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Gino Spocchia wrote this article in The Independent:

A couple in Newfoundland, Canada, were able to float their century-old home across a bay after buying the beloved property from it’s former owners.

Kirk Lovell and Daniele Penney, of McIvers, brought the home from a retired couple who wanted to tear down the 100-year-old building and rebuild on the plot.

When Mr Lovell and Ms Penney heard about that plan, according to local news outlet SaltWire , they approached the building’s owners and purchased it.

For Ms Penney, who is originally from western Newfoundland, said the property was a “dream” home but it would have been almost impossible to move the home by road.

Overhead power lines in McIvers meant floating the home across the bay, in the fashion of resettlement-era Canadians, was the way forward.

“I wanted to see if it could float,” Mr Lovell told SaltWire. “They did it back in the 60s, and they never had much to work with.”

After two months of research into how to float a home, the building was lifted-up onto rollers and onto  28 plastic barrels and some Styrofoam insulation.

On 11 October it was moved from its plot of land to the waters-edge and floated across the bay from McIvers to Lower Cove, a distance of almost 90km (56 miles).

Members of the local community in McIvers assisted Mr Lovell and Ms Penney with their own small boats to stop the home from taking on too much water.

According to Keith Goodyear, who was involved in the move, it took a total of five hours and the home was dried out by using a wood stove and commercial blowers.

“At the end of the day, a historic home was saved, a family will have a renovated home to live in with a spectacular view and everyone got to share an amazing story that will be talked out for years,” wrote Mr Goodyear on Facebook. “Congrats to all involved.”

Mr Lovell told SaltWire that “it’s something I’m sure I’ll never experience again”.

The couple hope their renovation work will be completed before the end of the year.