Maltese Owner Of Innovative Floating House Is Living The Life
Alan Agius has been embracing dreams of living on the sea, and now he has found a way to do it without losing any of the comforts of home.
For the last few weeks, Alan has been living in a ‘floating house’, a boat on which he has built two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen-living room, with 60 square meters of flat space on the roof .
“Living on the sea is so beautiful; you have a view all around you, there is no traffic, you can swim whenever you want…” said Alan to Lovin Malta.
From beds, fridge, shower, oven and domestic toilet to air conditioning and WiFi connection, the houseboat includes many comforts found in a regular house.
And it is this ‘home away from home’ aspect that gives Alan’s house its appeal.
“I love boats but I get very claustrophobic on them; for example the bathroom is always uncomfortable and has a small toilet,” explained the owner of the house-boat. “Boats with comfort tend to cost millions of euros.”
In contrast, Alan spent around €160,000 on his house-boat, ordered a hull, aluminum frame, float tubes and two 60 hw engines and then built it all together, along with plumbing, electricity and modem.
It is “completely green” too, with a solar panel to generate electricity and a machine to convert seawater into drinking water.
He also acquired all the necessary permits for the house-boat.
Alan has so far been limiting his trips to the Maltese coast, from Birgu and San Điljan to Baħar iħ-ħaghaq, but he believes he has the potential to sail more of the Mediterranean.
And while he’s been living life this summer, he’s not sure if he’ll be able to continue doing so when the winter months arrive and the weather turns harsh.
“I would like to stay here in the winter but the mooring costs a lot of money in Malta so I am looking at what to do in the meantime,” he explained.
Alan said that so far he has received an excellent response and he is ready to believe that more Maltese will eventually follow his lead, with the house-boat concept already existing in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
“It is affordable, low maintenance and provides amazing comfort,” he explained.
Cover photo: Left: Alan Agius (Photo: Facebook – Alan Agius), Right: Alan Agius’ house-boat sailing along the coast of Tas-Sliema)
Would you like to live in a house like this?