Living on the water in a tiny house
We are familiar with tiny houses on wheels, but tiny houses on water are less well known. Professor Dr. Heiner Haass is an architect and expert for installations in recreational boating. In this guest article, he tells us more about the topic.
Tiny houses are all the rage. These little houses are inexpensive and sustainable. Although you have to make some sacrifices, many people like the new simplicity. In addition, they offer a close connection to nature, which appeals to many people. But this appeal of the new way of living can be taken even further – with a floating tiny house.
Different house variants
First of all, a distinction must be made between mini-houseboats that can sail as boats and have a drive, and floating tiny houses that are moored in one place.
Before deciding on one of these two variants, you should consider living on the water and ask yourself whether life away from solid ground is right for you. Constant movement, high humidity and frequent winds are just a few of the issues that need to be addressed. A floating tiny house also requires a special design and construction method. These come from boatbuilding. After all, higher safety standards are needed than for a house on land.
Actually possible anywhere
In principle, floating tiny houses are possible anywhere there are suitable bodies of water. A tiny house doesn't need much space; a water area of around 20 or 30 square meters is sufficient. This is possible even on a small quarry pond, at the edge of a harbor basin or in an oxbow of a river.
“...unrecognized in German building law”
However, there are some legal hurdles to overcome before you can move onto the water. Tiny houses and floating houses are not recognized under German building law. Therefore, the path to approval is a difficult one and requires competent professional support. Questions of financing, insurance and, ultimately, registration address are more complicated on the water than on land. Again, administrations are not yet familiar with these cases.
However, this should not be allowed to deter you, because examples show that this approach can lead to success. When you finally get the permit, the project can be implemented and construction can begin. The first thing to consider when building a floating Tiny House is the float on which the house will be built. For reasons of stability and durability, a concrete pontoon has proven to be the best solution.
All the building services can be installed in this “basement”. The tiny house itself will in most cases be a lightweight construction made of wood or aluminum. Here, the same construction methods and safety precautions as for a boat should be taken into account. A floating tiny house should also have safety equipment like on a boat for an emergency. This includes life jackets, signaling devices and, if necessary, a lifeboat. In Germany, there is now even a standard (DIN SPEC 80003) for these technical conditions that takes all these requirements into account. And if the construction has worked, the joy in the floating tiny house is very great.
Prof. Dr. Haass is also at the NEW HOUSING on site. During the Tiny Talks, he will be speaking on stage about mini-houses on water. He is also represented as an exhibitor at his stand.
