Old Spice

Over half of residential property owners in the UK would consider living permanently in an unconventional type of home such as a boat, tree house, converted barn or warehouse to have a more creative and interesting home life and escape the pressures of modern life according to a recent survey from BLP Insurance, a specialist residential warranty and commercial latent defects insurer.

The desire to leave a conventional house or flat is most prevalent among 35-54 year olds (61%) with the over 55s (42%) being the least likely to give up their traditional bricks and mortar home. Men (57%) are more adventurous than women (48%) when it comes to considering a move to a canal or forest glade.

The three most popular alternative types of home are converted buildings (24%), boats (20%) and eco-homes such as houses made of straw bales (19%).

Shipping containers (11%), treehouses (9%), pallet homes (5%) and yurts (4%) were the least popular choices except for the most adventurous homeowners.

Four of the most popular reasons for choosing a non-traditional style of home was because it is more creative and interesting (42%), is cheaper to run (33%), more environmentally friendly (32%) and it allows people to escape the hectic nature of urban life (25%).

Phil Harris, Director at BLP Insurance, said: “The days when most middle aged homeowners aspired to buy a semi-detached house in a quiet tree lined suburban street could soon be a thing of the past. It seems that people approaching their 40s and 50s are looking for a greater level of freedom and adventure and want to try a different type of home away from the suburbs.

“Reflective of a shifting cultural mind-set, there is also a definite trend among younger people especially to factor in variables such as environmental impact when choosing a new home.

“It could now be time to invest in an unconventional property as demand increases and people chase the limited supply.”