fool’s paradise. Thatcher promoted house ownership through the sale of council houses to lock people into a golden cage and keep their noses pressed to the grindstone. You aren’t going to cause trouble and strike if you could lose your home. It worked, it created a very conservative passive workforce. For someone like me who liked to travel, house ownership is a nightmare. I don’t see a reasonable rent as dead money, most people are old before they actually own their home and they can only release the money if they downsize, something people do in their later years. Yes, they might have comfortable later years, that’s fine and why not but I think that is overrated. I’m glad I could always walk out of the door on a job or a life style and not look back.

That said, I think the young have it tough now. A shortage of houses to buy or rent, a shortage of decent work, worsening pay, a rising cost of living and working and living in an other country being difficult to almost impossible. But that is a consequence of people choosing to possess things and having a conservative lifestyle, rather than having a life rich in experience. Yes, if you are rich enoughbyou can have both but if you are rich enough you can have everything, privilege snd things but that is very much a minority.

Edited by K-arl

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the responses here, there were lots of helpful ones which is much appreciated.

Basically what I would like is a bit more security whilst also having the ability to save more. I'm not particularly 'attached' to my local area given I don't have many friends or family here (and rarely see the ones who are based here anyway)...and whilst Gloucestershire overall is nice, the area I live in itself is pretty crappy. It is not my cup of tea at all and in all honesty I have been sick of my place for about 2 years but I just haven't been in the position to get out of here. The only real positive about this area for me is the fact it is quite accessible in terms of getting to Birmingham, Bristol etc and quite straightforward for getting further afield to places like Reading, Oxford and London. I worry if I move too far 'out in the sticks' I wouldn't get much modelling work.

My partner has been in the process of starting a business for 2 years (with my support) and during much of that time I have been the only person earning money (and I've always been the breadwinner in all of my relationships) and it has really taken a toll on me financially. I don't qualify for social housing or benefits and I don't have family who support me in times of need so I am very much 'on my own.' I don't want sympathy, I'm just saying it how it is and it is the same for a lot of people but it doesn't seem to be spoken of much. People seem to assume that you can just fall back on your family, or on some money left behind by a relative or something but it isn't a given as much as it might seem that way to some.

I used to want to go down the route all people my age seem to be doing nowadays (but with the help of bank of Mum and Dad in most cases) i.e. getting a mortgage on a super expensive property that is going to take them yonks to pay back. But I've started to see things differently. We had some advice from a mortgage advisor who basically said that we wouldn't be eligible to secure a mortgage on a property of the size we were hoping for due to our deposit being too small. He suggested we work on our credit scores for a year, (which currently aren't amazing, but not terrible either) and then have a look again. 

Since then I have been looking at other options. I agree with a lot of what Holly Alexander said in that being tied down to a house for many many years doesn't really seem to be much fun...and things change, people change. What if a few years in, you don't like the area anymore or you realise the house actually isn't what you want... 

What I am really leaning towards right now (and I know a few others have suggested it) is a houseboat. We could probably afford one outright with the inheritance money we are due to receive soon (or we could put a really decent deposit down and secure the rest from a specialist lender for houseboats). We wouldn't be tied down to it for a long time if we didn't want to be and we'd be able to save a lot more money than what we save currently, meaning that we might actually have a chance of getting a house that we actually want and suits our needs, instead of just settling for the least we can afford. It would also be a completely different way of life, away from this concrete jungle I currently live in (full of apathetic people I have nothing in common with)...that's something I am really craving right now. I don't feel very fulfilled by my current living situation, or by the lack of community and the 'grind culture' which is prevalent in Quedgeley.

And when I heard that even if we put down a pretty good deposit, we couldn't qualify for any mortgage offers for a house that absolutely broke me. I've been so fed up for so long, and initially we thought having the inheritance would be a game-changer but quickly realised that actually, there were a hell of a lot more hoops to jump through. So I need a change, and quick...before I go completely bonkers! I think the only thing keeping me sane is creating art and modelling and I'm so grateful to those who shoot with me and help me escape my thoughts for a while. 

Also, just to clarify I am not looking for a shortcut or an 'easy route' to homeownership. In my experience, nothing comes easy and I am happy to work hard for things as I have done throughout my life.  I am just looking for alternatives as the conventional route seems to be the most difficult of all, and also I am coming to find that it makes the least sense for me personally. 

What would be your comfortable budget on the deposit, mortgage route?

