In Northern Idaho, Courtney Casey, 31, and her husband Riley, 33, are redefining the idea of homeownership by transforming a declassified Navy barge into their dream house.
The millennial couple, who document their journey on their YouTube channel Ambition Strikes, have been chronicling every step of the ambitious build, from first setting foot inside the steel space to the moment it begins to resemble a warm, livable space.
“As a child, Riley went on several houseboat trips with his family and friends. They are some of his fondest childhood memories,” Courtney told Newsweek.
“Before we had even purchased our land in North Idaho, we were visiting friends who lived on a houseboat in a nearby marina,” she explained. “The barge was moored near their boat and we were immediately intrigued. This year we finally got ahold of the owner and Riley convinced him to sell it to us.”
Ambition Strikes, YouTube
The vessel’s history is as unusual as its new purpose. For decades, the Navy used the barge as an acoustic testing facility on one of the deepest lakes in the U.S., complete with submarine research. Once a dark, windowless “dungeon” full of computer equipment, it has now been stripped down to nearly 900 square feet of open space.
From Navy Ship to Waterfront Living
The couple is designing the main building to include two downstairs bedrooms, two upstairs loft beds, a full kitchen and bathroom, and a large open-plan living and dining area. The boat will sleep up to seven people, complete with heating, air conditioning, and running water.
“We’ve both dreamed of living on a houseboat but we’re still trying to figure out the logistics of doing that with a toddler,” Courtney said. “This summer it will be a place for us to spend time with friends and family on the weekends.”
Deciding to take on most of the work themselves, turning the barge into a livable space isn’t without its challenges.
Ambition Strikes, YouTube
“Nothing is level and the barge is constantly moving,” Courtney explained. “But once we got the windows and doors in, the momentum really picked up.”
This isn’t their first foray into large-scale DIY. Their YouTube channel first gained traction five years ago after they built a truck camper from scratch, later tackling an off-grid cabin, a 1920s shipping container home, and even a dump truck conversion.
Unconventional Housing Solutions
The Caseys’ unconventional project is part of a broader trend of Americans turning to alternative housing options amid soaring property costs and high interest rates.
House prices skyrocketed across the U.S. following the 2020 pandemic when a homebuying frenzy paired with low mortgage rates to result in a lack of available housing. More recently, policy shifts, such as the Trump administration’s move to allow rent payments to count toward mortgage qualification, have aimed to ease the path for first-time buyers.
According to Redfin, the median sale price of a U.S. home was $443,462 in June 2025, representing an increase of just 0.22 percent from June 2024, but an increase of around 15 percent when compared to June 2021.
Despite some markets recovering well more recently, there are still markets with prices rising quickly, including Toledo, Ohio with a 10.5 percent year-on-year rise and New Haven-Milford, Connecticut with a 9 percent rise.
Ambition Strikes, YouTube
The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that only 16 percent of homes currently for sale are affordable to households earning the median income. As a result, more buyers are looking to alternatives like tiny homes and even luxury small homes.
A 2022 survey from HomeAdvisor found that nearly nine in 10 said they would live in a tiny home, and 31 percent would buy one. Of those who would buy a tiny house, 68% said they would consider buying one as their first home.
For the Caseys, their DIY home journey has been supported by their YouTube viewers. “Our journey of sharing our projects online started accidentally five years ago. We built a truck camper from scratch to travel in and we decided to make videos to share with our friends and family,” Courtney said.
“We had no idea how invested the rest of the internet would become in our projects and it’s been a crazy journey ever since. There is zero chance we’d be able to do this project without our viewers’ support and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity.”