Hi Bruce.
The idea is for something like a summer residence, initially. we will only be 2k from our B&B. Which we'd like to let it out as a 'gite', a self catering holiday home, by the week, in the summer. That way we'll only have to come down once a week to sort the place out for the next guests, rather than be tied up 24/7 with breakfast, evening meals and people coming and going every couple of days. less money, but less work, we're not getting any younger!
The rules for conversion won't allow solar panels - don't tell Glort, he'll be mounting an attack on our local planning office! - and the water source is just on the other side of my boundary, so what ever I do has to be a bit discrete.
From what I've learned so far, a truck alternator, a couple of batteries and a home brewed hydro plant will be less than €500, I can pick up a couple of hundred meters of irrigation pipe for around €300, second hand, allow €300 for an inverter and another $200 for some cabling ect. and Robert is your mum's sister's live in lover......
If life unfolds anywhere near where I'd like it to, once the project is livable, going down the load controlled genny route, with a slightly larger pipe would be the way into the future.
Google 'hover barge at Fergusons shipyard' for some images of the last one I worked on, 'The Siberian'
There's not been many built, but they've been about for years, try this for awesome....
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/52tleq/columbia_helicopters_vertol_107ii_towing_a_hover/Cheers Stef