7 Floating Homes That Will Make You Want To Live on Water

Fifty-five homes float in the IJburg district in east Amsterdam. The structures, designed by the Dutch firm Marlies Rohmer Architects, sit on hollow concrete "tubs" that are submerged half a story.

Artist Stephen Turner has spent a full year living aboard the experimental dwelling he built, which floats along southern England’s Beaulieu River. Its wooden exterior is tethered to the shore like a boat and houses a bed, worktable, kitchen and bathroom.

The Fennel House, designed by Robert Harvey Oshatz, floats on Portland’s Willamette River. Its curved form, reflecting the ripples of the water, is made with Glulam wood beams and sits on a floating platform.

Designed by Vietnam-based H&P Architects as an affordable concept home for villagers in some of the country’s most flood-prone ­regions—it costs just $2,500 to build—the Blooming Bamboo Home's bottom layer can be filled with reused oil drums that allow it to float in wet conditions, while steel beams keep it anchored.

This two-story structure, designed by the architecture firm MOS, is connected to a privately owned island—which is a 20-minute boat ride from the mainland—by a bridge from the top floor. It floats on steel pontoons, which allow it rise and fall with the water level of Lake Huron.

Christopher Simmonds Architect added a 600 sq. foot second story during a renovation of this beautiful boathouse in Muskoka, Ontario.

This floating home concept was designed by the Singapore-based architect Dymitr Malcew to offer luxury on the water. The home sits on a floating, transportable platform.