Staying in a house boat can be an experience in itself. Houseboats or the floating homes are available in various shapes and sizes, from traditional-looking modern homes that float on water to ultra-modern houseboat concepts that can possibly fly as well. Few houseboats are luxurious, while few are designed using reclaimed automotive, planes, and train parts. All it proves is that you don’t need to have a large budget for getting yourself an abode in the high seas or even lake, river, bay or canal.
Following are a list of 12 houseboats which stand unique in some way or the other:
1. Streamlined Wooden House Boat:
To be precise, this house boat is technically a barge, as it doesn’t travel from one place to another. This boat is more like a home and is located on the Eilbekkanal in Hamburg, Germany. The home is warm, cozy, and modern wooden exterior. In the interior the home is divided by a wall. A single wall wraps all spaces in the home, including the public living areas placed on the exterior, where as the private areas such as bathroom and bedroom form the interior.
2. Geometric Houseboat:
This house boat was last spotted in the year 2008 in Copenhagen. The highly unusual house boat boosts a geometric metal facade and has a secondary glassed-in structure that is mostly used for sunbathing.
3. ‘Train Wreck’ Houseboat:
This huge house boat is made by using a train car and is placed in South Forty Dock, Sausalito in California. Earlier it was a 50 foot long and 120 yrs old Pullman sleeper car. The owners of the car, Renee and Henry Baer, have divided it into half and split it into a ‘V’ shape. It is attached to a 20 foot by 40 foot concrete hull.
4. Cosmic Muffin Boeing Floating House:
Earlier owned by Howard Hughes, Boeing Stratoliner, is today transformed in an amazing house boat. To support the new design the tail and wings of the plane are removed. The floating house is known as Cosmic Muffin and is seen in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
5. Solar-Powered Houseboat:
If ever the predictions of Water World come true, then this solar house boat concept would be one of the most comfortable ways to survive the chaos. The design of this house boat is inspired by a fishing bobber and has a flotation belt. The home is half-submerged in water for stability. A garden made on upper-level absorbs harsh sun rays, which are then used to generate power.
6. Dubai House boat:
This floating house is a modern home base located in the Dubai marine. The designed in made by designer Leen Vandaele and X-Architects. They have used various materials such as two catamaran beams, glass, stainless steel, etc. The terrace sports a glass roof and can be reached by using spiral staircase. It is also used as a sun deck.
7. Low-Budget House Boat:
This house boat says that to own a house boat, you don’t need to have lots of money. Various low-budget and co-friendly house boats are easily available. Also, if you are not thinking too much about aesthetics, then you would be getting more options.
8. Three-Story Sausalito House boat:
Floating house isn’t necessarily a tiny living. The three story 4,000 square foot floating house in Sausalito proves that people can live large (and literally large) and have a huge home right on the water.
9. Covey Island House Boat:
Covey Island Boatworks has designed a home that can be based in the extreme arctic weather. The constructon of the home is done by using the same construction materials and methods as used for a boat. The materials are flexible, lightweight, yet strong. The designers have created this pre-fabricated off-grid structure that would be used on dry land.
10. Modern Floating Home:
Vandeventer and Carlander Architects have designed this house boat in Seattle. The floating home is versatile and elegant. With 2,824 square feet area, this home is quite big. It also has an 887 square foot deck. It sports aluminum cladding and strategically placed decks and windows.
11. Pink Shanty Boat:
This house boat is technically a ‘shanty boat’; however it resembles to a parade float veered off into a harbor. The boat was spotted floating on the River Adur, England. The owner of this house boat is very creative and has used various recyclable materials, which includes a washing machine and a bus in the construction of the boat.
12. Floating House:
This elegant houseboat based on the Willamette River, Oregon is designed by Architect Robert Harvey Oshatz. The design has been inspired from nature, thus the designer has used plenty of wood. The use of glass gives an organic feel to the house boat.