We live in foggy San Francisco, and this floating weekend tiny home is a mere 1.5 hour drive, but a world away. Time stands still under the cloudless sky and the summer days seem endless and idyllic. Friends and family drop by for happy hours, and stay till the Milky Way appears in the darkened sky; we cook and enjoy al fresco dining on the back deck at sunset, with ducklings swimming by, river seals popping out from under the water, and egrets gliding overhead. Once in awhile a speed boat flashes by in the evening, driving too fast in a no-wake zone, but we fall asleep in the cradle of the bobbing tides.

There is a lower level on the houseboat with another sleeping quarter, a bathroom, and storage cabinets; that will be our next phase of remodel.

Our Style: Clean and white, with pop of colors, minimal but warm, multi-functional use of space and storage.

Inspiration: We agreed from the beginning that we want it to look and feel like a tiny house, not a traditional houseboat. So we adopted the classic tiny house combination of white walls and cabinets with dark wood flooring and countertop. The orange sofa made us so happy so it anchored our color scheme, with pops of bright.

Favorite Element: The space feels open and bright. We achieved it by painting it in white, removing upper cabinets that blocked the windows, and using smart storage and furniture to keep it clean and clutter-free. We also love the location of the slip, with an incredible view of the water and Mt. Diablo in the distance; it’s just beautiful and calm!

Biggest Challenge: Designing for the size of the space was the biggest challenge. It needs to be multi-functional: cooking, eating, sleeping, and lounging. The lower salon measured only 9′ x 11′, and the upper helm area was 11′ x 6’—and we really wanted the space to feel open. I used Planner5D to model and measure everything before purchasing online. (The Murphy Bed rolls out exactly to the edge of the dining chair, with one inch to spare, and the kitchen counter and cabinet measured exactly to 78 inches, flush to the side wall by the stairs).

The plumbing on the boat was a challenge. We had to move the hot water heater below the deck, and pump the water from the water tanks and drain it out of the boat, either into the gray water storage or environmentally safe into the Delta.

Proudest DIY: Putting down the wood flooring and designing the kitchen. The floor was a game changer after ripping off two layers of old carpets from previous owners. The hatch to below the deck was difficult; we were lucky to get help from a friend who had the right cutting tools to modify the old hatch with the new panel, and the pattern matching was seamless!

The old kitchen was so ill designed, we couldn’t wait to rip it out and modernize the space. We designed it to maximize storage and utility. The kitchen counter is an L-shape measured 78″ x 56″ for cabinets and sink, and we use every inch of it. The high gloss white cabinets look sleek and easy to clean.

We gave up an electrical oven and stove top for a double camp gas stove (like glamping) and never looked back! As a tradeoff, we gain so much storage from base cabinets, including the corner unit with room to store all of our appliances so our counter is clutter-free.

Biggest Indulgence: A cabinet Murphy bed. It turns the dining area into a cozy sleeping quarter in less than five minutes! The design is truly genius; it stores the memory foam mattress (folded in 1/3) and our bedding inside the cabinet, and the bottom drawer rolls out and the door drops down as the platform to support the bed. During the day, it provides a great countertop space to serve food and drinks. It is a great improvement from the traditional conversion on a boat.

Best Advice: Think outside of the box… we did not treat the space as a typical boat, we think of it as our second home, a tiny house on water. We started at the beginning of COVID, no stores were open then, so almost everything we got was from Amazon, IKEA, and Wayfair.

• Paint — Benjamin Moore “Swiss Coffee” (matte finish)
• Kitchen — 3 base cabinets, and one upper cabinet, sink, and faucet:  IKEA SEKTION Ringhult White
• