If you’re going to downsize, you might as well do it with flair. When a Seattle couple who loved to ship to the local San Juan Islands decided to cut their principal living space in half, they chose the romantic dream of living on Lake Union in Seattle. After locating a slide they satisfied with architect Dan Nelson. “I am very hands-on when I meet with customers; we sat together and I instantly began drawing concepts while they told me what they wanted,” Nelson says.
One thing that the few wanted was a house with unique character. The town waterfront’s gritty industrial background inspired the layout. “A great deal of the floating homes in Seattle have been Craftsmans plopped on a stage,” he states. “The customers wanted their house to possess unique character, and that I had been drawn to the wharfy industrial warehouse aesthetic.”
in a Glance
Who lives here: A few who likes to go boating
Location: Seattle
Size: 2,174 square feet; two bedrooms, 2.5 baths
That’s intriguing: Construction is not allowed in the residential slide place, so the house was constructed in an industrial shipyard region, then floated over.
Dan Nelson
One of the huge challenges of building a floating house is the size limitations. The home is restricted by the magnitude of the float and a height restriction, in this instance 22 feet. These limitations, along with the background, motivated a boxy design. “It’s a storage crate aesthetic,” clarifies Nelson. The homeowner calls this place “The Floating Cannery.”
The owners are also able to pull their Cobalt ship right up into the house, making it effortless to jump in and head for the San Juan Islands.
Dan Nelson
Nelson had the float created in Vancouver by a barge manufacturer. He designed the house and sent specs into the maker, which engineered a float that could handle the dimensions and weight of the house and its contents. Such floats are made from foam and rebar encased in concrete. After the float was finish, it had been shipped by barge down to Seattle.
Materials used on the exterior of the house include rot-resistant western red cedar, board and batten siding and Trespa panels. “Originally we looked in rusted steel, but the owner wanted a more finished appearance, so we went with the Trespa,” explains Nelson. Trespa is a very durable composite material.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Painted steel railings lead into front entrance, which can be covered in sheets of aluminum. “We included portholes during, which included a nautical theme,” states Nelson. The Trespa panels enclosing the doorway have rich colour variants that mimic the appearance of Cor-Ten steel and copper.
The house was also built with energy efficiency in mind. A rain screen system prevents corrosion frequently caused by building such a tight envelope. The heat pump system is the most efficient one you can purchase, and the home is superinsulated and has a very small footprint. In fact, can you call it a footprint when it is on a float? Discuss among yourselves, or at the Remarks section.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Indoors, the main living space has two large aluminum windows that open like garage doors. Friends kayak right up to the doors when they stop by for visits. “My customers can watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July right outside the doorways; they put them off from a barge from the lake,” says Nelson.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The kitchen glass tile backsplash and zebra wood cabinets include high design to the industrial appearance. The first level has concrete flooring throughout.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Dark glass tiles cover the powder room walls.
Dan Nelson
Under the portholes is a study region that is tucked-away. Nelson took cues from yacht design, which incorporates lots of built-ins and clever storage solutions.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The few loves to collect art. Nelson set up the house to attribute their own collection.
Dan Nelson
The upstairs hall has a skylight to allow the pure light without damaging the art with direct sunlight, and a series of LED lights shine on the paintings.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The interior railings, like the outdoor ones, are steel but have a more elegant mill-finished design.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
A cozy guest area’s built-ins hold lots of books and collected objects. The aesthetic softens.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Clear glass shower doors consistently make a tight toilet space feel larger, like in the guest bathroom.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The master bathroom takes the industrial aesthetic up a few glamorous notches.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
A spiral staircase leads from the first floor to the roof deck. Putting it on the exterior meant they didn’t shed any second-floor distance to another stairs.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Half of the roof deck contains this golf green; the other half is a place for lounging. “With a lack of new slides in the town, building a new float house was a special opportunity,” states Nelson. “It really is a romantic Seattle dream.”
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