Foy and Louisa Brown had a plan to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life in the city and wanted to make a few bucks in the process. They originally had a plan to build a small cottage to rent out to guests that would be a picturesque backdrop in a beautiful serene setting in the bay of North Haven. It all started with a foundation that was built on land out of pontoons, Styrofoam, and rubber liner. Once Foy had an adequate floating dock, he sent it to the bay and started building the perfect summer home I could imagine. Yes, over the course of a solid decade they built a floating cottage that sits in the middle of the bay lined with giant pillars of pine trees. The house is constantly surrounded with friendly neighbors like eagles, herons, and nesting osprey. It was no easy task to build such an incredible floating cottage but it turned out so perfect that the couple decided to toss their plans to rent out the cottage and decided to make it their second seasonal home. Take a look at this incredible “lake house”.
It was a project that took a full decade of spare time to complete.
The home is 240 square feet and contains every amenity that two people would need.
Foy built the home himself with the help of his wife. He had a history of working in a family owned shipyard so he had the skills needed for such a cool project.
The base is made of styrofoam, pontoons, and plastic tubs. He built the base on shore and tugged it out into the bay to build the cottage. If any materials or tools were needed, he had to take a boat back to shore to resupply and head back out to the floating cottage.
He actually used locally found drift wood to make the railings along with other accent pieces around the cottage.
The cottage has a fridge, plumbing, a bathroom, an exterior shower, and solar and lantern lighting. A 55 gallon drum supplies the kitchen, shower, and bathroom.
They are surrounded by a cathedral of beautiful pine trees.
From the thaw in May until the cold spell in November, the Brown’s live here anchored in the bay.
They can feel small waves at night, almost like the cottage is rocking you to sleep.
Can you imagine this as your view? Not to mention the view changes as the house spins with the tide.
The cottage is anchored in the bay but you still feel the movement of the water and the changing tides.
The home broke away from the anchor once before, and Foy and his wife had to chase their home down the bay. They said it was pretty windy that day.
Louisa has a garden outside the cottage that is fed with collecting rain water from the rubber lined roof of the cottage.
The cottage is insulated and with the lanterns there is plenty of heat to stay warm at night.
Foy leaves first thing in the morning to go catch lobster and his wife works on shore as an EMT. I can only imagine how happy coming home to their floating cottage must make them.
In November, they tow the cottage up the bay and anchor it between two harbors keeping it completely safe and ready for the next spring.
The paper lanterns give the cottage a magical glow each and every night in the spring and summer.
Their cottage has some huge skylights on top of the roof that allow for beautiful natural light to come gleaming through the ceiling as well as a nice cooling breeze when they are opened.
Does this not look like the absolute perfect place to escape?
Because the cottage is in the bay, there are no property taxes or payments that are required. This cottage is completely off the grid.
The Brown’s have alternating schedules so the home never feels too cramped. At night when they are together, they love spending the evenings on the deck in their chairs watching the sunset with a book in hand.
More info: Main Home Design
The Brown’s have two small boats that they use to commute to and from work. They love their new lifestyle, which started out as an investment. I think it ended as an investment into their happiness and well-being. This house is a priceless investment in my opinion and I would love to build one of these floating cottages to get away from it all. I LOVE THIS!