Status: 15.01.2024, 15:32 PM
By: Ulrike Hagen
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A couple gave up their life on land to live in a tiny house on the water. By moving to the houseboat, the couple saves 25,000 euros – annually!
Fontana Lake – What a bold new start: A couple dared to make their dream of living on a houseboat come true. For two years now, they have been living rent-free in a tiny house on the water. Your savings: 27,000 dollars (about 25,000 euros) per year. Compromises included. But despite all the challenges and struggles of a tiny house, the two enthusiastically talk about their life on 33 square meters - with dog and cone. The Americans are just as convinced of the mini-living format as the German couple, who moved into a tiny house in the district of Verden.
A couple gave up their life on land to live in a tiny house on the water. By moving to the houseboat, the couple saves 25,000 euros – annually! © Brandon Jones and Sarah Spiro/keepingafloatwiththejoneses/Instagram/Screenshot
Dream Island Tiny House: Couple moves into a houseboat and saves 25,000 euros a year
"Our floating cabin adventure began when we bought a dilapidated houseboat in 2021, completely renovated it, and lived on the water full-time for the following two years," Brandon Jones and Sarah Spiro from South Carolina said on their Instagram account keepingafloatwiththejoneses. Then they used the experience of living in the tiny house to build a brand new floating house in the spring of 2023. "In the meantime, when our jobs allow, we have remodeled other floating houses here on Lake Fontana," they said.
"Slower life in harmony with nature": Couple lives on floating tiny house
Sarah Spiro and her partner Brandon Jones made their lifelong dream come true. They have given up their house to live on the water: "We can't go out to eat anymore, but we save 27,000 dollars (about 25,000 euros) a year."
The two used to pay $2,500 a month for rent. Now they spend the same amount to live in their floating little house for a whole year. Due to rising rental prices, many people in the U.S. are struggling to find affordable housing. In Germany, too, more and more people are opting for the minimalist alternative: Tiny House for 40,000 euros from the hardware store. However, when moving into a tiny house as a residence or just a holiday home, there are a few things to consider - and often a lot of work that has to be put into it. This is also the case with Sarah and Brandon.
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Tiny house costs couple as much per year as the rent for a month before
They bought the houseboat in March 2021 and spent a full two months renovating it. $23,000 had to be invested before the tiny house was ready for occupancy. "We worked on the property from sunrise to sunset. We were pressed for time because my lease had expired and Brandon's house had been sold, so we stayed with a friend," says Sarah. At the end of April 2021, the new home was finally ready and the couple was able to move in with their dog Iko.
"It's paradise" – couple raves about life in floating tiny house
On her social media accounts, Sarah reports that she and Brandon, a marina manager, love their new life. They are both "water rats" – and have already spent all their free time on the lake: "It's so peaceful here. You still have your day-to-day tasks like washing dishes and doing laundry, but you can do it all at any time with this phenomenal view," says Sarah. "No matter what time you do, no matter what you're doing, you're surrounded by peace and serenity – it's paradise."
No supermarket, no delivery service – couple wouldn't give up Tiny House for "anything in the world"
But moving into a tiny house is also associated with deprivation. Sarah reveals that the winter months are tough: "It gets very cold here in the winter, and most nights the temperature drops below freezing." The houseboat had to survive a big autumn storm with heavy rain last week, as the two reported. Also, the nearest supermarket is 40 minutes away by car, there is no possibility to have a snack, such as a pizza, delivered: "If you forget something, it's a bigger disaster to take the boat back to the car and into the city. You have to plan the things you need more consciously, but I wouldn't change it for the world."
Sarah and Brandon find that the freedom that living in a tiny house gives them is worth all the sacrifices: "It's the feeling of being in a beautiful, open space. This has had a positive effect on our nervous system. I'm wearing a fitness tracking watch and it's crazy to see my heart rate drop since I've been living here."