12/06/2026
13 years ago, we helped build something that had never been done in the UK before.
This house on Mill Road, Marlow, is now back on the market — but for us, it brings back memories of one of the most challenging and rewarding projects we have ever been involved in.
Known as the UK’s first amphibious house, and later featured on Grand Designs, this wasn’t just a beautiful riverside home. It was a piece of pioneering civil engineering, designed to sit on its foundations in normal conditions and then rise within its own dock when the River Thames floods.
The engineering was one thing. The logistics were another.
The site was located on a private island, with access only by the river and a narrow footbridge. That meant every stage of the build had to be carefully planned — materials, plant, spoil removal, concrete works, timber frame, deliveries, sequencing, and the general day-to-day running of the site. Nothing was straightforward.
Around 1,000 tonnes of earth had to be excavated to form the dock, with a reinforced concrete structure built below ground to allow the house to float safely when floodwater rises. The house itself was designed with a concrete hull and guided by vertical posts, often referred to as dolphins, to keep it stable as it rises and falls.
Looking back, it was the kind of project that really tests a team — technically, practically and mentally. But it is also the kind of project you are proud to say you were part of.
13 years on, it is great to see the house still being recognised as one of the most innovative homes in the country.
A true one-off, and a brilliant example of what can be achieved when design, engineering and construction all come together.
