Home Style: Changing Tides

Self-build novices, Penelope Walford and her husband Jeremy Gully tell us how they spent two long and arduous years designing and building their houseboat on the Isle of Wight, but the result inspired a lifestyle change for the couple

The Isle of Wight was a popular holiday destination for Penny and her family when she was growing up, however one trip stands out in her mind. “I was about fifteen when I first met Jeremy on a family holiday to the Island. He lived on the Island, so of course, when I had to return to Hertfordshire, our teenage fling soon fizzled out,” reminisced Penny. But some 35 years on, after a chance internet search by her sister that bought up Jeremy’s property company on the Island, the couple were reunited and embarked on a new and exciting chapter in their lives.

“Both Jeremy and I had been in long-term relationships before and we both have grown up children, so we were keen for a new beginning. When I finally decided to move to the Island to be with Jeremy, it actually felt like coming home,” said Penny.

The move south also re-ignited her artistic passion which she had neglected since leaving college, but she was soon making up for lost
time. “The combination of being with Jeremy, who is very creative, and being surrounded by a continuously inspiring landscape, made me want to paint again. Jeremy and I then built a beach hut that I could use as my studio and I held my first Open Studio event there,” said Penny. It was the couple’s first building project together and it gave them the inspiration for bigger ideas. They both knew that they wanted to live by the sea, but Penny particularly hankered for those dreamy uninterrupted sea views. When they realised they couldn’t afford a house with the views they were after, a houseboat seemed like the perfect answer. They just had to build it first!

PUTTING DOWN ROOTS

Since new houseboat plots are like gold dust, it’s far less complicated to build a new structure on a site that already has a decaying houseboat, so when the couple discovered such a plot for sale on the idyllic Bembridge harbour, they jumped at the chance of owning it. The only downside was the existing houseboat, quaintly known as Little Broom, was a leaky and smelly ex-WWII personnel landing craft. “We shared the damp and dark boat with mice for two years during the build, it had its charms though and I loved it, but we couldn’t wait to move into our dream houseboat as that one had definitely had its day,” said Penny.

Now they had the perfect plot, the couple began gathering ideas for the design, with Jeremy concentrating on the external aesthetics, while Penny was busy planning the internal flow and those all-important views. “As a houseboat is not rooted to land, it avoids some of the usual planning and building regulations, therefore it’s a self-builders dream and we had a much freer rein with the design than you would do if you were building a house on land,” explained Penny. “Once we had found the right pontoon to fit the plot, which happened to be a sturdy ex-naval one, we built a model so that we could approach an architectural technician to check our ideas were practicable.”

Amazingly, self-build novice Jeremy pretty much built the whole houseboat himself, including the curved plywood and fibreglass roof – which he constructed upside down on the floor of the boat shed across the harbour. It was then craned onto the houseboat body, which was ready and waiting atop the pontoon. It was a magical moment for the couple when the new houseboat was then towed into position. However, it was still just an empty shell with no interior walls or floors, so it was a long way from being a home. “Jeremy’s workshop at the bottom of the houseboat was the first part to be fitted out and the rest of it took shape from there, so we like to think our houseboat sort of gave birth to itself,” smiled Penny.

A VIEW FROM INSIDE

A vital design consideration of the houseboat was to create stunning uninterrupted views at the front, but with privacy from neighbouring houseboats either side, so an open plan living space seemed the obvious solution with bi-fold doors opening onto a deck. A run of simple kitchen units frame a blue glass window which casts different glows depending on the light, while a rustic dining table, made by Jeremy invites you to sit and enjoy the striking views. Penny is particularly proud of the pantry that the couple designed together, it conceals all her tins and jars and can be wheeled out when needed.

Below deck there are two bedrooms and two bathrooms that are accessed via an ‘up and over’ staircase, plus an office, a utility room and Jeremy’s workshop. “The views from our bed are a favourite feature, it sets the mood for the whole day,” smiled Penny. “Jeremy also loves the fact that his ‘toys’ are at the end of his bed.”

INSPIRING TIMES

With the natural rhythms of the tide gently rocking the boat, and sometimes the howling wind and rain battering the sides, it’s no wonder the couple feel very connected to the natural world. “Working and living on the boat has inevitably taken my work down the sea- theme and I’m best known for my large contemporary canvases of Solent Forts which have become quite an obsession,” admitted Penny. She also loves to forage on the beach and create collages with her finds. “I take interest in beach rubbish and what other people might just disregard as bits of wood or broken shells. I like to reveal the unseen beauty in things,” she said.

CALLING IT HOME

When it came to the finishing touches, the couple also saw this as a fresh start and an opportunity to rummage boot sales for interesting objects to bring a relaxed feel to their new home. “I’m hooked on boot fairs, and we have some amazing ones on the Island. I particularly love collecting old tea towels and tablecloths and turning them into cushion covers,” said Penny. Naming the houseboat was also a significant moment for the couple and they were inspired by Jeremy’s passion for fishing. “We love to eat his catch with locally foraged samphire that thrives on the harbour mud. So Samphire was the perfect name,” explained Penny.

Penny enjoys giving visitors tours of the houseboat so people can come and view her beautiful seascapes and beach-found collages that adorn most walls and ledges. But for the creative couple, the ever-changing views outside their windows have to be the ultimate showpiece of art.

Photographer: Holly Jolliffe / Living4media

Words: Louise O’Bryan / Living4media