Hannah and Brandon Jones live in the middle of a lake in North Carolina (Picture: @keepingafloatwiththejoneses)
Flanked by rolling mountains and lush green forest, Fontana Lake is an introvert’s paradise where the only distractions are chirping birds and waves lapping against the reservoir edge.
It was total isolation that drew Sarah and Brandon Jones to create their dream life here in the depths of North Carolina, in a tiny home in the middle of the lake bordered by Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Joneses renovated their slant-roofed slice of paradise over the course of two months, gutting the ‘dilapidated boathouse’ and transforming the interior with new floors and windows, and solar panels for light and heat.
The boathouse floats on a platform for most of the year, until the chill of winter creeps in and forces the couple to tow their home to more a suitable position in a sheltered cove. But their semi-nomadic life isn’t without challenges.
@keepingafloatwthejoneses
Replying to @madeline???? Floating home remodel series pt. 8 ???? sooo glad to have that dang insulation done! Now onto the fun stuff ???? . . . #renovationseries #homerenovation #houseflipping #houseboats #floatinghouse #lakehouse #diyrenovation
♬ original sound – Keeping Afloat w/ the Joneses
Their living room is compact, but cute (Picture: @keepingafloatwthejoneses)
The couple renovated the boathouse in two months (Picture: @keepingafloatwthejoneses)
‘As the lake drops, the water literally starts draining from the cove so we have to move out to avoid running aground,’ Sarah (@keepingafloatwiththejoneses) explained in a recent TikTok video.
For safety and stability, they’ve anchored the house at four corners, and use a pulley system involving four ropes to haul themselves to protected positions around the lake.
The couple have a boat that carries them to and from shore – a 1996 MasterCraft Prostar 205 they bought in a barn the summer they first met and fell in love in southern Alabama.
It may come as a surprise, but they aren’t remote workers; they still go to their offices, using their beloved boat to reach their car at the marina’s parking area each morning.
Their home is connected to the city’s water lines (Picture: @keepingafloatwthejoneses)
The couple have a floating tank to dispose of toilet waste (Picture: @keepingafloatwthejoneses)
The Joneses’ TikTok fans were puzzled about the boat’s plumbing system. But fear not, the house has a holding tank that’s pumped weekly via a mobile pump boat – batting off concerns that their waste went straight into the lake.
The self-sufficient property is energy self-sufficient, powered entirely by solar panels, but its attached to the mains for water supply.
The Joneses might love their isolated existence, but the same can’t be said for the postman – he’s not willing to paddle across, so they rely on a PO box.
@keepingafloatwthejoneses …read more
Source:: Metro
