Writer: Helena Bergström
The remodelling of the houseboat means that we will have a new, larger living room. We focus on finishing the exterior in the first place, but also build the interior when we get the opportunity. The room is 16 square metres, has ten windows and a balcony door.
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Big difference from before
All windows are triple-glazed, and we have insulated the walls with 15 cm and the ceiling with 25 cm. This is a big difference from before, when the insulation looked like like this. The walls are plasterboard, which will be covered with fabric and painted. The ceiling will be covered with wood panelling, with recessed lighting.
Warm floor, parquet and fireplace
At the weekend, eldest son Robin was here to help Peter lay the heated floor and parquet. Then Peter's brother Dennis came and helped with the stove and chimney. The previous owner bought the stove, but we have had to buy the chimney, and there are of course a lot of rules to follow when it goes in in terms of distance, materials in the walls and so on.
In the picture above, you can see Robin and Peter laying underfloor heating: pipes laid down in pre-cut grooves in Styrofoam. You can barely see the parquet flooring because it is covered with protective cardboard, but it is dark brown (walnut). So things are definitely moving forward here! Even though we wake up every morning aching all over...
Fire-retardant paint and recessed ceiling lights
According to the rules of the building permit, the new extension on the houseboat must fulfil certain fire protection rules. This is usually achieved by using plaster layers in the walls, but as we don't want to build with plaster, we have turned to another solution: fire protection paint. We are now painting the ceiling and walls of the new living room with this paint.
Cheap paint? No, not exactly... But according to all the information we have received, it should comply with the regulations, and we don't have to use plaster. In addition, we now have recessed lighting in the living room ceiling.
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Inspecting and repainting a houseboat - here's how it went
Life on a houseboat - a home report
Houseboat life in winter - how we live in wintertime
Houseboating for a year - January - December 2024
What is it like to live in a houseboat? - we answer questions
English (UK) 
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Ditte says:
It's nice to have so many windows, it's very bright and the sun warms the cold season. It's also good to have proper insulation. The last one was too flimsy.
We are south-facing and have eight "half-windows" facing the canal and it certainly provides warmth. And now in the summertime it gets very hot so we put in blinds to get some sun protection and cooler.
It's great to see how quickly the construction is progressing, I understand that you are working hard.
19 July 2014 - 10:41
Yvonné says:
Nice that you show pictures from the inside, it will be so nice and with a lovely light.
Hugs
19 July 2014 - 10:46
Lena i Wales says:
Interesting to follow your houseboat project. I'm sure it will be great!
19 July 2014 - 11:33
BP says:
It will be really exciting to see the end result. So many windows in such a small room is great for letting in light.
19 July 2014 - 12:09
admin says:
Ditte, we should probably get some kind of blinds or curtains for the windows.
Thank you for your encouraging comments! We will of course continue to show pictures from the construction!
🙂
20 July 2014 - 8:15
Inga M says:
It is really exciting to follow your remodelling project. You won't be idle during your holidays!
20 July 2014 - 8:47
Lars Permeln says:
It's quite easy to understand that you have to keep your head in the game when building where there are so many things to consider. I guess you also have to keep an eye on and choose building materials that are durable and not too heavy. What about escape routes and fire safety requirements for houseboats?
20 July 2014 - 10:00
Marie says:
How nice it looks like it will be. It will be exciting to see the finished result then. 🙂
21 July 2014 - 8:38
admin says:
Inga M, no, there is not much laziness here...
😉
Lars Permeln, the same requirements apply to us as to other buildings. This is certainly the case for the houseboats in Solna, which are part of the municipality's urban planning. "They haven't said anything about escape routes, but we will paint the walls with fire protection paint. They also wanted the boat to be handicapped accessible, but we actually got an exemption from that rule... When it comes to materials, we always try to choose things that are durable... We have chosen the colours with care, among other things. We also think about the weight when we build walls. (Hence, among other things, fire protection paint instead of plaster, which would be heavier. Now we only have plaster where the stove will be located. Because there are also a thousand rules to follow.) We have a quality manager who checks and there is a final inspection.
21 July 2014 - 15:17
Lars Permeln says:
Many thanks for a good and informative response to my concerns.
21 July 2014 - 21:48