GIVING up her family home, Jo Asquith knew the move would raise eyebrows – but she was convinced it would make her family happier.
The 40-year-old swapped her three bedroom semi-detached home in the village of Mirfield, West Yorkshire, for a two bedroom widebeam canal boat, moving aboard with husband Steve Haywood, 55, and son Johnny, 11.
Jo Asquith and husband Steve are now mortgage-free after swapping their three bedroom home in West Yorkshire for a boat Credit: Richard Walker
Jo actually has more kitchen space on her boat than she did in her semi Credit: Richard Walker
Leaving behind a noisy housing estate, the family traded the sound of yobs on motorbikes for birdsong and waterside views and now mortgage-free, they save around £7,000 a year on bills.
But while life on the water has brought plenty of benefits, there is one catch that takes some getting used to.
Jo says: “The boat is 12ft wide and 57ft long so it feels big inside. I actually have more kitchen space than I had in my semi. There is more cupboard room and the ceiling is 6ft so you can stand upright throughout.
“But there are downfalls. For some people a huge stumbling block is no flushing toilet – and people shudder when I tell them we have to empty our own cassette toilet. It’s not for everyone, I’ve worked in care homes so I’ve dealt with bigger shocks than emptying a toilet.”
Jo and Steve, who have been together for 13 years, ditched their comfortable family home in May after getting fed up with working just to pay their mortgage.
The couple, who have a dog walking business, decided it was time to leave their bricks and mortar home after growing sick of the sound of motorbikes taking over what used to be a quiet village until the early hours of the morning, and the spiralling cost of living.
Jo says: “Our village used to be very peaceful but six years ago the nights became filled with the sounds of motorbikes.
“Me and Steve wanted to move to a houseboat then and there, just five years after we bought our home but there was not enough equity at that point, so we had to play a waiting game.
Jo and Steve decided it was time to leave their bricks and mortar home after growing sick of the sound of motorbikes in their quiet village Credit: Richard Walker
Jo and Steve with their son Johnny Credit: Supplied
“We had become sick of paying for a house where it feels like you just go to sleep in after work. We needed to move for tranquility – and in a moment of inspiration all those years ago we decided we would get that from living on a canal.”
Inland Waterways data shows around 15,000 people now live permanently on the UK’s canals and rivers.
And the number of boats in London has soared, with registrations jumping from 2,326 in 2012 to more than 4,000 by 2019 – a staggering rise in just seven years, suggesting more people are choosing life on the water.
In March, the couple finally reached a point where they could make the leap, selling their home for £158,000 before buying their £80,000 boat.
It has a cooker, fridge, plumbed hot shower and will be moored in a marina in a quieter part of their old village.
“We are now living mortgage free. Our mortgage used to be £550 each month, gas around £320, £70 for water and £160 on council tax – and that is not including petrol and food.
“Now we pay £200 for marina costs per month, gas bottles work out about £9 per month, we have solar panels for free electricity and no water bills. Heating will be provided by a wood burner, and kindling costs around £6.”
It means the couple are saving around £7,000 a year in bills which they want to save “for a rainy day.” And that’s not the only advantage.
The couple’s boat is 12ft wide and 57ft long Credit: Richard Walker
Johnny also has his PlayStation 5 onboard the boat and can play online with his mates Credit: Supplied
“Housework takes 30 minutes from one end of the boat to the other,” Jo says. “It’s the same amount of time it would take to clean just one room in a semi. The hours we recoup in quality family time is a huge bonus.
The family are also finding living on a boat is more comfortable than most people would imagine.
Jo says: “At the marina we have a washing machine, bin system, toilet emptying provisions and a lovely shower block.
“We took all of our furniture and a lot of clothes to charity shops, but added home comforts to make the boat cosy like Wifi, Netflix, Amazon and Disney+. Johnny has his PlayStation 5 onboard and can play online with his mates.”
Jo says she made the life-changing decision for her family after turning 40 last October and made a promise to herself to “seize the day.”
“Before starting our dog walking business in 2023, I was a care home manager and Steve a construction manager.
“We were overworked, never saw each other and I had already started looking into living on a boat despite never having been on one. I’m not daft and researched it a lot. They are simply floating houses – so none of it worries me.
“It was a financially sound decision, as research showed me boats hold their value.
Jo has no regrets about making the big move Credit: Richard Walker
“The final decision to move was made one night last December as I was listening to the motorbikes going round and round at midnight in bed, pulling the covers over my head and I snapped. There and then I went on a website selling boats and started looking for what we could get for our money.”
They found a marina close to Johnny’s secondary school, where he is currently in Year 7.
Jo says: “Johnny’s school run didn’t change at all – he gets a bus to school just next to the marina, it’s not even any further for him to travel, just a different direction.
“He doesn’t like change so was a little worried about the boat at first, and upset the day we left our home, but now he’s happy.
“A joiner is going to fit Johnny’s bedroom out, so he will have a great teen bedroom with LED lights and it’ll be gamer themed.
“He will have his mates over like any pre-teen – and be proud of his new pad. There is even an inflatable kayak for his mates to muck about on.”
One of the biggest savings comes during the school holidays, with the family no longer needing to fork out for expensive UK breaks.
According to VisitBritain tourism data, the average spend per person per night on an overnight holiday in the UK is £107 – meaning a seven-night trip for a family of three would cost a whopping £2,247.
The couple are saving around £7,000 a year in bills which they want to save ‘for a rainy day’ Credit: Richard Walker
COSTS BEFORE AND AFTER
BEFORE…
Mortgage: £550 monthly
Gas: £320 monthly
Water: £70 monthly
Council tax: £160 monthly
TOTAL: £1,100
AFTER
Marina costs: £200 monthly
Gas bottles: £9 monthly
Kindling for heating around £6 sporadically
Solar panels for electricity: £0
Water bills: £0
TOTAL: £215
Jo says: “Before the boat we holidayed in the UK, hiring holiday homes in Wales or The Lake District, that could cost £3,000 for a fortnight.
“But this year we will be bobbing around over the six weeks holiday and paying nothing for this gorgeous privilege.”
Jo, who is also mum to student Lola, 19, who lives in university accommodation, and Bobby, 18, an apprentice groundworker from a previous relationship who lives in a house with his girlfriend, says she has no regrets about making the big move.
“I’ve experienced no negativity about my decision,” she says. “My sister was a bit baffled by my ‘bravery,’ as I had never sailed a boat before. She wasn’t calling it a mistake, or anything dramatic, but thought I was definitely entering a new life ‘feet first,’ in her words but there is nothing we are pining for about our old life.”
Jo says the family’s new lifestyle has also had a positive impact on her physical health.
She said: “Cruising around is a full workout. I go to the gym regularly, but this feels like a four-hour session of cardio and weights. I’ve lost 3kg since taking on the boat.”
Jo is now encouraging others to consider a similar move, saying she has no regrets about swapping land for life on the water.
“My advice to any families thinking of doing something similar is to go for it and remember that life is for living,” she says.
“On your deathbed you only ever regret the things you never did. It might not work out as it’s a full-on lifestyle, but so what? At least if you give it a go, you can say you tried it.”
Jo shares the family’s new boating life on Instagram at between_bricks_and_boats.
