They say, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonades." When Jérémie Malvy stumbled upon an old abandoned 1954 cargo river boat selling for 11,000 Euros ($11,164), he didn't see a rotting iron block on a river, but his forever dream home. Kirsten Dirksen of Faircompanies got a chance to review this docked transformation, on which Malvy and his wife Sara live full-time on the Seine on the outskirts of Paris.
The couple named the cargo boat Panjab, and not by chance. It gets its name from Malvy's home region in Pakistan (Punjab), and his story is quite fascinating.
A couple of decades ago, Malvy arrived in France without resources or the ability to speak a single word in French. He spent the next few years on the streets and often not so far from where he lives now, under the bridges of the Seine.
He always wanted to live by the water, and his dream came true as fate would have it.
The 'Panjab' is docked on the Seine on the outskirts of Paris, meant there would be minimal natural greenery on board. But Sara and Malvy love plants, and their cargo boat home is now filled with many different kinds and varieties. Sara says they got them before they had any furniture to show just how much they adore their plants.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Kirsten Dirksen
Unlike most cargo boats that barely have any windows, Panjab has huge top-to-bottom windows on one side facing the river, making the boat extra spacious and letting in a lot of natural light. According to the couple, the main idea is to be inside but feel as if they are outside.
The view of the river from their home is breathtaking. The windows don't have any grills, giving a pure glistening view of the Seine with a magnificent backdrop of the city.
Living on the cargo boat has completely reshaped their lives. "There's no more stress. Completely. When I come home, I stand here. I watch the flowing water. After two or three minutes, it takes all the stress with it," Malvy confessed.
Sara says some of the perks of living on the cargo boat home is watching nature transform. Over the seasons, the water changes color. They also see a lot of wildlife, including ducks, swans, and some big fish swimming undisturbed.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Kirsten Dirksen
"It's even problematic to be in such a boat because actually, we don't go outside anymore," Sara said. "We are forcing ourselves to go outside. Okay, I will go to a restaurant, but is it better than my place? No!" she added.
The Panjab doesn't run anymore. Therefore, they got rid of the engine, and the space it resided in is currently their laundry area.
The cargo boat was built in 1954 and started its life transporting cereals. According to the couple, due to the nature of its work, it was immaculate when they acquired it.
Malvy and Sara give an impressive account of the work that went into the transformation. We recommend checking out the video below for their floating dream home 'before and after' build process.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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