Home & DesignJAN 19, 2024

10 Boat House Designs To Inspire Your Next Adventure

Many people associate water with adventure. Be it cruising on a yacht, surfboarding, spending a summer on a lake shore, or just lying on the beach, there’s something about water that can be exciting and relaxing all at once.

And if you’re one of those people who’d spend their entire life near or on the water, at some point, you have probably played with the idea of buying a boat house.

Image credits: djedj

Originally, boat houses were just a luxury version of a regular boat for people who love to spend lengthy periods of time in open water. It provided a comfortable place to rest and an opportunity to travel in style. But over the years, house boats have been used as a permanent residence or a long-term getaway more and more often.

Depending on their construction type, there are various types of boat houses. When selecting one for yourself, you should consider your purposes (permanent residence or leisure activities) and where you’ll use it.

Some of the most common boat house types include:

Now that you've become acquainted with the fascinating array of boat houses, let's dive into a treasure trove of design possibilities to elevate your waterfront residence into a captivating and functional living space. Consider the following boat house design inspirations to infuse your floating abode with personality:

#1 Tiny House Boat Interior

Larger boat houses can be quite expensive; that’s why many owners opt for a tiny house boat. But a tiny home doesn’t mean inconvenient. Here, it all comes down to smart storage and careful planning. Use every surface and corner to create a home of your dreams.

ourgroundedhome

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24points

#2 Cottage Houseboat

This is a perfect option for someone who can’t choose between countryside life and life on the water. You can still have your white-painted porch complete with a swing to spend evenings on, but instead of leading you into a front yard, the stairs take you right to the waterfront. You can opt for a regular cottage roof or turn it into an open deck accessible by another staircase from the porch.

Thomas Lardeau

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23points

#3 Your Personality On Display

Your house may be floating on the water, but you still have plenty of opportunities to decorate it. Surround yourself with your favorite art, bring fancy coffee mugs into the kitchen, or mount a shelf in the living room to display your collectibles. Your boat house can be as much of a comfortable place to relax in as a house on land.

emilye_king

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23points

#4 Retro Outside, Modern Inside

If you own a toolbox and aren’t afraid to use it, you have the opportunity to save some money when buying a boat house. Buy an older boat on a budget and keep its retro exterior intact. But you can design the interior to your taste and make it as modern as you like. Take advantage of the layout and fine-tune it to your needs.

MemoryCatcher

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22points

#5 Two-Story Luxury House Boat

If you have decided to move to a boat house permanently and want to splurge a bit on the purchase, consider investing in a two-story house boat. This luxurious floating home will offer you the same amount of privacy and comfort as a regular modern design house. You can cover the upper floor fully, give it some floor-to-ceiling glass windows, or leave it partially open for a balcony.

wayneswadron

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22points

#6 Open Deck Views

If you’ve chosen to live in a floating home, you might as well enjoy all its advantages. Turn the roof of your house into a top deck that can serve multiple purposes. You can lay out a contemporary garden or set up a lounge spot. It’s also a great space to welcome and entertain guests. Boat party, anyone?

_brianmeyer

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22points

#7 Modern House On A Boat

If you’re a modern house design fan, nothing stops you from making your boat house look like one. They might be pricier than more common floating house designs, but they combine the best of both worlds. Living on a modern houseboat, you have all the amenities and looks of a city home but get gorgeous water views from your bedroom window every morning.

bsrkroeslin

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18points

#8 Movie-Inspired Boat House

There’s something incredibly appealing about living on a boat. No wonder so many filmmakers choose a house on a boat as one of the major characters’ abodes. From Johnny Depp in Chocolat to Sandra Bullock in Murder by Numbers and probably the most famous movie house boat Tom Hanks lived on with his son in Sleepless in Seattle, take your inspiration from any of them and recreate the look on your own boat house.

wanderingnursekatiek

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17points

#9 Fully Authentic Boat House

If you’re looking for an authentic boat experience, it might be a good idea to let your boat house look like an old-timey vessel both inside and outside. Turn each room into a real-life cabin and keep as much of the wooden exterior intact as possible. If your boat’s bridge is large enough, you can even install a decorative steering wheel to create a feeling of total immersion.

Tho-Ge

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16points

#10 Kerala House Boat

Also known as Kettuvallam, these boats were once used not only as a means of transportation but also for residential purposes by royalty. Fully equipped and furnished, Kettuvallams are now primarily used for sightseeing along the picturesque shores of Kerala. When designing your boat house, infuse it with the traditional charm of Kettuvallams by incorporating cool wood carvings, lively colors, and funky patterns inspired by Kerala’s rich cultural vibes.

alleppeyhouseboatclub

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10points

How to Choose a Perfect Boat House?

There are a number of things you should consider before buying or even renting a boat house. Its size should be adequate compared to the number of people that are going to live in it. For instance, while an inflatable house boat might be ideal for a lake outing with a group of five, relocating your entire family to live there could pose challenges. Think whether you want to moor your house permanently or would prefer to float on a body of water.

Another important thing is whether your house boat will become your forever home or a place where you spend vacations. Also, if you’re unsure of the condition of the boat house you’re about to buy, check it with a specialist.

Is It Cheaper to Live in a House on a Boat?

This depends on various factors, such as the size of your house boat and its location. Generally, buying or renting a floating home is cheaper than a regular one. However, you have to keep in mind that house boats require more frequent maintenance since they’re exposed to water damage.

Image credits: Dana Marin (Amsterdamian)

Can You Permanently Live in a House Boat?

Yes, you can! In fact, many people choose to do so if they want to downsize, be more environmentally friendly, or just love to wake up to the sound of water washing against the walls of their house. In places like Amsterdam or the Indian state of Kerala, living on a boat is a long-lasting tradition, while in other places, it has been gaining popularity in recent years.

Image credits: Nature Photographer

Is Living in a Boat House a Good Idea?

The answer to this question is very individual. If you’re the type of person who likes the unconventional, is happy living with smaller assets, and enjoys the metaphorical wind in their hair, living on a boat might be just the thing for you.

However, if the idea of having to constantly refill your water and empty your toilet, listen to the rain banging on your roof, and be limited in space sounds like a nightmare, it might be a good idea to withhold from moving to a boat house permanently and rent it for the summer instead. Even in that case, make sure your family members feel equally comfortable about this decision, as not everyone enjoys staying on the water for long stretches of time.