Seven impressive houseboats around the world – 03/09/2023 – Equilíbrio

From Scandinavia to the US, people are finding freedom and a sense of community living in houseboats on the water.

There is something rebellious and individualistic about exchanging a life lived within bricks and mortar for a simpler, less conventional existence on a houseboat. Boat dwellers feel a sense of adventure, and if they are in a remote, rural location, they are totally in tune with nature.

The cover of a new book by Portland Mitchell, “Making Waves: Floating Homes and Life on the Water” captures the freedom many associate with homes carried by water. Seen through a round glass window, two swans glide over a glassy lake.In the foreground is a less distinct glimpse of the interior of a houseboat.

However, living on boats is not always easy. After all, houseboats are often affected by the elements and those that are remote can be completely disconnected from the power grid – something that takes some getting used to.

But houseboats are also often moored next to each other on city piers, giving occupants a strong sense of community. Design-wise, houseboats vary stylistically and structurally, and many boaters are serious about sustainable living and design. “They’re bringing everything from a salvaged shipping container to a houseboat built from recycled materials into the world’s waterways,” Mitchell tells BBC Culture.

Now, with climate change driving sea level rise, convenience is also driving life on the water. “Based on climate predictions, boat-dwelling may prove to be a prudent, even necessary, alternative to life on land, essential for human survival,” adds Mitchell.

BBC Culture looks at eight fascinating houseboats around the world – one of them in Brazil.

Max McMurdo’s house is an example of the wide variety of houseboats that have emerged over the past decade. About seven years ago, he converted a 12m by 2m metal shipping container he bought for $2,500 into a London industrial estate and created his new home, which now floats on the river. Ouse, in North Yorkshire, UK.

This allowed him to secure a home with no mortgage. He previously lived in a country house in Bedford, which he renovated – increasing its value – and then sold. After the damaged, world-traveling shipping container was refurbished and turned into his houseboat, McMurdo also fulfilled a long-held dream.

“I’ve always dreamed of living by the water in a tiny house,” he says.

A former car designer, McMurdo had previously converted shipping containers into structures with different uses, including an office for his backyard. Today he has a company that recycles containers, called Reetainer. Their new home sits on a reinforced concrete foundation and a large deck that offers plenty of outdoor space. A wooden pergola crowns the roof and projects beyond it to provide a more shaded area.

Clever space-saving ideas allowed him to incorporate a regular toilet and shower. He also built a storage compartment on top of the container’s floor, which contains a built-in bathroom, wardrobe, fridge and a dining table that slides up through an opening in the room’s floor. Mesh in the shower floor slides off to reveal the bathtub, while the bed splits in half, revealing wardrobe steps.

In an effort to reduce energy consumption, McMurdo has added solar panels and plans to install energy-efficient heating on the roof of the houseboat.

Le Cid, France

In 2018, Agnès Combes Bernageau moved from her “cozy apartment” in Paris to a transport barge moored on the River Seine – between Pont Alexandre 3rd and Pont de la Concorde. Her two children and a French bulldog live with her.

The boat has a colorful history: it was built in 1930 in Mainz, Germany, and then handed over to France as part of the post-World War I reparations imposed by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. During Hitler’s occupation of France, it served flotillas of German submarines and, in the 1950s, it was bought by British Petroleum.

Le Cid was moored in the Parisian harbor in 1980. “I was bored with the impersonal life of conventional Paris,” says Combes Bernageau, a senior executive at a French luxury brand, who bought the barge on “a hunch.”

The change had positive psychological and physical effects on her.

“I gained a more open mind and heart – as well as a community with a common mindset of freedom. You learn a lot on boats – from mooring to all the technical stuff. I didn’t know anything about that. I gained muscle strength,” he says. she.

There is a strong community life and a port committee of which Combes Bernageau sits.

Combes Bernageau has converted the interior of Le Cid into a stylish open-plan living room, incorporating a well-equipped kitchen and dining area. There is also a monochromatic bathroom. The overall effect, below decks, is elegant, uncluttered and spacious.

Mini, Argentina

Thirty years ago, Anibal Guiser Gleyzer found life in the city unsatisfactory. “So I bought a sailboat and explored the delta of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers”, she says.

He later sold his apartment, purchased land in the delta and, aware that this wetland is prone to flooding, built a houseboat.

Instead of conforming to the European architectural style of many local buildings, he chose to create a structure inspired by the flat-hulled barges that traditionally transported timber across rivers.

He wanted his project – a two-story structure – to be made with ecologically correct materials, so he made the hull in ferrocement, which involves applying reinforced mortar or plaster over a reinforcement composed of metallic mesh, expanded metal or metallic fibers. The walls of the houseboat are made of wood.

He has since established an eco-community of similar water-based homes called Econáutico Hipocampo, whose occupants are similarly drawn to living close to nature.

Zazi Houseboat, Netherlands

For years, Jeanne de Kroon, who runs a vintage clothing company called Zazi Vintage, has traveled the world, sourcing fabrics and garments made by artisans.

But recently she put down roots by renting a houseboat in a suburb of Amsterdam. “For travelers, a houseboat is the best way to feel like you’re on vacation at home,” says the flamboyant de Kroon, who dresses in 1960s-style hippie clothing.

The wooden houseboat dates from the 1970s. De Kroon added color to its interior, painting the walls rose-pink and hanging dresses in her favorite shades of saffron yellow and crimson on the door frames and furniture. “When you live on a boat on Amsterdam’s canals, color is important to warm up the space,” she says.

De Kroon, who grew up in Amsterdam and New York, feels less isolated here than if she lived in an apartment. “I grew up in towns where you never know your neighbors, but life on the boat brings the community together – we exchange gifts and we have a swim club,” she says.

oldenburg, denmark

When Lis and Ove Nilsson first saw their houseboat, Oldenburg, built in 1908, they were won over by its size – ideal for entertaining family and friends. The cabin area, while fully operational, was small, but the couple expanded it to create a spacious dining area.

The houseboat also contains a kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a wardrobe.

The interior of the boat, with white walls, light floors and naval furniture, is minimalist but comfortable. There is a spacious sofa and upholstered seating in the dining area, while the rooms have a warmer feel with traditional varnished wood on the walls.

“We don’t lose anything by moving from land to water,” they say.

Since acquiring Oldenburg, the couple have undertaken many sailing expeditions.

Soggybottom Shanty, USA

A formative experience for Siva Aiken, who owns a houseboat eccentrically named Soggybottom Shanty]was her fixation on the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed ride at Disneyland, which her family frequented during her childhood.

“There was a puppet of a man smoking a pipe and rocking in a chair on the front porch of a swamp cabin,” she recalls. “I felt like jumping off the boat and moving into that little cabin.”

She later moved to the southern US and was intrigued by the “rich history of riverside people in America”.

As channels for transporting logs and coal, the rivers there at the turn of the 20th century became undesirable and polluted, populated by an impoverished community. “They built huts and shacks out of scrap wood,” says Aiken, who shares a houseboat with several dogs.

His 7-meter-long ship was made with recycled and demolition materials, with the help of friends, in 2019. The windows were recovered from a house that was being renovated, while his used outboard motor is 30 years old.

Aiken docks the boat by tying it to a dock. She boards and disembarks using an inclined board and, at night, she relaxes playing the banjo on the porch of her house, in an echo of the Pirates of the Caribbean tour that captivated her as a child.

Altar, Brazil

For Rodrigo Martins, his family and two friends, their summer houseboat moored to a buoy in the Jaguariúna reservoir, two hours north of São Paulo, is a dream getaway.

The house is compact yet spacious, eco-friendly and secluded. The 38 m² square, minimalist structure was made from 100% recyclable materials from a prefabricated housing system called LilliHaus, by Brazilian sustainable design studio sysHaus. It sits on a large, wraparound deck – supported by a catamaran – which adds a further 26 m² of space. It has sun loungers, where after sunset the group can watch films projected on an external wall that works as a cinema screen.

Used for weekend and holiday stays, and reached by dinghy, the houseboat feels deceptively small. However, it contains a living area with a dining area and kitchen, a double bedroom and a well-appointed bathroom. A simple, chic interior with light wood walls and understated furniture makes the space feel larger. Natural light floods the space through floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights.

The LilliHaus’ eco-friendly features include solar panels on the roof that generate energy-efficient electricity and lighting, openings in the structure that provide natural ventilation, and state-of-the-art water treatment systems.

Martins admits that his family and friends initially experienced withdrawal symptoms when deprived of Wi-Fi – but soon became happy socializing more, swimming and paddling canoes.

From Walvisch, UK

The De Walvisch is a Dutch sailing vessel now moored in Wapping, East London. It features mahogany-toned wood walls and a plethora of naval objects, all sourced from its occupants – artists Zatorski and Zatorski (a couple known as Thomas and Angel to their friends).

In 2000, the pair bought a narrow boat, which made them develop a taste for living “a little under the radar”.

The decision to purchase De Walvisch was reinforced by interest in the town of Wapping. “History is around every corner in this part of town,” they say.

The couple restored the boat, outfitting it with salvaged parts, including a submarine sink. A brass-framed window – salvaged from the SS Transylvania, the British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine in 1917 – now graces the bedroom (formerly the captain’s cabin).

The boat is moored at Hermitage Moorings, a cooperative that the artists helped to create and which is shared with 17 other boats. This environment inspires artists, who are interested in the potential of ships to symbolize discovery and adventure. They document their life aboard the boat and use it to stage works of art and performances, as well as hosting events where people from different fields are invited to discuss their ideas.

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