Thanks to an invite by Hannah Waldram, the Guardian’s Cardiff blogger, I spent most of the day today working in a floating office. The guys behind it are selling these brilliant, airy spaces for £60,000. With mooring costs of about £2,000 a year it could be a really cost effective way of having some great office space. And the cost of relocation to any mooring space in the UK being very cheap, you could decide to move your whole operation anywhere at the drop of a hat.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOGi3e9Rm-s&hl=en_GB&fs=1]
The video doesn’t really give you the space and light that one of these units has.
Some of you may remember my blog about Indycube, a co-working space just outside Cardiff. Indycube is up and running since that last blog, and a brilliant place to work. Well, you could comfortably fit 6 to 8 people in here (the inside can be configured in many ways). So who’s up for chipping in? It could be another perfect co-working space in a city that’s crying out for them.
Also, I chatted with the company directors about the potential for living in them. It’s a real possibility, apparently with the relevant modules and partititons being simple to put in. With the units being so cheap in comparison to most of today’s housing, and the environment being so pleasant (you get used to the *very* gentle “swaying” very quickly, and having families of ducks and swans floating past the enormous window), I could very happily see myself living in one.
Thanks to directors Steve and Andy for their lovely hospitality and the interesting chats about the huge potential for the future of working (and living) on water…
Edit – Hannah liveblogged her experiences with more photos and video. Check it out here.
“So who’s up for chipping in?”
Maybe, but wouldn’t want to take any of the risk myself. So only on an occasional, day-rate basis, and only potentially. Seems like a great novelty, but the novelty would have to be fun and ongoing enough to entice me in to the car and away from Chapter’s free cafe office.
🙂
Love the idea!
I kind of agree with Rob about the novelty, but at least you would be away from the screaming babies at Chapter 😉
It would be interesting to spend the day down there on a cold rainy day in Jan.
BUT all imaginary worries aside, it looks REALLY cool.
It kind of reminds me of this http://www.loftcube.net/
Yeah, I agree. The eternal problem of co-working spaces. They have to be cheaper per week than the price of several coffees at your local cafe.
It is a bit of a novelty, but it is a genuinely nice place to work. Very light and airy, and a handful of people pottering around outside tinkering with boats.
Very secure too, as it’s not accessible to the general public.
Can’t deny the attraction of the sea – being from the coast.
Would be different.
Packet of HobNobs and I’m anyone’s.
Hi Robert
If you buy one between you I will pay for your coffee for the first year!
Also have a look at our design for a studio apartment!
Steve
Co-Founder of H2Offices & H2Ome )that’s our studio apartment version
Why don’t you come down & spend a couple of hours here?
Open invite – just give me a call on 07860 734600
Steve
Maf – I can imagine it’s really nice even in crappy weather. They can comfortably heat it to 30 degrees etc, and with the amount of light that massive window lets in it’s going to feel a lot lighter than the average room on a dingy day.
Robert – I tried to persuade them to let me have one so I could rent it out to all my mates. Hahah. Think they’re more interested in finding people who can afford the £60k to buy one outright. 😉
Mind you, I am really intrigued by the prospect of living in one. £2k a year, no council tax, and you could relocate to anywhere in the UK for a few hundred quid in towing costs. And £60k is a fraction of what you’d pay for somewhere of similar size in Cardiff, especially when you consider the nice surroundings.
“I am really intrigued by the prospect of living in one. £2k a year” – my thoughts exactly.
Definitely. And no council tax. Nice.
And 60k is a snip (relatively speaking). I’d say you’re looking at AT LEAST double that for something that size, in a rough part of Cardiff. And this is in a really nice part of town, with secure premises etc, swans swimming past…
I liked the prospect of being able to just tow it off to somewhere else if you fancied a change. At an estimated £500 to relocate anywhere in the UK, you could afford to do it once a year.
Check the specs – http://floating-studio-flats.co.uk/