Houseboats are an alternative real estate format that is actively gaining worldwide popularity. Russia is just looking at it, but has already begun to form its own houseboat experience
Houseboats are still called small vessels (or floating objects), simply designed for use as housing, while others are still houses up to ten meters wide, simply with swimming functions attached to them. But everyone agrees in the end that the houseboat is three in one: a comfortable apartment, a country cottage and a yacht capable of entering the waters of reservoirs, rivers and even seas.
Houseboats are gaining popularity all over the world as a type of alternative real estate. President of the company for the production of innovative houseboats Houseboat.ru Alexander Klimchuk says that “experts see the future behind this new type of housing, since it has been proven that staying on the water improves the quality of life and reduces urban stress as much as possible.”
In Russia, everything is at the very beginning: according to Denis Konovalenko, managing partner of Prime Life development, houseboats are increasingly attracting attention, although sales are still sporadic — about ten pieces a year or so. And much more often houseboats are still considered not as houses for permanent residence, but as places of temporary accommodation (that is, hotels or rental cottages) or in general as purely commercial facilities.
Before proceeding to the arguments of experts about what stimulates and what, on the contrary, slows down the development of the segment and what its immediate prospects are, it is worth telling a few stories from the series “Incredible Adventures of Houseboats in Russia”.
Of course, in fact there are much more of them, however BFM.ru I decided to stop at four. Rais Baishev, an architect and co—founder of the Ostozhenka architectural bureau, was the first to share with the portal, who, by the way, noted: “Houseboat typology is extremely rare for Russia. But I think its potential is huge, provided that passenger shipping and tourist infrastructure in the regions continue to develop, as well as the state’s attitude towards settlement in general changes.”
Rais Baishev, architect, co—founder of the Ostozhenka architectural bureau, “Our project on the banks of the Belaya River — a hybrid of a marina with a houseboat – actually turned out by accident. We have won a competition for the design of a multifunctional complex on the territory of Troitsky Hill, where the Ufa Kremlin was once located. It was proposed to reduce the construction site in order to preserve the unique natural landscape, in particular, the ravine system, which in ancient times performed a fortification function. It was planned to implement the project by the 450th anniversary of Ufa, which, by the way, is celebrated this year. I also wanted to connect the territory of the complex with the river embankment by a cable car. The customer owned an old Soviet-era barge, all rusty, but afloat. And he suggested thinking about how this object can be used. The idea arose to turn the barge into a hotel with a restaurant and promenade decks and place it along the axis of the skyscrapers on Trinity Hill — it was to this place by the river that people would descend by cable car. It was not possible to carry out the plan, but it was pleasant and interesting to work with the typology of houseboat. We would have tried again.”
The second story has not even happened yet, but, as they say, it is on the way. Denis Konovalenko, in addition to development, is seriously interested in the creation and operation of houseboats, therefore, in the business perspective, he sees the development of the floating house production market, their adaptation to Russian conditions, as well as the creation of a multi-use bot.
Denis Konovalenko, managing partner of Prime Life development, “The opportunities for the development of the houseboat market in Russia and, in particular, in Moscow are large-scale and promising: after all, the production of houseboats, which I am talking about, is very simple, almost 100% tied to domestic components and is quite feasible on the basis of existing metropolitan enterprises. Models can be developed using the “passive house” system with low electricity consumption; domestic houseboats are non—flammable and safe – they have sealed compartments. The construction period is quite short — only six months, they are completely autonomous and can function as an office, moored hotel, restaurant, office, art space, spa complex and so on. In the future, such a format can become a good alternative to recreation at seaside resorts, strengthen the tourist potential of the metropolis and involve up to 20 thousand citizens and guests of the capital in the tourist flow. Moreover, the placement of houseboat production will become a driver for the development of production capacities, as well as expand the export of innovative products.”
