Houses on water can be found not only abroad, but also in Russia
There are many technical ways to build houses on water: piles, fill structures, and houseboats – vessels designed specifically for living. Nowadays, new technologies and more eco-friendly developments of such housing are increasingly emerging.
"The implementation of such projects is based on a monolithic reinforced concrete pontoon, which does absolutely no harm to the environment, water circulation directly under the pontoon, or marine flora and fauna," says Yulia Tsaran, General Director of ORDO Group.
Housing located directly on water began to appear where it was a necessity – in places with limited territory or high land taxes.
World-famous houses on water include those in Seattle, the fishing village of Tai O in Hong Kong, artificial islands in the UAE, and houses on Amsterdam's canals. The most famous example is perhaps Venice: in essence, an entire city stands on piles.
In Russia, houses on water are not yet so popular – both because of climate conditions and stringent regulations of the Water Code, which establishes a 20-meter coastal strip and a water protection zone of at least 50 meters wide.
"Many water bodies are sources of drinking water, which creates problems even for ordinary housing located close to water, not to mention floating housing, which is more likely to contribute to water pollution," explains Nadezhda Khazova, General Director of the Usadba agency.
Nevertheless, such houses are gradually appearing in Russia as well. In some regions of the country, houses on piles have long ceased to be exotic: influenced by Finnish construction trends, they are quite popular in the Leningrad Region and Karelia. In the Moscow suburbs, water housing exists in the resort area of Pirogovo. True, the houses built there, although on piles, have an adjoining land plot of 200 square meters.
"Given that such structures often have a relatively low limit of maximum permissible load, this direction is developing mainly in private and suburban construction. In addition, there are floating hotels in various regions of Russia, located in landing stages," says Olga Kuznetsova, Vice President of Red Development.
So far, there are not many private houses on water for permanent residence in Russia. However, several projects of hotels, spa complexes, guest houses, and even gas stations have already been implemented. Such options are especially popular in resort towns and villages where people come to relax in nature.
In Moscow, landing stages – floating houses on platforms – have gained popularity, but only commercial facilities are located there. As Gazeta.Ru was told at Metrium Group, the price for a landing stage is always negotiable in each specific case – from 200,000 to 5 million rubles for an old one and up to $500,000 for a new one with a 50-year warranty. There is also the problem of delivering the landing stage: regardless of the distance to Moscow, towing costs $2,000 per day. In addition, about 25 permits are required for the installation and construction of a landing stage, which takes up to two years.
"Our rivers freeze in winter, and during this period the landing stage becomes less interesting to its owner. Overall, the object is poorly understood by buyers from a living standpoint, as it is impossible to obtain permanent registration and it is difficult to use the nearest social infrastructure," says Andrey Muravyov, Head of the Country Real Estate Department at NDV-Real Estate.
According to analysts, houses on water as a housing format are primarily of interest to developers of country real estate and cottage villages. In Olga Kuznetsova's opinion, pile houses on water can significantly expand the offered range and attract additional buyers, but the expert believes that the number of such objects in Russia is unlikely to ever reach a level sufficient for a noticeable impact on the real estate market. "Construction on water is additional costs and a large increase in the cost of such housing, and individual projects appear only upon individual request," explains Yulia Grosheva, Director of the Country Real Estate Department at Kalinka Group.
If you need a house, experts advise considering the option on concrete pontoons. It can be built either according to a standard or individual design, there is no need to inspect it for possible elimination of hull leaks, and it does not require permits like a landing stage. A house on concrete pontoons only needs to be registered with the State Inspection for Small Vessels (GIMS) and obtain a ship's ticket.
Construction and operation of such objects are very expensive. The approximate cost of a standard project of a house on pontoons with an area of 30 sq m is 2-3 million rubles. The approximate cost of an extra-class house is 11.5 million rubles, says Ilya Menzhunov, Director of the Elite Real Estate Department at Metrium Group.
Experts warn that houses on water require special infrastructure – piers, parking, gas stations. And in Russia, there are practically no such equipped places. In addition, one will have to bear maintenance costs, regularly undergo technical inspections, and pay monthly rent for the piece of land needed to access the object. It is also quite difficult to solve purely domestic problems with sewage, gas, water, and electricity.
"From an investment point of view, houses on water are not real estate, because real estate has a very long service life and, due to inflation, can serve as an accumulation tool. Floating vessels, like other transport, lose their attractiveness over time, become outdated, and fall in price," warns Ilya Menzhunov.
If you want to live on the water, but don't want to build and maintain a house, you can solve the issue by buying a yacht or other river or sea vessel. An average pleasure boat with a small cabin costs about 2 million rubles, prices for yachts start from 10 million rubles, says IFC Markets analyst Dmitry Lukashov. According to the expert, mooring a yacht or boat costs on average 2,000 rubles per month on open water and around 6,000 rubles per linear meter of the vessel in a warm boathouse during the winter period.