Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

Water covers more of the earth's surface than land; plus it provides a great supply of itself. A floating home is not difficult to build (not talking houseboat here). Basically, you can build any house and make it float. I built one for a friend almost twenty years ago; total living area ca. 850sq.ft., 2 stories (loft and sundeck/garden aft and cathedral ceiling forward). No code restrictions regarding construction materials. Total materials cost around $15,000, including pressure treated lumber throughout, green board drywall, cedar shingles all round and fiberglass roof. All fasteners embedded and sealed in epoxy resin.
Flotation achieved using approx. 90 x 55gal. plastic barrels (recycled $5/ea).

All you need is water to float on, fresh or salt. The one I built is on salt water, the harshest environment and it is still holding up without a hitch.
If water supply is needed, I suggest good filtering and boiling fresh water and if on saltwater, use reverse osmosis.