For Foy and Louisa Brown, paradise is a floating home in North Haven, Maine. The couple spent ten years building a house that would be entirely off-grid, yet still a commutable distance from the mainland, where they both worked. Foy first built the foundation onshore—using plastic floatation tubs, Styrofoam, and pontoons as the base—before transferring it to the water. From there, he began the long process of building the cottage on top.
As with any big construction project, Foy faced multiple snags and hiccups along the way. When he ran out of materials or needed a specific tool, he would have to row back to shore to pick them up. After the roof started leaking on the night of his and Louisa’s honeymoon, Foy had to build a new rubber roof. On a particularly windy day, the house detached from the mooring and the couple had to chase it down a strait.
Once the two-storey house was finally completed, the couple loved it so much they decided not to rent it out, as they had originally planned. Currently, they stay there from May to November, but still visit in the winter when it’s docked for the season.
