I just watched an episode of Fixer Upper where they renovated a houseboat. Of course, the end product was spectacular and it got me thinking about houseboats. We don’t see them in our area and I wondering if any cc’ers have ever lived on one and where. What are the recurring costs involved? This buyer in the show spent under 90k (it was in Texas, yes). What’s life like on the water?
I have a friend who owns one and has for years. Her D never lived “on land” until she went to college! Theirs is awesome. She has two bedrooms, two baths, big kitchen, gym, pool table, 60" tv, LR, DR, shop, art studio and lots of decks. They love it and their houseboat community is very active and artistic–like them. As far as recurring costs, they have normal maintenance, insurance, etc., like any homeowner…and they have a monthly dock fee.
I was wondering about the bathrooms/showers. What is the water source, and how are the bathrooms “serviced”?
Each berth has its own hookups for gas, water, electric, and public sewer. Garbage is taken to the dumpsters at the end of each dock. Sewage gets pumped out using macerator pumps which are electric. These are in a holding tank. So when the power is off you can’t flush the toilet or run any water at all or there will be sewage overflow into the home. You cannot put anything stringy in the toilet or the garbage disposal because that will get stuck in the motor of the macerator pump causing the holding tank to overflow.
Property taxes are based on the price of the structure, not the berth. The county makes this assessment. There is also a berth fee charged by the harbor ($800-$1400)/month. The berth fee includes trash, water, parking and sewer.
I would love to do this someday, but it would be too expensive after paying for the divorce it would cause.
@vistajay you can Air BNB house boats so it doesn’t have to be perminit thing!
https://www.airbnb.com/s/United-States?type=boat&listing_types%5B%5D=8&s_tag=QHF2i5dn&allow_override%5B%5D=
That was a fun episode. 
He named the houseboat after his mom right??
Yes, he did, abasket. Thanks for the tidbits on houseboats. Ya learn something new everyday!
So this is a stupid question, but what is the appeal of living on a boat at a dock when it has all the things an apartment has? Do people really take these boats out and live on them out on the open water for extended periods?
my sis lives on one. It’s great! it’s not motorized, it really cant go out from dock. it’s hooked up to electricity and and sewer and etc. It’s so pretty inside - 2 levels, bamboo flooring, high-end finishes, bathroom, powder room; outdoors on the deck you can see sea lions, go kayaking, & throw food to the sea gulls… It’s in a very artistic/eclectic community - a famous children’s author’s old houseboat is about 5 doors down! It ran around $1000/sq foot. I don’t think she’ll ever give it up.
The appeal: the beauty of the views and surrounding nature to get away from the nearby big city, the instant access to water, the soft rocking, the charming community, the place everyone wants to visit.
the cons: the boat almost sunk when the sewer backed up and filled up the hull; the long dock walk in the rain. It’s perfect for 1 or 2 people; our family of 6 couldnt do it. But we love to visit!
My brother and his wife lived on one for a couple of years. It was at a normal marina, so to empty the holding tank you had to motor over to a different dock and have it pumped out. So, unless it was an emergency or they were away from the dock they used the bathroom/showers at the end of the dock, not the onboard head. They enjoyed it at the time, but that hike to the facilities and driving to a laundromat got old as time went on. The appeal was that it was functional as a boat, including a big sundeck above the main cabin. They could pull a small waterskiier behind it. And if they wanted to take the kayaks out after work, they were on the water in minutes.
We did a holiday on a houseboat and that was more than enough for me.
Was it Sleepless in Seattle where Tom Hanks lived on a houseboat? That was pretty sweet. Amazing views.
Yes. That is a very famous houseboat.
I want my house to have as little contact with water as possible. Wood and water are not a good combo.
@surfcity I spent part of my early years living on a boat. You asked about the appeal? The number one thing is that you can take off and just go, anytime.
There is a freedom and a distinct way of life involved that shines through those who choose to do it. We had a tight knit community on our pier within the marina.
It was a great chapter but, I don’t miss the extreme water conservation or dinner off of a propane stove.
My eldest S lived on one in Seattle for several years and liked it but doesn’t miss it a bit now that he’s in a house.
I think that there is some confusion here about a houseboat v.s. a floating home.
In Portland and much of Seattle there are floating home communities. They do not have
engines. They are completely self contained and you do not move them to empty any
tanks.
Their foundations are traditionally super huge red wood timbers.
Later they have been made of steel.
Latest they have a steel outline of a foundation and are filled with a foam when they
are at their home station.
Seattle makes some of the most amazing floating homes and then has floated them
down to Portland.
This is all different than a house boat–which Seattle has but Portland mainly does not have,
“Houseboat” makes me think of the movie with Cary Grant and Sophia Loren. She was luminous in that movie. Also, I would be happy to live on a houseboat with Cary Grant (or Tom Hanks, for that matter).
A vacation on a houseboat in Seattle sounds like it would be fun. @Marilyn, I remember that movie. I’ll have to add it to my rainy day movie list.