Tips for moving into a home by the water
Not everyone moves into a standard home in a traditional neighborhood. Maybe you’re a cottager who has just purchased a place on the lake, or maybe you’ve decided to try a houseboat on for size. Every move is different and comes with its own set of challenges, especially when you’re in an unconventional location. What if your new home is boat access-only, or what if there’s a risk of your boxes getting wet?
If you are using your own boat to transport cardboard boxes and there’s a possibility of them being exposed to the elements, make sure to cover them with a plastic sheet on the way to the dock. When packing, carefully wrap items with this in mind, and opt for waterproof materials for the more fragile or easily waterlogged pieces. Better safe than sorry!
It’s also safe to assume that a dock handles less weight than a driveway. If you have a truck that is able to park on land, try to make trips directly from the boat or solid ground to the house instead of piling the boxes on the dock.
What if I’m in a floating home?
It’s important to consider the distribution of weight in the home, so even out the items during the move-in. If you load all of your stuff onto one side of the house, it’s probably going to start tilting! Keep the house balanced. Consider your heaviest items; what do you really need? A colleague recently moved into a floating home and is an avid reader and book collector, which adds a lot of weight. Sometimes you have the option to upgrade the flotation so that more weight is possible, but starting off on the right foot and keeping things simple might be the best option.
What if my cottage is only accessible by boat?
As a homeowner with a boat access-only property, you’ll want to have your own vessel for trips to and from the cottage–that’s a given. But with a small boat, it could take numerous trips back and forth to move all of your possessions. Our tip is to look into a barge rental service to minimize the number of trips to and from the home. The best part, depending on the size of the barge, is that sometimes you can drive the moving truck right onto it!
Sam Landa is PR Manager for You Move Me and 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. Back in her college days, she had to move in and out of her dorm apartment, twice a year, for six years. Her favorite things about her current downtown apartment are the water view and lounging on her sectional. Connect with Sam on Google+ or LinkedIn.
