Unique floating home
Drainage solution for this one of a kind home.
From a disused former marina and storage yard to a stunning beauty spot, an unloved inlet along the River Severn in Worcester [UK] was bought and transformed by locals Sue Braithwaite and Oliver Carpenter during the covid lockdowns. With no planning permission, no electric, water or drainage, the couple set about planning a unique floating property that would transform the aesthetics of the riverside, whilst embracing innovative technology.
Working with the local planners who were keen to oversee the transformation of the area, the couple submitted plans for a single-storey, three-bedroom eco-structure that would sit on the shallow river bed and rise and fall with the water. With no solid foundations on the ground the property was designed to attach to piles in the bank; floating up and down as the river rises and falls.
Planning permission granted, the project was designed as a futuristic looking property using Computer Aided Design. A steel structure was erected and polystyrene, a light and thermal material for building projects, was cut to size on site and used to create the shell of the building. Specialist concretes were used to render the building exterior, whilst an innovative roof surface made from recycled glass was chosen to reflect the sun and the water.
When it came to planning the discharge of waste from the property, a system of pumps was recommended to discharge waste water from the bathrooms through a series of flexible pipes in the floor void to a Sanicubic 1 WP lifting station attached to the back of the property. The Sanicubic activates automatically when full to pump the waste water up vertically 7.5 m to a main drain when the house is at its lowest point on the water. It also has to be sufficiently versatile to pump at varying heights as the floating house moves up and down with river level.
With the property ready for occupancy the couple moved in. The Sanicubic received waste water from the bathroom pumps and gravity fed kitchen water, the unit quietly and efficiently moved the waste on demand.
“This is an unusual house which needs innovative ideas and thoughts to resolve its specific design requirements. Saniflo (SFA Pumps) stepped up to help us when we asked them, even though the problems weren't with their equipment and the solution has transformed the system and eliminated the issues.” - Oliver Carpenter (Homeowner)
