Want to know what it’s like to live aboard a houseboat in New York? Check out this video by HGTV! As part of its series, “Can I Come In?”, this clip gives you an inside look at the 400-square-foot houseboat that architect Phillip Mohr calls home. Replete with décor inspired by distant travels and local hotspots, Phillip has an honest answer for why he likes the liveaboard life.

“I just wanted to be by the beach. I like to surf and go running and biking and everything, and I thought it would be fun to live out here,” he shared.

Phillip first got into houseboating like many of us did—thanks to the influence of a houseboater friend. But it took awhile before he was set up with the right boat.

“One of my friends had a boat out here and I was really fascinated by it. And then I looked online for awhile, I think for a whole year, and I couldn’t find anything. And then suddenly I found this very inexpensive boat. It was only $2800,” Phillip shares.

For such a steal, you can imagine that there was no lack of things to repair onboard. And it’s not short on challenges, either—for the most part Phillip has to use the restroom at the marina and a friend had to help him install a wood heating stove so he could stay warm in the winter. But when it comes down to it, life onboard the James Franko is worth any inconveniences for everything that Phillip gets in return. At the end of the day, there's nothing quite as rewarding as spending it on a houseboat. 

Photos credited to HGTV