I think most of us city dwellers have fantasized about living on a houseboat. It is a scarce and limited resource, and strictly controlled by the Seattle ordinances. I have been lucky enough to experience living aboard one, if only briefly. I (and CSES) have also been involved in the design and construction of a dozen or so houseboats. A houseboat is truly a different sort of structure. Typically, the houses are built on top of wood supports (‘stringers’) that are attached with long lag screws to a bundle of logs, which keep the whole thing floating. This houseboat is no different.
As you can see, the houseboat is currently in pretty poor condition, peeling paint, dry rot deterioration, and the like. Many similar houses are being fixed up as they come on the market – often a long time inhabitant passes away, and makes their home available. So, we are in process of making it livable again.
One problem to be dealt with is the logs themselves. As we all know, floating logs eventually become saturated with water – ‘waterlogged.’ This is remedied, generally, by adding floatation below the logs, rather than replacing the logs. In the past styrofoam blocks have been used, but these were banned some years back, because they tended to break down, leaving quantities of styrofoam pellets floating around in Lake Union. Now, plastic barrels are generally used. They are submerged while partially full (for obvious reasons) then the water is pumped out to increase their buoyancy.
The new owner is trying to preserve some of the charm of the houseboat. She had never lived on one, and is looking forward to a new experience. We will keep you posted on the progress.
