This Quirky Houseboat Is Actually a Floating Beach Hut, Has a Lifeboat Bathtub

The nomadic lifestyle has boomed in popularity over the past few years due to considerations like the developments of 2020, the current economic and housing crisis, and the increasingly stressful conditions of living in the city. Remote working seems to have solved some of these issues, allowing for a more nomadic existence – whether in vans, tiny houses, or RVs turned into full-time homes or houseboats.

Arguably houseboats don't travel as much as any of these other options – or not at all, in the case of floating houses permanently anchored to the shore. But in both cases, they still move around more than a brick-and-mortar home, so, for all intents purposes, they are mobile houses.

Here's one to serve as inspiration if you ever feel like making the transition and happen to be skilled with your hands. Call this an oldie but goldie, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong: it's Britain’s first floating beach house, which just so happens to have come accompanied by Britain's first lifeboat bathtub, a sort of Frankenstein boat and tub that probably works only moderately as either.

This quirky houseboat is actually a tiny house with limited functionality but sleeping arrangements for as many as six people on the condition they're not particularly fond of splaying. It was created on a (televised) dare in 2015, by architect and television personality George Clarke and designer Will Hardie, for a special episode of Channel 4's George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. It reemerged into the spotlight last year when it was included on the show's special 10th anniversary, which featured the most challenging projects Clarke ever undertook.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this floating beach hut, aside from the mere fact that it exists, is that it started out as a WWII lookout hut. Built and used intensely in the 1940s, by the time Clarke bought it, it only had "strong vintage charm" going in its favor. But Clarke was determined to turn it into a floating beach hut, thus showing that the "timeless British icon" could be given a new spin with enough imagination and, dare we say, sufficient financial backing from the show's producers.

Beach huts are very popular in the UK. Certain areas like Dorset have real-estate-like prices, with one such small holiday home able to fetch as much as £45,000 ($55,750 at the current exchange rate). Neither Clarke nor Hardie mentioned a budget for their version of one, but seeing how it was a project they picked themselves and producers paid for, money was probably not an issue.

Still, the result was impressive, both because it showed how you could create more space against obvious physical limitations and because, despite the budget, it was a beautiful example of upcycling. Not much of the old structure could be saved, but the little that was, was upcycled into the new one. For instance, the handles on the shutters were turned into handles for the kitchen cabinets, the plywood on the door was used to make certain pieces of furniture, and the old paneling was used to make the beds. Even the fake knotty pine boards found their way into the seats in the kitchen.

Because Clarke wanted sleeping for the entire family, Hardie created a sunken floor between the oil barrel pontoons inside the aluminum hull. This allowed him to design a two-level layout, including a small but nicely equipped kitchen (minus a sink), a dining area, a lounge, and twin beds. The two beds were not immediately noticeable, as they sat on fold-out platforms wrapped in canvas, so they would only be open when needed. The two couches in the living could also be used for sleeping.

The mezzanine held a double bed under a couple of large skylights. Remove the mattress and the bedding, open the skylights, and you gained access to the cockpit, where you could operate the houseboat as you saw fit, using a rear outboard engine hooked up to the controls. Also at the stern, Hardie added a crane to lift and lower the lifeboat, which, as stipulated in the briefing, was also a bathtub – for those moments when the surrounding body of water was simply not good enough for a dip.

Jokes aside, the beach hut was the loveliest thing and, to this day, remains a brilliant example of upcycling done right. The large double doors opened onto a small deck, a section of which was covered to offer protection from the elements. The colorful paintjob recalled the delicious shades of vintage beach loungers, while expansive glazing at the bow allowed plenty of natural light. If WWII lookout huts the world over ever dreamed of reincarnation, not one dared to dream of becoming a floating beach hut as nice as this. And here you thought upcycling was boring.