I would like to consider a project doing a SIP house on the water. I am wondering if anyone has done anything like this?? I imagine a steel SIP would provide a great opportunity for providing a solid foundation for building a floating home.

I live in a resrot near a constant level lake in Texas. The lake is not very large and since it is a constant level my thought was to make a proposal for building a dozen barge condos that could be barged to one end of the lake or the other.

Any ideas??

They are Ideal for light weight, rot and mold resistant.

We are currently working with a developer for a similar type project in LA.

A SIP house on water would not be too difficult. Your 'barge' part will need to hold sewage, fresh water, fuel(?) and ????. Once you have determined the barge part then a SIP structure on top would be pretty straightforward. You could have a lot of fun with the design and even make a 2-storey structure, if it didn't look out of place. Good luck.

DeDutch

PS, you ca buy Steel Sips from:http://mansonvilleplastics.com/sips.htm

I helped a friend build a boathouse on Lake Union in Seattle, WA. If we had known more about SIPS we would have built with them. Weight was an issue. Email me if I can assist you with your project. [email protected]

It might be easier to drive down pilings. Then you don't have to worry about "this is a boat or a house" from the regulators. But sips make sense.

Pilings are a great idea but float/boat houses are great because you can move them. Lots of time location is a consideration and most times mooring your float/boat house is an issue and often the moorage is on a lease from whoever owns the dirt under the water where you want your home to be. Unless you own the dirt under the water then pilings don't work. Alternatively, geo-blocks have been considered to "anchor" to. The whole weight thing comes back to how much movement you can live with. Think of a sailboat, windage aloft makes it lean over. My friend added concrete as ballast to his "barge" hull to add stability. It was also "hard-chined" which makes the vessel more stable. All this being said, as long as the "vessel" has a running or slightly running motor (usually an outboard) and the correct navigational lights then you are legal. Don't forget, the beauty of building a houseboat is that, at least in Seattle, there are NO BUILDING PERMITS OR INSPECTIONS!! It's technically a boat.

Hmm, might be just the thing I need to deal with some swampy land and problems with regulators that I have.

Letting it swing on a mooring and face into the wind should help some with leaning.