East China Man's Tiny Houseboats Are Making Waves Across The US
The boats are 24 feet long, and the enclosed space is 8 by 12 feet
EAST CHINA TWP. — Who needs a she shed when you can have a tiny floathouse?
East China resident Jim Mittler builds and sells tiny houseboats, capitalizing on the trend towards bijou versions of full-size houses. He said he started the business, called Tiny Floathouse, last summer.
"This is No. 2," he said, sitting comfortably in a tiny floathouse rocking at his dock in the St. Clair River. "No. 3 is about completed in the back.
"We're only hoping to do four to five this year, and eight to 10 next year."
Mittler is an engineer — he previously was employed in the petroleum industry — and the attention to detail shows. He hand-builds the boats, and each joint is cut and fitted meticulously with little or no space showing. His wife, Blanca, helps with the painting.
The tiny floathouses are making waves.
"We're getting interest from Seattle to Key Largo," he said. "From artists looking to make a little studio behind the house to someone looking to start an Airbnb."
More: Turning your hobby into a business
Mittler said he drew his inspiration from his neighbor's boathouse, which has had previous lives as a canoe and boat livery and a shop selling summer clothing. He said such buildings are now restricted, so he came up with the idea of a floating cottage.
"I have been on and around boats all my life, and I've always loved boats," Mittler said. He has worked as a deckhand on a Great Lakes freighter, as a salvage diver and towboat captain and as a marine mechanic.
More: YouTube gardening gurus, MIgardener, opening Port Huron store
The structures sit on two pontoons. The boats are 24 feet long, and the enclosed space is 8 by 12 feet, leaving room for a front porch.
The interior features a large acrylic hatch in the floor, or "moonpool" that can be lifted to allow access to the water.
Jim Mittler, of East China, talks Thursday, May 24,
Jim Mittler, of East China, talks Thursday, May 24, while sitting in one of the small houseboats he makes. Last summer Mittler started his business, Tiny Floathouse, which he uses to build and sell the small boats. (Photo: Brian M. Wells/Times Herald)
There's an adage that fishing is the most fun a person can have out of bed, but add a futon, lift the hatch and drop a hook, and you're living the dream.
"It's lit with LEDs, so it's amazing at night," Mittler said.
The boats come with a 25 horsepower outboard motor, lights and electricity, and running and steering gear, but are otherwise unfurnished.
"That's part of the fun," Mittler said. "You go to the flea market and fit it out the way you want it."
He said the motor is just big enough to get the boat from a launch to dockside.
"This is a tiny house," Mittler said. "It doesn't need to go fast. Let's slow down and enjoy things.
"It's really meant to stay at your dock."
The tiny houseboat draws people's attention, he said.
"Everywhere you go, people go crazy," Mittler said.
"When it's in the driveway, we'll get maybe 10 people a day who'll stop to look at it," he said.
The base price for the tiny floathouse is $25,000.
"Each structure is slightly different," Mittler said. "The engineering has to match the hull, and every hull is slightly different.
"Because we're doing such a small number, the lessons we learn on the first one, we'll apply to the next one."
More: Great White, Sponge will headline St. Clair Riverfest
Mittler said he plans to use the floathouse at such river-oriented events as the fireworks shows in Marine City and St. Clair.
"We're all about family and family time," he said. "How can you share this space here together?"
Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.
More information
Find out about Tiny Floathouse at http://tinyfloathouse.com or call (810) 420-0775 or send an email to TinyFloathouse@outlook.com.
More Videos: https://goo.gl/tv4eHa
========================
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!
* If you like our video don't forget to press the button "Subscribe ❤" and "Like 👍" !!
* Subscribe and View more here: https://goo.gl/6xfETi
The boats are 24 feet long, and the enclosed space is 8 by 12 feet
EAST CHINA TWP. — Who needs a she shed when you can have a tiny floathouse?
East China resident Jim Mittler builds and sells tiny houseboats, capitalizing on the trend towards bijou versions of full-size houses. He said he started the business, called Tiny Floathouse, last summer.
"This is No. 2," he said, sitting comfortably in a tiny floathouse rocking at his dock in the St. Clair River. "No. 3 is about completed in the back.
"We're only hoping to do four to five this year, and eight to 10 next year."
Mittler is an engineer — he previously was employed in the petroleum industry — and the attention to detail shows. He hand-builds the boats, and each joint is cut and fitted meticulously with little or no space showing. His wife, Blanca, helps with the painting.
The tiny floathouses are making waves.
"We're getting interest from Seattle to Key Largo," he said. "From artists looking to make a little studio behind the house to someone looking to start an Airbnb."
More: Turning your hobby into a business
Mittler said he drew his inspiration from his neighbor's boathouse, which has had previous lives as a canoe and boat livery and a shop selling summer clothing. He said such buildings are now restricted, so he came up with the idea of a floating cottage.
"I have been on and around boats all my life, and I've always loved boats," Mittler said. He has worked as a deckhand on a Great Lakes freighter, as a salvage diver and towboat captain and as a marine mechanic.
More: YouTube gardening gurus, MIgardener, opening Port Huron store
The structures sit on two pontoons. The boats are 24 feet long, and the enclosed space is 8 by 12 feet, leaving room for a front porch.
The interior features a large acrylic hatch in the floor, or "moonpool" that can be lifted to allow access to the water.
Jim Mittler, of East China, talks Thursday, May 24,
Jim Mittler, of East China, talks Thursday, May 24, while sitting in one of the small houseboats he makes. Last summer Mittler started his business, Tiny Floathouse, which he uses to build and sell the small boats. (Photo: Brian M. Wells/Times Herald)
There's an adage that fishing is the most fun a person can have out of bed, but add a futon, lift the hatch and drop a hook, and you're living the dream.
"It's lit with LEDs, so it's amazing at night," Mittler said.
The boats come with a 25 horsepower outboard motor, lights and electricity, and running and steering gear, but are otherwise unfurnished.
"That's part of the fun," Mittler said. "You go to the flea market and fit it out the way you want it."
He said the motor is just big enough to get the boat from a launch to dockside.
"This is a tiny house," Mittler said. "It doesn't need to go fast. Let's slow down and enjoy things.
"It's really meant to stay at your dock."
The tiny houseboat draws people's attention, he said.
"Everywhere you go, people go crazy," Mittler said.
"When it's in the driveway, we'll get maybe 10 people a day who'll stop to look at it," he said.
The base price for the tiny floathouse is $25,000.
"Each structure is slightly different," Mittler said. "The engineering has to match the hull, and every hull is slightly different.
"Because we're doing such a small number, the lessons we learn on the first one, we'll apply to the next one."
More: Great White, Sponge will headline St. Clair Riverfest
Mittler said he plans to use the floathouse at such river-oriented events as the fireworks shows in Marine City and St. Clair.
"We're all about family and family time," he said. "How can you share this space here together?"
Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.
More information
Find out about Tiny Floathouse at http://tinyfloathouse.com or call (810) 420-0775 or send an email to TinyFloathouse@outlook.com.
More Videos: https://goo.gl/tv4eHa
========================
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!
* If you like our video don't forget to press the button "Subscribe ❤" and "Like 👍" !!
* Subscribe and View more here: https://goo.gl/6xfETi
Comments
Post a Comment