I think house boat sounds great this time of year, but think about it in winter. Insulation pretty limited

Edited by SteveDeansPhotography

Pleased you've made a decision, now research and make the right choices and explore hidden costs and restrictions. It's something I've always fancied even as a weekend/holiday option. I was very tempted with buying a 53ft motor yacht (slighly different) about 20 yrs ago, was back and forth to Southampton, then realised the UK ain't the place to use/keep one. My friend has a nice boat in Alicante which his wife and kids use for half the year, he described the ownership and running costs as like having a shower in a torrent of £50 notes.

Hope it works out for you both.

SteveDeansPhotography said

What would be your comfortable budget on the deposit, mortgage route?

I think house boat sounds great this time of year, but think about it in winter. Insulation pretty limited

Edited by SteveDeansPhotography

And, every some many year, the bottom needs re-leading or re-lining. You would need somewhere to live whilst that is done. Not sure how long it takes, but I would imagine it would not be like a car service.  Plus, with living g on a boat..if it sinks, so do you possessions.

DJ200 said

SteveDeansPhotography said

What would be your comfortable budget on the deposit, mortgage route?

I think house boat sounds great this time of year, but think about it in winter. Insulation pretty limited

Edited by SteveDeansPhotography

And, every some many year, the bottom needs re-leading or re-lining. You would need somewhere to live whilst that is done. Not sure how long it takes, but I would imagine it would not be like a car service.  Plus, with living g on a boat..if it sinks, so do you possessions.

It's not a cheap option. Here in the Netherlands I have several friends who live on boats, it's a life style. Depending on the type of boat and assuming they are a reasonable size for living, rather than a holiday, they are more expensive than a house to buy and keep up. You still need water and sanitation and various utilities depending on your needs, somewhere to get rid of rubbish. You also need to be handy if you plan to live in it all year, there can be a lot of maintenance. I once looked into it and came away with the conclusion it is for people with money or those very committed to the life style. I assume a narrow boat would be cheaper than barges over here which tend to be bigger. Houseboats are nice but again expensive because of births and I assume similar in England, though maybe cheaper because there are less. It can prove a nightmare. The people I know are not short of money and have commitment to the life style.

Emma Jayne - If you want practical experience about living on a houseboat, have a chat with Roswell Ivory :-)

Gothic Image as opposed to Uncle Albert

K-arl It'll be cheaper than a similar sized flat in central London, but take it outside of there I'd imagine it would be just as expensive as a property on dry land

SteveDeansPhotography said

K-arl It'll be cheaper than a similar sized flat in central London, but take it outside of there I'd imagine it would be just as expensive as a property on dry land

Yes. Even with boats and houseboats it's location, location, location.

SteveDeansPhotography said

Gothic Image as opposed to Uncle Albert

As opposed to people hypothesising?

This is a bit of a Wild Card and would depend on how adventurous you are, but several regions in Italy, particularly Sicily, are so keen to regenerate villages that they are selling empty properties for 1 Euro - the only snag being that buyers must commit to actually living there.

K-arl said

Kevin Connery For many it is a fool’s paradise. Thatcher promoted house ownership through the sale of council houses to lock people into a golden cage and keep their noses pressed to the grindstone. You aren’t going to cause trouble and strike if you could lose your home. It worked, it created a very conservative passive workforce. For someone like me who liked to travel, house ownership is a nightmare. I don’t see a reasonable rent as dead money, most people are old before they actually own their home and they can only release the money if they downsize, something people do in their later years. Yes, they might have comfortable later years, that’s fine and why not but I think that is overrated. I’m glad I could always walk out of the door on a job or a life style and not look back.

That said, I think the young have it tough now. A shortage of houses to buy or rent, a shortage of decent work, worsening pay, a rising cost of living and working and living in an other country being difficult to almost impossible. But that is a consequence of people choosing to possess things and having a conservative lifestyle, rather than having a life rich in experience. Yes, if you are rich enoughbyou can have both but if you are rich enough you can have everything, privilege snd things but that is very much a minority.

Edited by K-arl

Thatcher was able to sell the council houses to working class renters not to convert them to Conservatism but because they already were conservative in outlook….and voting patterns.
Also enjoy your rich experience of life but try living off it when you are old and experience rich but cash poor …..because you didn’t invest in your future and are unable to downsize.   And try living abroad with no money or family support when you are older.

As to the young not being able to live and work abroad that is complete none sense.  Believe me there was travel, work overseas etc before the EU.  I was taught by and worked with guys and gals who had worked and lived in all the countries inEurope plus many in South America and the States.  More paperwork: yes: more planning: yes; but eminently doable if you have the drive.

As I’ve said elsewhere in this thread ‘life is what you make it’.

Must admit, I did think about purchasing a narrow boat to live on a few years ago.

I just love the thought, that went fed up with a place, I can move on