Boathouse loft addition

More about the loft addition... I finished the roof sheathing and some of the roofing. I used rolled roofing to save on weight. That is an important consideration when constructing a boathouse- weight and balance. I needed to keep the house balanced from front to back and left to right. I needed to be careful not to add more weight than the barrels supporting the house could hold. That floating platform in the lower right of the first picture actually attached to the back of the boathouse. It attached with hinges and was not very stable. When boats went by it flapped up and down. But it did give me a nice area in the back.

I used salvaged windows in the loft. There was also a skylight on the roof. The window on the back was a 16 pane window that came from a building at the state university in town. I also built a small deck outside of the window. The window was on a piano hinge on top and it swung out for access to the upper deck. I did not use this deck much as it was not very convenient. The window was not very practical for air flow and I had to make a big screen in order to keep the mosquitos and fish flies out.
Living in the boathouse was wonderful but it took constant supervision. Winds could be troublesome. The house would sway back and forth. The river would get rough and the house would bounce up and down and some times that might cause a barrel to pop out. One side would be lower and that would raise the otherside and put the barrels at risk of popping out. The barrels held the house up and the wieght of the house kept the barrels in place.
During the time I lived there I was working at a knitting mill on the east end of town. The factory was right next to the river (well, the whole town is). I could see the river from my office window and there were many stormy days that I kept my eye on the river and hoped that I did not see my house go by. The red house next to mine broke loose once. Luckily someone saw it an jumped in a boat and was able to tow it back to its spot.

Boathouse pictures

I found some more "before" pictures to post:

This shows the flood that occured the second year I lived there. Remember the h0use rises with the water.

One inside view of the house.

The cooking/eating corner. A very small living space. These pictures are over 20 years old. Eek, I'm old...

The view from the river. Some of the boathouses were in rough shape. Most pictured here were inhabited year round.

Adding the loft

I wanted more living space in the boathouse so it was time for a major change. Over the course of several weeks I built the framing for the second story. It was not really walls but a different style of roof that would give me a loft area for sleeping quarters.

I tore off the roof myself. One big challenge was making sure the debris did not fall into the water. And a dropped tool was often irretrievable. The house was tied up to the riverbank but it was quite a steep drop off. I believe I lost a half a dozen hammers to the river bottom. I spent a bit of time fishing with a heavy duty magnet trying to retrieve tools but had little luck. When it came time to hoist the new framing, I hired my friend Joe, a carpenter, and together we raised the roof.

It was fall of the year, I did not have much time to get things closed in before winter arrived.

Just When Things Come Together...

...You have to tear them all apart again. The decision was made to tear the top off the boathouse and build up for more space. I had been living in the 12x20 space for over 5 years and it was time to add more.

I moved most of my belongings into various vehicles parked on the river bank (I live in a van down by the river!!) then began tearing things apart. I had little to no construction experience and there was no building code applicable to boathouses in my town so I just tore into it.

Soon we were open to the sky and stars.

My First House

I bought my very first house when I was just barely out of high school. I had done a year at university but it did not go so well so I took a job as a waitress/cook. One fall evening, my roommates invited me to a progressive dinner party- you know, where you go to one house for appetizers, the next for salads, etc. Well the main course was at her boyfriend's house. This was a unique house, I was amazed. He gave us the brief tour of his home and then took us to see the house next door that he also owned. I walked into that little house and immediately fell in love with it. "Can I rent it?" I said. And the next breath I said, "Can I buy it?" He said yes. I gave him $100 down, I think and made arrangements to pay $50 a month for a total of $600.

What a deal. It was a small cottage, one room, approximately 12 x 20 feet.

OK, so it needed some work.

So, that is not my stuff in there but what the place looked like when I first saw it. What was I thinking?!?

But the best part was the location...
Yup, a boathouse on the Mississippi. My place is the second from the left. The spring thaw brought the river over the banks that year and many years after that, but luckily, the house floats. Unfortunately, so did the woodpile that I kept on the bank and used to heat the house.

The houses are held afloat by 55 gallon barrels. The metal barrels rust out over time and fill with water and need to be replaced. The house had spent some time partially submerged and so there was A LOT of bad wood to be replaced. I think the boathouse was about 40 years old when I bought it.

Most structures were boat garages converted into living spaces, but mine had no evidence of having ever housed a boat. I had electricity, but no running water...inside. I spent a couple years rebuilding the space from the inside out. Replaced the floor, the wall studs, added insulation, updated the electrical. After a time, it was kind of sweet.

Seattle is known for their floating homes and my community is one of the few others that still allow people to actually reside in them. I lived there year round for over 7 years.

Hello

I have been reading house blogs for the past 3 or so years and l have wanted to start my own. I live in a 1935 cape cod type home in the Midwest that I am restoring / renovating / trying to maintain. I hate to say that it is likely in worse condition that when I moved in because I have the habit of starting projects and not finishing them.