Four Million-pound-heavy millstone sunk an ambitious family, while Harry’s feather-light happiness floats on the Thames – an enlightening contrast. – Five House Publishing

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Life’s contrasts.

By William van Zyl (Published February 2022).

Here is a more extended title for this article:

Life’s contrasts: Harry’s weather-feather-light decision floats happily on the River Thames. While – in comparison – a 4 million-pound-heavy millstone sends an ambitious family to Davey Jones’ Locker. Two true stories – a contrast.

I touch on a simple wisdom principle in this article.

‘Less is more.’

Happy as Harry: How a £ 5500 boat – paid in full – produced joy and happiness on the Thames (UK). While – in contrast – I look at how an ambitious new built weighed a family down. The cost to build the house spiralled out of control. The extravagant groundworks were the first nail in the wealthy family’s coffin. I then turn to wisdom and understanding; I analyse, compare, and contrast the two real-life scenarios. I investigate two true-life stories, searching for thinking and decision-making skills — it is for your benefit. Two simple case studies reveal a happy and sad story.

*A typical houseboat or canal boat. This is not Harry’s houseboat. His boat is very similar to this one. Harry’s canal boat is a yellow-mustardy colour.*

It is the small things in life that brings the greatest joy!

I have watched 2 programs on Television today – February 2022. The juxtaposition of two stories about spending money is described. A shocking contrast is revealed. The first program was from Grand Designs – an ambitious project of millions of pounds, and secondly, young Harry – documentary on Channel 4 (UK) – purchased a canal boat for £ 4500 and renovated it with only £ 1000 pounds. The contrast was astounding. The dreams of the family and their multi-million-pound house – with an extravagant view over the ocean – came to a halt after about 2 years. Not every Grand Design ends successfully.

Kevin revisited the wealthy, ambitious man 7 years later. As Kevin came around the corner – hoping to see a completed house, disappointingly, the house was sitting there – the ghost was unfinished.

The grey ‘lighthouse exoskeleton’ has no light – no warning to passing ships. However, the decision to broadcast this episode did send out flashing warning signals. Seven life lessons in total.

Flash 1: Never spend your contingency early. Flash 2: Adjust quickly. Flash 3: Be prepared for failure. Flash 4: Be proactive. Flash 5: Never let a budget get out of control. Flash 6: Do damage control early and be ruthless to save money in an unexpected scenario. Flash 7: Less is more – focus on your happiness.

The cold, lonely, and grey unfinished exoskeleton stared at him as Kevin McCloud stopped with his white Jaguar in the driveway. His eyebrows expressed his disappointment – popping up and down – as a sad frown followed on his face. He got out of his car and looked at the camera. He philosophised for a couple of minutes about the snares of the architecture and building industry. Over the years, he has seen it all. As an experienced architect, he has seen many success stories. However, on the contrary, he has seen many families crash and burn. New designs, ambitious projects and extravagant planning are notorious for failure. Throughout his career as an architect, he had learned valuable lessons. Case studies and close observation of construction scenarios have taught him many life lessons. Sometimes multi-million-pound plans and dreams can destroy individuals and families. It can be destructive! I feel so sorry for the family involved. We have compassion for them. We hope that there could be healing and resolution for this beautiful family. Husband and wife – unfortunately – are now broken up (Feb 2022).

Kevin warned:

“It is essential to keep your feet firmly on the ground. Never let your contingency fund slip away. A poorly planned project – and the inability to make life-saving decisions along the way – can ruin one’s future. One’s finances and relationships can come tumbling down. Dreams can go up in smoke. Pain will eventually set in when unresolved cashflow problems surface. It could sweep large dark, ominous clouds over a happy family and relationships. Stay clear from these pitfalls.”

Unfortunately, the cash flow dried up. The breakup of the marriage followed. The new build came to a grinding halt. In a brutally honest interview, the owner of the unfinished building acknowledged his predicament. Massive debt accumulated and has destroyed his marriage. I feel so sorry for him.

“Why haven’t I been proactive and made tough decisions earlier on when the groundworks spun out of control?”

