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Gas Works Park Marina On Lake Union Gorgeous Day in Seattle for water lovers on Lake Union. Gas Works Marina is sweet spot on North Lake Union for Seattle houseboats. Courtney and I looked at an adorable housebarge today on this sunny Seattle day. With less than 35 housebarges available on Lake Union, this is a score! Here is a great shot of Gas Works Park Marina lines with adorable houseboats.  Gas Works Park Marina Take your pick: calm, protected waters during the winter months or high tale it out to center stage at the end of dock for some amazing summer time fun.
 Comfortably open floor plan Truly an amazing location for an amazing houseboat. This beauty is a 60′ long Catamaran designboat with a steel hull (which was just painted) and insulated with polyurethane foam cylinders. Extensive and thoughtful care has been taken by The Ark’s owner. The 1,000 square feet of living space (including 2 bedrooms and 1.50 baths) has the style and sophistication you deserve on the water! Forced air in all the rooms, two new engines in 2007 with 135 hp and 4 cylinders plus a 220 gallon water storage tank. Insulated storm windows throughout, high speed internet cable available, hot water showe to rinse off after a kayak trip to the favorite, local Aqua Verde restaurant. Financing options are available ~ feel free to contact us to answer more of your questions or a free tour.  A popular kayak's cafe Seattle Houseboats For Sale Right Now Have Great Range In Price Points - There really is something out there for everyone, but what makes them so different in price? There are currently 13 Active Seattle Houseboats for sale right now in the MLS. Lots of good choices and most of them boast owned Lake Union moorage for their slips whether it be fee simple as in Roanoke Reef, condominium moorage or cooperative moorage. Only 2 of the 13 are on leased moorage – this means they do not own the slip their homes are in, but rather rent it from the owner.
Variables in Seattle houseboats can range from type of houseboat moorage (owned or leased) to size and style of construction or even bells and whistles as every floating home is different. Here is a good list to consider when wondering how a Seattle houseboat is priced:
There are of course other factors as each individual has different preferences. It is just difficult to give Seattle floating homes an overall dollar per square foot estimate as each one is so different. You can only compare them to recent sales to get numbers. For instance, we recently sold a beautiful Portage Bay floating home at 1214 E Hamlin #3 for $645,000. It is a one bedroom with roughly 800 square feet. This makes the two bedroom 2321 Fairview #3 a complete bargain at it’s listed asking price of $595,000. You can also find amazing prices on the Westlake Floating homes near Fremont – with easy walk to tons of life in Fremont, Queen Anne, or Downtown, not to mention of course South Lake Union. Call if you want to check them out 206-850-8841 Looking at Houseboats and wondering about some of the docks? Dock rules and By-Laws change, but here are some basics. The Log Foundation is a group of 3 docks at and are on the three most South Seattle Floating homes docks just North of Terry Pettus Park. The Log Foundation is a co-op. This means the submerged land that their dock is on (less the DNR leased land) is cooperatively owned by the homeowners on the dock. The Log Foundation addresses are: 2017 Fairview Ave E 2019 Fairview Ave E 2025 Fairview Ave E Lake Union fluctuates almost two feet and is at its lowest point in August. These three docks are not floating docks and so the houses go up and down depending on the water level in Lake Union while the dock stays the same height. This requires stepping down or up to get on and off the houseboat or the dock. Many clever home owners have come up with wonderful solutions. Houseboaters in general tend to be quite considerate and thoughtful people, but The Log Foundation has some WONDERFUL people on it and the docks have great Southerly views of the city and Space Needle. You can check for Seattle floating homes for sale on these docks by visiting our Seattle houseboats page on Cooper Jacobs.  Leave a comment  Co-op Moorage, Eastlake, Houseboat Docks, Houseboat Living, Houseboaters, Lake Union, Seattle Floating Homes, Seattle houseboats, Seattle Parks, Terry Pettus Park, The Log Foundation, The Log Foundation  eastlake houseboat docks, eastlake houseboats, Seattle Floating Homes, seattle houseboat docks, Seattle houseboats, seattle houseboats for sale, The Log Foundation The Big Move: Moving A Seattle Dilapidated Houseboat And Bringing In A New One…
 The old Houseboat # O on the 2017 Dock Seattle floating homes are moored “permanently” to the docks they are on, but from time to time, it is necessary to move out dilapidated houseboats and bring in new ones or a recycled one in this case. This is an amazing set of pictures from an event that doesn’t happen very often.  The Tug boat doing all the moving Jann McFarland wrote a great article in the Floating Homes Association Spring 2010 Newsletter about this particular move and one of the floating homes owner on the dock was kind enough to share her photos and give me permission to publish them here (Thank you Carole!). Both Carole and I thought it was a nice piece of houseboat history and worth sharing. This particular houseboat move took place on 2017 Fairview Ave E on one of the Log Foundation co-op docks. It was in October of 2009 and according to Jann’s article it took almost two years to get the proper permits in place to make this feat happen. Houseboat O’s Lake Union moorage slip is not at the end of the dock or even near the end of the dock. In addition, the channel between that dock and the next dock over isn’t wide enough to bring an entire houseboat in or out so how do they do it?  Moving the houseboats out to the lake Very carefully with lots of planning and cooperation from many involved.
