Floats and Frames
Modular Pontoon Solutions
diy-floating-home-kit-self-build-uk.jpgDesign and build your own floating home, houseboat, waterside workspace or off-grid cabin from a modular, bolt-together kit. The Floats and Frames system combines our CB100 cross-beamed pontoon base, Cutlass Marine floats, and a complete family of aluminium superstructure components: side panels, roof trusses, bulkheads and deck rails, all fabricated in Poole, Dorset.
The kit is the superstructure layer that sits on top of our modular pontoon base. Where the CB100 base gives you a rigid floating platform, the kit turns it into a skeletal floating home, delivered in manageable modules you assemble directly from a riverbank, mooring or marina berth with only spanners and a battery driver. No welding and no heavy lifting.
Every component is 6063-T6 marine-grade aluminium, pre-drilled on a shared bolt pattern so panels, bulkheads and trusses line up first time. Aperture sizes follow standard UK joinery dimensions, and the U-channel profile is built for a warm-frame approach, with insulation and cladding outside the aluminium skeleton for year-round comfort.
Kits include all framing and fixings to raise a complete, watertight skeleton. Cladding, glazing, roofing, insulation and interior fit-out are left to you, so you can source and style your own finishes. Use the configurator to design your home, or talk to our engineering team about a bespoke layout.
A floating home builds up in clear layers. The first two are our pontoon system; the kit adds the next layers, and you finish the home with your own materials.
floating-home-side-panel-aluminium-frame.jpgThe broadside walls of your floating home. Each side panel bolts to the CB100 cross-beams to form the first skeletal layer, then carries bulkheads, roof trusses and glazing apertures above.
floating-home-roof-truss-aluminium.jpgThe upper structure that sets your roof line and live-load capacity. Trusses bolt directly to the side panels on the same bolt pattern, and can be flat, pitched or between-storey.
floating-home-bulkhead-frame.jpgInternal wall divisions, door and window framing, and cross-vessel bracing that tie the structure together from base to roof. A structural bulkhead over a CB100 cross-beam acts as a primary stiffener for multi-storey or navigable craft.
floating-home-deck-safety-rail.jpgBow, stern and terrace rails that complete the deck perimeter and any roof-terrace edge, fabricated to match your layout and the side-panel bolt pattern.
Yes. Traditional floating-home construction usually needs a welded steel or concrete hull, craning and shipyard facilities. A Floats and Frames DIY kit replaces all of that with modular polyethylene floats and bolt-together aluminium framing that you assemble on the water using only spanners and a battery driver. Components are pre-drilled on a shared bolt pattern, so a competent DIY builder can raise the skeleton without welding or heavy lifting.
It depends on how and where the home is used. A craft kept on a residential mooring, or a structure that becomes a permanent dwelling, can fall within planning and mooring consent, while a navigable vessel on a licensed waterway is treated differently. Rules vary by site and local authority, so confirm your specific position with the relevant local planning authority and navigation authority before you build.
Depending on the waterway and use, a self-build floating home may need a navigation-authority licence (for example the Canal and River Trust or Environment Agency on inland waters), a Boat Safety Scheme certificate, residential mooring consent, and in some cases building-control or habitation standards for a permanent dwelling. We build the structure to marine fabrication standards and can advise on how kits are typically configured, but you should confirm the requirements for your site with the relevant authorities.
The bolt-together skeleton, floats, base, side panels, bulkheads and roof trusses, typically goes up in days rather than weeks, because everything is pre-drilled and lines up on a common bolt pattern. The overall timeline then depends on your cladding, glazing and interior fit-out, which you carry out at your own pace.
In some cases. VAT zero-rating can apply to qualifying permanent dwellings such as houseboats that meet HMRC criteria, but it depends on the finished structure and its use rather than the kit alone. We can advise on how projects are typically treated, but you should confirm your specific position with HMRC or a qualified tax adviser before relying on it.
Spanners and a battery driver cover most of the build, plus basic DIY competence and a second pair of hands for the larger panels. There is no welding and no specialist plant. We supply pre-drilled components and all structural fixings, and our engineering team can advise on layout, sequencing and load where you want support.
A kit includes the CB100 base modules, Cutlass Marine floats, side panels, bulkheads, roof trusses, deck rails, and all the M10 fixings required to assemble a complete, floating, skeletal home. Cladding, glazing, roofing, insulation, lining and interior fit-out are not supplied as standard, so you can source and style your own finishes to suit your budget and taste.
