Set sale! Stunning Santa Barbara houseboat with just one bedroom is listed for $4.9 MILLION
- A 50-year-old 1,300 square foot houseboat moored in Santa Barbara harbor has been listed for sale at $4.9 million
- The floating home offers 1,300 square feet of living space and is equipped with all the modern conveniences, including electricity, plumbing, and laundry room
- The property also includes its own slip in the Santa Barbara Harbor but could be towed anywhere
A stunning Santa Barbara houseboat which is immaculately-decorated but has only one bedroom has been listed for $4.9 million.
The houseboat, which is about 50 years old and known as the Thomas Jefferson, sits in Santa Barbara Harbor.
The floating home has around 1,300 square feet of living space and comes complete with all modern amenities, including electricity, plumbing, and a laundry room.
For those lucky enough be welcomed aboard, a spacious dining room can comfortably seat ten people although there is only one bedroom.
The home also comes complete with its own slip in Santa Barbara Harbor, Sotheby’s realtor Patricia Ruben said.
The current owner, Jeff Wapner, grew up in Santa Barbara but then left to travel the world. Upon returning, he was determined not to live in a traditional home and looked for various boats that were available for sale.
Wapner went for a minimalist look with handle-free cabinets for the kitchen.
A staircase leads to the upper levels including a bedroom a rooftop with plenty of natural light.
The flooring throughout is a clean and refreshing white oak while a workshop could easily be turned into a second bedroom.
Wapner originally purchased the boat for $650,000 and is one of just four houseboats allows in the harbor. He spent around $2 million fixing it up.
Although there is no engine, the boat could be towed elsewhere to another location if necessary.
After a year of living on board, Wapner found that the boat was slowly decaying around him with termites eating away at the structure and the wooden frame rotting.
‘I didn’t intend on remodeling the entire home. But I’m not the type of person who could live on what I knew was a rotting and basically sinking ship’, Wapner told WSJ.com. ‘
Wapner set about demolishing the existing home. The floating structure underwent a comprehensive reconstruction, with Wapner finally moving back onto the houseboat two years ago.
The lower level of the boat is where the workshop and laundry room are located while the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and dining area are set on the the second level.
The bathroom comes with two sinks and a shower with skylight situated overhead – ideal for looking at the skies above and a bit of stargazing.
‘At night, when you can see the stars and the moon shining through, it’s an incredible place to take a shower,’ Wapner said.
Although there is some slight rocking on the waves Wapner insists that it is not noticeable.
He says the reason for the sale is his desire to begin traveling one again.
Although the $4.9 million price tag might seem steep, the agents Sotheby’s International Realty believe the cost per square foot of neighboring waterfront properties currently on the market put it in line with other properties.
The houseboat is so distinctive that the listing is already generating significant interest.
‘This house is so specific that when I told a few people I’m listing it, they said ‘Oh is it the big beautiful brown one?’ We’ve been dying to get in it,’ Patricia Ruben of Sotheby’s said.
