Instead of opening up the window of your home in the city and viewing a weed-strewn yard (which you would have to maintain if you owned a "typical" home on land), floating home residents can actually open up their windows and drop out a fishing line. Yes, it's kind of a lazy way to go about it, but fishing directly from the window (or the deck) of your very own floating home is something that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.
And talk about a view!
All views get a little old after a time, however, and should you decide at some point that you want a change of scenery, you can actually move your floating home to a new marina (provided your floating home is docked at a rental moorage facility - see below for more info)...and this is something you obviously cannot do if you own a traditional home on land. You're stuck with the view until you sell the home and move.
If you are in love with the great outdoors, living on a floating home can be an incredibly rewarding, spiritually incomparable experience. And if you like to entertain, having your friends and family over for dinner will be a uniquely enjoyable experience for every single one of your house guests, too.
Living on the water, however, is not for everyone, and there are a few things you should know before you decide to "take the plunge"...
All floating homes have to be moored (docked somewhere)...and all moorage facilities have corresponding monthly maintenance fees, which include your utility costs (electricity, water, sewer, garbage, etc.) as well as other fees.There are two basic types of moorages that are available when the owner of a floating home is looking for a place to "anchor" their home - rental moorages, and homeowners' association moorages.
In the case of a rental moorage, you are renting the actual slip (the actual moorage, the place where you dock your boat) and your landlord will typically pay all the taxes and insurance on the moorage itself and all associated real property costs (such as maintaining the docks and common areas). The monthly fees that a floating home owner pays for rental moorages are typically higher than those that are paid by the homeowner at homeowners' association moorages.
In the case of a homeowners' association moorage, you would actually buy the slip (buy the "water lot" where you dock your home) and as a result of owning your slip, you would typically have a correspondingly lower monthly maintenance fee. Call me directly at 503-807-4504 or email me right here if you have any questions about any of this, and I will fill you in on the details. It all depends on where you moor your floating home, as each floating home association and rental moorage facility has its own unique subset of rules and fees.
There are over 30 moorage facilities in the Greater Portland Area, and a few of the top facilities are located on this page. I'm available to answer any questions you might have about the process and challenges involved in purchasing a floating home, and guide you through these uncertain waters...so contact me when you're ready and I'll help you make an informed decision about the best place to moor your floating home.
When considering the purchase of a floating home, one of the most critical aspects of the process is the inspection of the float. The float is the actual foundation of the floating home. And because the majority of the float is below the waterline and not visible to the naked eye, prospective buyers need to have a professional inspect this "undercarriage" of the floating home, and the general underwater condition of the floating home, prior to making an offer.
It is also very advisable to have the rest of the home inspected as well. Contact me for more information about the inspection process as it pertains to floating homes - it's not as scary as it sounds, it's just different. And we are all typically a bit afraid of things that we haven't encountered before, and I totally understand that, so just give me a call or email me at your convenience and I'll help you understand it all as best I can.
Important Terms and Definitions:
Floats (also called Flotation or Flotational Devices or Flotational Systems): These are devices on which your floating home rests, providing the buoyancy that keeps your home above water. There are several types of floats that underpin a standard floating home, and here are some of the more common types: Rafts, pontoons, barge/scow floats, and box floats.
***Barge/scow floats are floats that are converted from the hull of an actual ship and are used as the "float" of your floating home. Some barge floats are built brand-new, but many are merely salvaged from old barges and scows. Salvaged wooden and metal hulls work very well as floats, and most have a bilge pump inside the hollow interior of the float which are utilized in the event of water leaks.
***Box floats are large, seaworthy boxes that are built from wood, metal, styrofoam, or other seaworthy materials, and attached together to form a working float. Box floats are actually large floating docks on which the actual floating home is affixed. Box floats are typically sealed, hollow or filled with styrofoam.
***Pontoon floats are typically comprised of two long floats which are made of fiberglass, steel, aluminum, plywood, or any number of other floatable materials - and are placed lengthwise along the bottom of the actual home. They are typically set at the outer edges of the home and are connected by a smaller, bracketlike support structure. Pontoon floats are either completely hollow, or they are filled with a foam product. Pontoon floats are very effective when it comes to towing a house boat, which is something the homeowner might have to do, if they want to "relocate", or if they are bringing a brand-new floating home into their slip.
***Raft floats are the most common type of float. Tree logs serve as the foundation of the raft float, and after they are bundled together into a cohesive flotational structure, your floating home rests directly on top of the raft. Some of the floating homes found around the world have been resting on the same logs for several decades. Logs do eventually become "waterlogged" and sink, but it's a very slow process.
All flotational systems (floats) have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The deterioration of the materials that comprise the float is the most pressing issue here, especially for floating homes on salt water - within the floating home communities in Oregon, we don't have to worry about deteriorating floats as frequently (due to the fact that all of our floating homes are moored in fresh water). Even so, it's always wise to have a thorough inspection done on the floats of any floating home you are considering purchasing.
Floating home: A home built on "floats" that is anchored to a semi-permanent location on the water.
House barge: A floating home with a hull that is constructed for towing/navigating the water if the owner wants to relocate. A house barge houses people directly on the water, but it does not need to comply with the construction and utility requirements applicable to floating homes. House barges are more typical in the Seattle area.
Houseboat: A live-aboard vessel that has its own motor and is free to travel the waterways, not having to be moored in one permanent location.
Moorage: A facility for docking, or housing, a floating home. The owner of a floating home will have a slip that will be located within a moorage facility.
Slip: The "water lot" at a moorage where a floating home is "anchored". Some moorages rent slips; while others sell slips.
Stringer: A support beam that supports and connects the wooden logs found within a float.
Swim float: An extension that is built on to the deck of a floating home, designed as an area where people can swim, or entertain, and have more deck space.
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