Turning Your Houseboat into a Cozy Home – Top Things to Consider

With the exception of luxury multi-million yachts, houseboats are a fantastic way to get property in your name without piling on debt. Typically more affordable than the average house, they’re convenient, versatile, and adaptable. They can be a great place to live out your retirement and an even greater place to enjoy your youth and start living more adventurously. 

The major downside, however, is that turning a houseboat into a cozy home could take more hard work than you might be anticipating. 

Have a look at some of the most important things you’ll need to consider when you’re building a home out of your houseboat. 

Winters can be harsh 

Winters on a houseboat are no joke. Depending on where you’re located during the colder months of the year, it could be tough to stay warm and keep things cozy. Unless you’re well prepared, you could encounter a wide array of issues with your vessel – from corrosion to problems with your filters and fuel/water separators, burst pipes, and more. 

So, if you plan on staying on your boat during winter, you’ll need to ensure the place is safe and warm. On the one hand, that means ensuring proper heating. On the other, it means preparing your boat to make it through the winter. 

If you’re a first-time boat owner (or don’t want to deal with the hassle of maintaining your boat on your own), it’s in your best interest to look up “boat winterization near me” and hire professionals who can help you prep for winter. 

Pests need to be dealt with quickly 

Just like you need to take pest control seriously in a traditional house, you need to do the same in your houseboat. Some common pests you might encounter include ants and cockroaches, rodents like rats and mice, and even bed bugs. 

Naturally, you’ll always want to take a proactive approach and try to minimize the risks of encountering pests in the first place rather than try to come up with strategies to get rid of them once they’ve already settled in your houseboat. 

In general, keeping your houseboat clean and tidy is the way to go. Deep clean the interior regularly, avoid leaving food out, reduce clutter, and perform frequent inspections. 

You’ll want to get the lighting just right 

With your houseboat properly prepared for all weather and pest-free, you can start turning it into a cozy home. The first thing you’ll want to do is get the lighting just right. 

Some warm accent lighting is a must. After all, there’s no cozier feeling than sitting on the deck as the sun is setting and turning on a couple of string lights here and there to set the mood. To preserve your battery, make sure to either get LED lights or use solar-powered solutions. 

However, it’s easy for houseboat owners to focus entirely on mood lighting and forget about functional lighting. Since you’ll likely be spending a lot of time in your houseboat – reading, cleaning, cooking, relaxing, etc. – you’ll also need to invest in bright, functional lighting that will allow you to perform typical daily tasks with ease. 

Again, you’ll want to get battery, solar, or LED lights. 

You’ll need a lot of storage space 

Regardless of the size of your houseboat, the chances are it won’t be as big as a traditional home. For many people – that’s the appeal of houseboats. 

However, that means you’ll need to be more efficient with organizing your space and ensuring you have plenty of storage. 

You might want to look into foldable furniture, water-resistant storage bins and boxes, high-quality line straps, etc. Of course, you’ll also want plenty of vertical storage solutions to maximize your available space. 

Another thing you should keep in mind is that your houseboat will be moving quite a bit – even if you don’t plan on traversing the open seas. Make sure that all the clutter, storage boxes, and others are always properly secured in place. Otherwise, you’d be dealing with unexpected hazards from all sides. 

Plan out your decor 

Finally, it’s time to plan out your decor and make everything look perfectly cozy. Since you’ll be working with a relatively small space, you’ll want to choose a theme and try to stick to it as much as possible. It will help your houseboat look more cohesive and spacious than it really is. 

Think of it like designing a traditional home – you don’t want to just throw together a bunch of things that don’t go together. Sooner or later, it will only lead to you hating the space and wanting to spend as much time away from it as you can. 

So, pick a color scheme and plan out your decor. Add some nice, cozy throw blankets and pillows, a few plants, and some soft (yet resilient) rugs.  Add some mirrors to make the houseboat seem more spacious, and play around with the space you have.

Final thoughts 

From necessary maintenance and houseboat winterization to pest control – a lot goes into turning your regular old houseboat into a livable home. And a lot more goes into turning it into a cozy place you’ll enjoy spending time in. However, the better you organize your houseboat and the more thought you give to its interior, the more you’ll love the space you have!

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