Story number three has not happened yet either, but it has already been announced and will happen very soon in the Moscow region. As Alexander Kazakov, the project manager of Ziggurat Development, emphasizes, “for us, houseboats are one of the options for rental housing for guests of Ziggurat Resort & Club, a separate format of accommodation with its own unique features: complete isolation from the mainland, constant contact with water, the ability to change location every day, staying in a comfortable house with all amenities. This is an ideal way for those who want to get a new experience of country holidays and get as far away from the life of the big city as possible.”
Alexander Kazakov, project manager at Ziggurat Development, “Of course, houseboats have every chance to find their audience in the real estate market. This is a certain lifestyle that cannot go unnoticed. In fact, it combines the mobility of yachts and the comfort of a full-fledged cottage, while in comparable amounts. However, we cannot say that this product will be massive in the segment of real estate for permanent residence. In our opinion, so far many more people are ready to invest in suburban real estate in its traditional sense: with a plot and a house according to their preferences and with their own infrastructure. But the rental housing segment is completely suitable for houses on the water, and we are sure that they will gradually become a widespread product.”
Finally, the fourth story is the most ambitious and therefore presented in two parts. The first one is short, but no less impressive: in the Arctic, on Lake Lumbolka, in the city of Monchegorsk, Murmansk region, the project of the northernmost houseboat was successfully implemented. The Lapin Jarvi houseboat is generally the first such facility that operates in the Far North.
The second part is, in general, a logical continuation of the first: in the coming years, the number of houseboats in the city may increase significantly.
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The Monchegorsk Development Agency has developed an investment lot “Lake District”, which involves the construction of a group of three self-propelled houses on the water.
We are currently looking for investors who are ready to implement the project, he said in an interview with BFM.ru Alexander Polenkov, Head of the Business and Investment Department of the Monchegorsk Development Agency.
Alexander Polenkov, head of the Business and Investment department of the Monchegorsk Development Agency, “Houseboat differs from a yacht in a full-fledged and spacious living area, has the ability to move on the water, offering beautiful views of the lake and mountains. If the project is implemented, each of our houseboats will have a cabin with panoramic glazing, solar panels, an outdoor recreation area on the bow deck, up to five beds, autonomous electricity, heating and water supply. It is planned to build two houseboats for rent (with a capacity of up to 12 people) and one houseboat with implemented additional services — a sauna, a sauna and a massage room in the investment center of the Lake District. Guests of the complex will be able to get to the facility using car routes from the city of Monchegorsk and recreation centers, as well as by water, from the embankment of Monchegorsk. Total investments in the Lake District will amount to 36.5 million rubles. The payback period is 3.6 years, and the average profit for all three facilities will exceed 600 thousand rubles per month. The economy of the project is designed for a hotel format with daily rent: guests can rent a houseboat for a day or two or a week, depending on their plans. The most comfortable period is three days. Accordingly, all this time they can use all the amenities of the houseboat, ordering additional services from the management company if necessary. The business model of the Lake District can be compared to a country hotel, where guests live in detached cottage houses, but use common services and infrastructure, with the difference that in the houseboat database houses are on the water. This is a recommended concept prepared for future investors, who, in turn, may change their approach and give preference to renting houseboats for a long-term lease or combine formats.”
According to the expert, unlike most accommodation sites (hotels, hostels, apartments) houseboats are of interest not only for tourists, but also for locals who want to spend an unusual weekend with family or friends: life on the water, even if only for a few days, is an interesting experience, a new impression. “Tourists visiting Monchegorsk, through such extraordinary accommodation formats as houseboats, can better experience the city, which is literally surrounded by lakes and inextricably linked with them. From the deck of the houseboat in winter you can observe the northern lights, go fishing in the warmer months, and in August, the warmest month for the Murmansk region, you can even put a sun lounger and sunbathe. So Monchegorsk has every chance to become a prominent point on the map of this tourist destination,” Alexander Polenkov is sure.
Well, and the rest of the Russian “points” — what are their prospects? Does the domestic houseboat legislation require improvement? What generally stimulates the development of the segment and what prevents it? We’ll talk about it next time.
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