and bought another 20 by 25 ft float from Roger. When I am ready to build a house , I will attach the two together for a 25x40 ft foundation. I am still in the planning stages so may even add some more concrete pods to have 48 feet in length. I wanted to build a couple of stories high, but got worried about the tip-over factor, so I'm trying to keep it to one story with living space in the attic. A good size deck space is important to me, so I have to leave some real estate for that.I would like to build something that looks sort of like these houses
I have rented a second 20 foot container and have been scouring the free section on Craigslist for everything I need to put this house together and storing it there until needed. I am on a roll!!! So far I have aquired;
-a complete matching bathroom consisting of a jacuzzi soaker tub, toilet and two sinks with all the hardware, a steam shower unit, another toilet, the propane cookstove, a stacking washer/dryer, an under-counter dishwasher, four old-fashioned heavy- as -shit, water radiators, 20 french style wood frame windows, 4 interior doors,all my salvaged light fixtures from the boat and apartment, and about 60 bags of insulation.
Not bad for only three weeks into this. So far I have spent in total for all of the above $2,440.00 Most of that was $800 for the floats and $1,100 for the steam shower ( original cost over 3,500.00, I got it new in the box for a third of that, so great deal as far as I'm concerned).It's a shower/steam room and has jacuzzi jets to massage your back! I can't wait to try it out.
The bathroom fixtures were only used 3 times and are worth around 10,000( for free...they didn't like the colour...pale peach. I can live with that, no problem!)So as it stands now, I need plywood and 2x4's, vapour barrier, black tar paper, cedar shakes for siding and roofing,drywall, some kitchen cabinets, a fridge, two bathroom cabinets, two exterior doors, a wood cookstove, a propane water tank and an electrical box and wire along with some plumbing. Some of this stuff I can get for free, the rest is affordable.
I'm thinking I can build this house for under $10,000. That's my goal anyway, it will be interesting to see if I can pull it off. Finding the insulation for free today was a super bonus. There was an ad for 60 sheets of free plywood the other day. Haven't heard back from the guy, so it might be gone already but that would have been enough to build my cabin for sure. Im still keeping my fingers crossed that it comes through.
Now that we have moved into Davids floathome full time, he has been putting tons of hours into fixing the place up. Things are coming along nicely. He hooked up the jacuzzi tub I got last year and a new stacking washer/dryer. The bathroom sink got plumbed in and the tool room super organized. The loft bedroom is now a reality. It still needs some insulation, the hardwood floor nailed down and a window installed for ventilation but its a wonderful space already with an awesome view out the main windows in the living room. We found a free hot tub on craigslist and finally got it running out on the deck. Its so awesome to sit out there after a hard days work and enjoy the sunset from the tub.
All the wildlife is back in full force. Bridget the duck and her beau come by daily for a feed and a visit.
The geese parade their babies up and down the river. The little birds that were living in the boathouse when David first got it, now have a nest in the eves and we watch them building it from the living room. The river otters hang out on the deck and have staring contests with the cat. Every now and then the beaver comes by and takes a bite or two out of the house for old times sake. I really love having all these critters around, it makes living in the city more tolerable.
