Custom Seattle Houseboat

I find that many people in Seattle are drawn to the allure of houseboat living by what they've seen in magazines, movies, or just a day spent boating on Lake Union. Many of my first-time home buyer clients will want to tour some floating homes, thinking that the relatively low prices - compared to single family homes on the waterfront - make houseboats an easy choice.

The vast majority of these clients take one look at the tiny bathrooms, cozy living quarters, and long docks or ramps to get home, and they flee for the condo market. Probably a good decision.
Houseboating is a great lifestyle and, if you're cut out for it, you can't find a better way to live this waterfront lifestyle anywhere. If you're not, you may find yourself in a bind the way a recent houseboat dreamer did in Seattle.

The Seattle Times has a great houseboat story today on a man named Jack Daniels (seriously) who decided to build his own houseboat on a whim. The steel framed structure is beautiful - it's an exercise in custom design, removing many of the hindrances of cramped houseboat living. The structure is actually quite big for a Seattle houseboat - 45 feet by 15 feet, with two stories and walls of windows.

Still, Jack and his wife have decided it's too small. They have a toddler now, and it doesn't fit their lifestyle. This $200,000 experiment has become a spec houseboat construction project. This is not exactly a prime investment vehicle right now.

It's probably the right decision for them. If you can't be devoted to living on the water and dealing with its intricacies, you'll end up regretting the decision. Living in a floating home isn't just a change of scenery. It's a change of lifestyle.

Seattle Floating Homes, Houseboats