 Tugboat pushing in the replacement houseboat  Last one to be moved out before Houseboat O It is more than just moving the floating homes in or out. There are permits, contracts, utilities, insurance, and more, plus you have to get all of the owners on board on the same day for the move. One by one, the floating homes on the dock are moved out to make a wide channel to bring the old home out and the new one in. It was an all day event and involved many people coordinating their efforts. The tug boat moved each of the floating homes on the North side of the 2017 dock out to the lake and rafted them together while the replacement houseboat was brought in. The dock got a recycled Portage Bay floating home and brought it in place of the older houseboat being taken out. The newer houseboat O was brought in and fixed up and it sold in less than a month for full price at $475,000 – quite a bargain actually for the size, condition, and location. The Log Foundation Co-op is a group of Seattle floating homes owners that cooperatively own the three South most docks on Fairview Ave E in Eastlake. It is a great houseboat community and worth a look if you are interested in living on a Seattle houseboat. Currently there are three Seattle houseboats for sale on the Log Foundation docks – they range in price from $495,000 to $749,000. *Thanks to Carole Nielson for the photographs and permission to use.
 More Out in the Lake One comment Co-op Moorage, Eastlake, Floating Home Maintenance, Houseboat Docks, Houseboat History, Lake Union, Lake Union Moorage, Seattle Floating Homes, Seattle houseboats, The Log Foundation dilapidated houseboats, eastlake houseboats, fairview houseboats, houseboat move, lake union moorage, moving a floating home, moving a houseboat, seattle housboats for sale, The Log Foundation, the log foundation dock  The Willow Tree although it is so big that it is impossible for a camera to do it justice... Seattle houseboat gardening – what about trees without containers? It happens… Every once in a while, I just have to stop and look at some of the most amazing things that can happen in nature. The first time I saw a full grown tree growing out of the water was at a Log Foundation dock in Eastlake and I have been amazed by it ever since. Each year it gets bigger as if it is growing on a hillside instead of in a lake. Trees add a lot to the landscape of Seattle houseboats. Having all the greenery somehow magically transports you right out of the city that you happened to be living in the middle of.  Tree trunk on houseboat dock... Lake Union & Portage Bay houseboats have some fascinating trees – one example is the gigantic willow tree at the entrance to the Willow Dock in Eastlake. This tree is a thing of beauty if you ever get the chance to just walk by and take a peek (2321 Fairview Ave E). It is actually growing out of the ground on the banks of Lake Union and not on the dock itself, but it is so incredible that I could not just omit it. There are some other great examples, too. The Old Boathouse Dock over in Westlake near the Aurora Bridge has a whole grove of trees that are flourishing and providing great habitat and natural settings…  Lake Union Views mingle with tree tops on one Westlake Dock Share your great Seattle houseboat ideas, too! Make sure and send in some of your pictures if you have trees on your docks – I would love to see them or any of your floating garden pictures or ideas! Seattle houseboaters are among the most creative gardeners I have ever seen! You can email them to me at courtney@SeattleAfloat.com and thank you in advance!
