What’s a houseboat?
A houseboat is a structure that floats on water and is primarily intended to serve as a home. In Seattle, this includes floating homes, Floating On Water Residences (FOWRs), and barges.
What’s a the difference between a FOWR and a floating home?
The simple answer is that one is a lot more like a boat and the other, a lot more like a home! But, of course, it is more nuanced than that. Here is how they compare.
| Seattle FOWR | Seattle Floating home | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical term | FOWR (“flower”) | Floating home |
| Looks like | A boat | A home |
| Price | $50k to $1m | $500k to $6m |
| Size | 150 to 1,000 square feet | 500 to 3,500 square feet |
| Quantity | 215 | 507 |
| Dock type | Recreational marina | Designated floating home dock |
| Slip ownership | Usually rented or leased | Usually owned (co-op or condo) |
| Slip lease fee | $500 to $1,500 a month | n/a |
| Liveabord fee | Varies | n/a |
| HOA dues | n/a | $0-$500 a month |
| Connection to dock | Tied to dock using mooring lines | Permanent connection using arms or chains |
| Water supply | Connected to dock water via a garden hose | Connected to city water with a permanent connection |
| Electricity | Shore power connection, typically 30 amps | Connected to Seattle City Light (100 to 200 amp panel) |
| Sewer | Not connected, will need to be pumped out 2-3x a month | Connected to Seattle Public Utilities (but usually via a dock pump) |
| Gas | Propane tank | Many are connected to gas via Puget Sound Energy |
| Disconnect | Easy to disconnect from the dock | Hard to disconnect from the dock |
| Towability | Easy to tow | Hard to tow |
| Lenders | See our list of lenders | See our list of lenders |
| Fixed supply | Yes, no new ones allowed | Yes, no new ones allowed |
What about house barges?
In Seattle, a house barge is the special designation given to the 36 original, “house barges”. For all intents and purposes, a Floating On Water Residence (FOWR) and a house barge are the same thing. In Seattle, house barges are not allowed to have motors.
Examples of Seattle houseboats
Examples of Seattle floating homes
Want to learn more?
For houseboats, check out our Seattle houseboat guide.
For floating homes, check out our Seattle floating home guide.