He allowed large amounts to flow out of his account as the contractors’ hit snags with the foundations. Bedrock and an excess of 25 piles – drilled to about 25 metres deep had to prop up the floor and consequently the new building. Shockingly, when he got to floor level, he had already spent about 1.5 million pounds. The alert sirens were already going off for him. However, he didn’t want to compromise. The dream had to be realised. He wanted his ‘Lighthouse.’ It is at this junction that he tripped. He pushed on. Two years later he stopped the construction of the building. Seven years later – with an incomplete house hugging the beach in Devon – his debt was at sitting at about 4 million pounds plus. An unfinished structure with 200,000-pound hurricane-proof triple glazed windows – filled with argon gas – stared precariously out of the eye sockets of the skeleton—an unfinished monstrosity. The owner opened up. He was brutally honest. His wife has left, and his 2 daughters, who finished school, have also left home to follow their dreams – becoming students and forging their young careers. In one clip of the documentary, the family were shown jumping off the large rocks located in front of the new house. They were happy. I could not help to reflect on the happiness on their faces – being together as a close-knit family. The activity cost them nothing.

Remember: It is the simple things in life that make us happy.

On the contrary – here is the story of Happy-Harry.

Harry – a young student of about 22 years old – purchased a canal boat for £ 4500 and then renovated the boat with a meagre 1000 pounds. Harry was happy to be captain of his debt-free-floating home on the Thames in the UK. Harry was very entrepreneurial. He bought old bicycles, fixed them up and sold them for a profit. In the process, he raised the 1000 pounds needed for the renovation. He had a simple plan to renovate his boat home: Save where you can! He was frugal, very frugal. He resorted to many recycled products and materials. He did everything himself. He had some help from his dad. Mum made the new curtains for his boat. She had some fabric to spare in her sewing cupboard – just what Harry needed. He started by doing some maintenance on the inboard motor. Standing waist-deep in waders behind the boat, he disassembled the engine and overhauled it. He used how-to videos to guide him. The rest of the work on his boat he did all by himself. It included replacing the ceiling lining, installing new tongue-and-groove timber floors, painting the interior, and installing a new stove and hob. He also rewired the entire boat and added 3 new gauges to the instrument panel. When the presenter asked Harry how much he had spent to date, Harry smiled and said that he still had 5 pounds in his pocket. Harry slept well at night.

You can watch this excellent documentary on Channel 4: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/my-floating-home/on-demand/69039-002

My Floating Home. Series 3 Episode 5

Landlocked homeowners leave suburbia behind to live in stunning aquatic homes that float on water

In his student days, Harry dropped anchor in Birmingham, splashing out £4500 on a 1970s canal boat. Now he has £1000 to bring this modest vessel up to date.

Harry was filmed with a huge smile on his face floating down the famous Thames River in his completed canal boat. He renamed the boat – Free Spirit – to Greatness in Small Spaces. Translated to Latin – Magnitudine Paene Dormivi.

Back to the multi-million seaside build.

In hindsight, the million-pound project produced only disappointment and heartache. The contrast between the two realities spoke to my heart. I wanted to share it with you. The wisdom from the two scenarios is significant. Enjoying the simple things in life and the gift of being carefree is one of the biggest joys for us here on earth. Less is more. Embrace simplicity and security!

Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.
Proverbs 15:16, NIV

I conclude with the sober thoughts of spinster Susan Boyle – winner of Britain’s Got Talent competition some years ago. Here is a short report on her careful approach to life. She prefers simple living.

However, despite becoming one of the UK’s most recognisable faces – a well-known singer – she remains grounded, still living in the home she grew up in. “I still live in the same house I grew up in, in Blackburn, West Lothian,” she told The Guardian.

*Susan Boyle’s old home. Credit:* *https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/susan-boyle-300k-mansion-i-prefer-89886*

Susan did build a new house. Here is a 2012 report: ‘Today Susan, 50, reveals that she has only ever spent one night in her £300,000 new-build home and will never leave her old house, with all its warm, happy memories.’ Credit: *https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/susan-boyle-300k-mansion-i-prefer-89886*

Live simple, be carefree, enjoy the simple things in life. Don’t be tempted to place yourself in dangerous water. If you take a risk, calculate carefully, and have strong contingencies in place. Sometimes less is much more.