Welcome to CURBED OUTDOORS WEEK, a five-day festival of wide open spaces, rooftop gardens, secret greenery, and everything else you'll find outside in the Pacific Northwest.
That's right, we're back on the sauce. The houseboat sauce, that is. Can you blame us? We love a good house, we love a good boat, and putting them together makes them twice as nice. Our bizarre affinities aside, we've plumbed the depths of Seattle's waterways for a sample of some up-for-grabs floating homes worthy of note. First up: this little guy in Portage Bay. We know we're technically supposed to pretend boats are girls or something, but we can't help it. He's just so sweet. Weighing in at a scale-tipping 1-bed, he's actually a little bit older than his modern facade would have you think (must be all the Botox). That's right -- this guy was built in 1970, but he's gone through a few renovations and some major upgrades in the applicance department and now he's ship shape (our apologies for the pun). The price tag: $845,000.
· Listing: 1213 E Shelby Street #17 [Redfin]
Next up: a dandy little 2-bedroom right on Westlake Avenue. It's painted in similarly nautical colors, but this guy's a touch newer than our buddy in Portage Bay -- well, actually more like 36 years newer. This 2006-built, 1,400 sq. ft. houseboat goes to show you that some pretty hardwood, fresh appliances, and a nice color scheme go along way when the space is a little cramped. The price: $875,000. · Listing: 2420 Westlake Avenue North #4 [Realtor.com]
Which brings us to this fellow; yes, it floats. This guy looks pretty massive in its listing photos, and if you showed us the kitchen by itself we'd never peg it as a houseboat. But a boat it is, and a 2-bedroom boat in Eastlake at that. It's the newest of the trio (built in 2007) and it's audaciously described as a Craftsman home -- we won't argue, but it's still a boat. Just saying. Nonetheless, it's nice to look at. It sings to the tune of $789,000. · Listing: 2031 Fairview Avenue E Unit B [Realtor.com]