An ambitious couple spent £150,000 to transform one of Grand Designs' most notorious projects into the holiday home of their dreams.
Rob and Sarah Burch, from Essex, threw a lifeline to one of the show's biggest ever disasters by purchasing the memorable Medway Eco-Barge – this time enjoying far greater success than its previous owners.
Many Brits will feel nostalgic when they remember the 2007 episode Grand Designs, where Chris Miller and his wife Sze Liu Lai guided Kevin McCloud and his team in their daring plan to build a two-story, three-bedroom houseboat.
The Kent couple decided to renovate their rusting Thames barge using only eco-friendly and second-hand materials, after failing to find a more spacious and affordable home than their little East. London apartment for them and their two children.
But it was far from easy, with the couple clashing with builders over their demands, including one construction worker memorably commenting: 'It looks like shit.'
The pair, who were both social workers, were eventually forced to abandon ship after the project reached £80,000 – 60% over the initial £50,000 budget.
The Medway Eco-Barge soon became a distant memory until it was found destroyed and vandalized on an Essex beach in 2011, where it was being used by squatters.
Completely unfazed by the Medway's doomed history, Mr and Mrs Burch purchased the houseboat in 2020 and have since transformed it into the stylish, modern property the Grand Designs couple could only have dreamed of.
Grand Designs lovers will remember The Medway Eco-Barge, which appeared on the show in 2007 – but washed up on an Essex beach four years later
The barge's interior appeared livable after the Grand Designs team finished, but the project was abandoned
Presenter Kevin McCloud was called in to help transform the barge, but it all turned into a disaster
Pictured are Chris Miller and his wife Sze Liu Laine, who failed in their attempt to renovate and live on the barge
This marks a remarkable return for the boat, which was once described by McCloud as “a floating scrap challenge”.
The new owners, who own a steel structure company, had were looking to buy a holiday home and jumped at the opportunity to work on the ship at its shipyard in the riverside town of Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex.
Burch, 54, told MailOnline the couple paid around £70,000 to buy the barge from a yard in Southend. They then took it back to their own yard in Burnham-on-Crouch to begin work on it.
Mr. Burch explained: “Structurally, it was in a reasonable position externally, but someone started working on it internally.
“They were doing a conversion and everything they had done looked good on the outside, but it was terrible when we started looking at it. So it ended up being a complete renovation.
'The initial idea was to recycle the materials back into the boat, but as we got so deep into it, it literally became about taking them out and replacing them.'
As the vessel was in the water the entire time, this created some challenges that meant the transformation took longer than expected.
The father-of-four said: 'We are with the tide, most of the houseboats are against the jetty, whilst we are at full tide.
“Also, we are five kilometers from the North Sea and we have had some storms. The boat has had a baptism of fire in terms of what it is capable of.
BEFORE AND AFTER: The Medway Eco-Barge is pictured in the program (left) and now (right)
BEFORE AND AFTER: Mr. and Mrs. Burch received the boat in terrible condition (left), but made major changes, including to the bathroom (right)
In the photo is the interior of the boat when the renovation began in 2021
As part of the dramatic renovation, the couple installed a shiny new kitchen on the boat.
This is a living space in the new Medway Eco-Barge that at one point seemed destined for failure
The couple even installed an outdoor kitchen as part of a complete renovation
The Medway Eco-Barge has undergone a complete refurbishment including new external deck lights
'We were going to put a steel structure on top because that's our line of work. And the downstairs would simply be tidied up because everything seemed to be fine.
'But as soon as we started looking at it, there was water under the boards and things like that, so we knew we were going to have to work a lot harder on it.
'We recycled a lot of the stuff that was on board, we used a lot of that and just tried to clean it up a bit and make sure things were robust.'
In total, the pair estimate that all the work carried out on the barge cost them £150,000, albeit with one big caveat.
Mr Burch said: 'You [can’t] Organize everything and get invoices for everything coming up and you'll do it on your own time. You're doing this to your own boys. It's a difficult scenario.
Two years after burying it and one year after renovations began, in 2022, the family's labor of love is finally over.
Since then, they have enjoyed life aboard their vacation home, dividing their time between the house and the boat.
Mrs Burch, 47, said: “It's a nice little space to spend time when we're not at home.
'We probably split the week, actually. On the ground floor we have a master bedroom.
'We live in St Lawrence but it's very quiet and we wanted to move closer to Burnham-on-Crouch.
The Medway Eco-Barge got a new lease of life after Mr and Mrs Burch took over the project
Just when all hope was lost, Rob and Sarah Burch dove in to give the boat a stay of execution
The barge's dining area renovated four years after the work was completed
The interior of the barge now even has a small library with a sofa where the Burches can relax
Many people who know the couple expressed enthusiasm for the duo's work.
Many people who know the couple expressed enthusiasm for the duo's work.
Mrs Burch said: 'Everyone has been very, very positive. I think everyone is very excited about houseboats and boats.'
When asked about the prospect of selling the boat, Rob said: 'We have no plans for that at the moment, while Sarah added: 'We're holding on to it; It's like it's our baby.
'We are lucky to have this yard and I can't imagine it leaving this location. Burnham is a lovely place, you know. It's the perfect location.
'We tend to get together with our family, so there are a lot of us, so we come here for bigger family events like Christmas and New Year.
'From our house we're 25 miles round trip and there's really nowhere to go in St Lawrence so it's really nice to have this holiday home where we can come and have fun and walk to places and the benefit of having our family here.'
