Portuguese floating house is quite a dream

Floating is a modern and beautifully designed boat house.

(Click to watch the video)

"A romantic gateway for two or a mobile house in the middle of a lake for the entire family or a group of friends. Whether you choose to use the floating home as a base camp for numerous outdoor activities such as sailing, paddling, water skiing, or fishing, or simply to relax, you’re guaranteed a great living experience." GoFriday

The company's name is GoFriday. "Friday brings together a wide range of design, engineering, certification, and marketing competencies focused on creating technologically advanced nautical and water related leisure devices and equipment." This is all happening 50km away from where I live, in the city of Coimbra. Friday is a spin-off of the University of Coimbra, launched by a team with over 30 years of experience in research and development in the fields of Structural, Electrical, Hydraulic, Marine, Coastal, and Mechanical Engineering.

I just watched the video and had to share it. It's from a boat house that is being developed in the central region of Portugal. These are the main characteristics of this alternative real estate product! I am fond of alternative house solutions and this one really caught my eye. Why? Because it's a Portuguese product and also because it has some great design.

- it's 6 meters with lengths ranging from 10 to 18 meters. It can be what you want - a cozy studio or a fully furnished three-bedroom house;
- it has all you need for great comfort - a fully equipped kitchen for everyday use, a heat pump and AC generator, a barbecue on the upper terrace for sunny days, and a wine cellar and pellet stove to keep you warm on cold days;
- it's made with low environmentally impactful materials and technologies that reduce its carbon footprint and lower its energy needs. It has a compact activated sludge wastewater treatment plant.
- it's a modular design and this means that everything can be easily stored in two standard containers and shipped to almost anywhere on the planet.
- if you want to move away it has two small outboard motors.
- the house is self-sufficient for at least seven days. It produces up to 80% of its annual energy needs (100% for over six months).

I think this project will appeal to those who seek an alternative way of life or those who ever dreamed of living in a boat. These houses require maintenance equivalent to boats. But I think this house isn't made to sail like a boat. The price might be an issue. I have no idea how much it costs. Another sector that may benefit from such a product is a certain type of touristic business. On the other hand, when I look at the house laying quietly in the waters of Alqueva I fear a scenario where hundreds of these cover the water like a marina! What do you think?


Source material: GoFriday site