A PLUMBER originally from Ruthin recently featured on a Channel Four showcasing his impressive houseboat makeover worth around £90,000.

Calum Henderson and his partner Gabrielle Heneghan appeared on the latest series of ‘George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces’ on June 24.

The 28-year-old, who lived in Ruthin until he was 21, is currently moored with Gabrielle, 27, and their cockapoo Bilston, in Hertford, but they can usually be found travelling around the London canals.

Speaking to the Free Press about their home on the waters, Gabrielle said: "We decided we wanted a widebeam, partly because they were tax exempt and it worked out cheaper but also because of space. A widebeam allowed us to have a two bed, which we never thought would be possible living in London.

Denbighshire Free Press:

"We wanted our own place and were sick of renting and our only option was shared ownership and we just didn’t want to go down that road. We had watched a couple of programmes where boats were being transformed and it really got us thinking.

"In the end after lots of research and knowing Calum had the capabilities due to him being a plumber/builder, we decided to take the plunge, no pun intended!. Then it was just about the design, and one thing we did know was we really didn’t want to sacrifice those creature comforts which resulted in what we have today.

"We are full time continuous cruisers, and although we have to move every two weeks, we love it."

Denbighshire Free Press:

The boat itself took a year to complete, has underfloor heating throughout, a utility room that houses a lithium battery setup, an open plan kitchen living area with a dishwasher, an office/second bedroom/salon space where the desk pulls out into a bed as well the master bedroom which looks out onto the water and a bathroom which has a self-churning compost toilet.

It also includes a solar set up which means the boat is powered by the sun and Gabrielle says they will soon have a water filtration system too, meaning they can filter canal water till it’s drinkable.

Speaking on being on George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, she added: "The actual seeing our faces on the TV part was just a bit uncomfortable, but we ended up just being super proud. When we saw how far we had come and the positive reaction we received was so wonderful."