Seattle Land traveling… Remember to plan your traveling around Seattle with extra time… The Montlake Bridge in particular will be closed for quite some time. Here is the official 2010 Opening Day schedule from the Seattle Yacht Club (SYC) site:
Want to take in the show from your own Seattle houseboat? How about checking out the current offering of Seattle houseboats for sale? Seattle floating homes start at less than $350,000 right now for a great Westlake houseboat. The prices go up from there, but Seattle houseboats are the ultimate in Seattle waterfront living and there are some really nice ones for sale right now. Many offer great moorage, too, if you are a boat lover.
We are getting so excited about this year’s Seattle Floating Homes Association Houseboats Tour – The selections are almost complete and this year’s houseboat tour is shaping up to be one of the most memorable. Stay tuned for tickets to go on sale to the public very soon. This is your exclusive peek at houseboat life behind the walls and it only happens once every two years. This year the theme is all about looking at Seattle floating homes through the years and there will be great representations for all types of floating home life – historical to modern, funky to sleek, and more. Go ahead and save the date: September 12th! Email me if you want more details: Courtney@SeattleAfloat.com Leave a comment Eastlake, Floating Gardens, Houseboat History, Houseboat Living, Houseboaters, Lake Union, Lake Union News, Portage Bay, Seattle Floating Homes, Seattle houseboats, Westlake floating homes association, floating homes association tour, houseboat tour seattle, Seattle Floating Homes, seattle houseboat Seattle Floating Homes Buying Process: Elements of a Seattle Houseboat Inspection After finding your Seattle floating home, you will need to have both a regular home inspection – much like you do with land homes – and also an additional houseboat inspection to evaluate the floating portion of your home. Part of this will Elements of a floating home inspection – The length and width of your float will be measured and recorded. Corner elevations will be measured. This is measuring from the deck surface to the water level. Water depth will be measured and whether or not obstructions under the surface exist. The houseboat inspector will look at and evaluate all of the decking of the floating home and also the connections to the home for the water, sewer, and electrical. They will look at how the floating home is connected to the dock by evaluating the spring lines, anchor chains, moorings, floatation, and house spacing. Flotation – In addition to the newer concrete floats, the older log foundation floats are supplemented by floatation air barrels, and some Styrofoam billets – each providing various levels of lift. If for some reason when they measure the corner elevations and the floating home is not level, additional floatation may be added. Looking at Log Foundation floating homes, the inspector will count the number of logs and describe their configuration. Then the Stringers will be counted and evaluated. Stringers are the support for the home itself from the log foundation. From time to time they do need to be replaced and should always be treated timbers. Additional Seattle floating homes resources: Seattle Houseboats See what Seattle floating homes are on the market now!
Natural settings… Speaking of nature, Seattle floating homes owners in general are highly sensitive to the natural surroundings they have the opportunity of living in and as a result there is a sense of great stewardship for Lake Union and Portage Bay. “You don’t want to mess up the lake – you live here.” Natural and Eco-friendly gardening becomes a must. The plants here seem to thrive – capturing sunlight both from above and also from below off the reflection of the lake. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of walking the docks can tell you that gardening on a Seattle houseboat is superior to most gardening landscapes around the city. Some of the solutions for gardening in a small space are pretty phenomenal, too. Floating tires, roof tops, window boxes, separate dock gardens, dingy gardens, and more. Do you have great houseboat gardens? Whether you are on land or on the water, you might take a peek at some of the most fabulous and lush landscapes around Seattle! If you have some floating home gardening you might like to share, please send them to us to publish at tips@SeattleAfloat.com
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Seattle, It’s Opening Day for the Boat Season. The 
Save the date: September 12th: The Seattle Floating Homes Association Houseboat Tour
involve a diver going under your new floating home and evaluating floatation systems.
Seattle Houseboat Gardening – Taking Container Gardening to Highest Level - This last weekend was pretty nice and there was a lot of gardening happening on at least three of the Lake Union docks I was on. Seattle houseboat gardening is actually one of my very favorite things. I have always loved container gardening – going back to my days at Sasquatch Books and reading all about gardening on my breaks, but Houseboat 
owners are overall extremely creative by nature and the gorgeous gardens reflect that nature. One can’t help but adore the whimsical combination of paint colors and gorgeous plants framing a walkway or float.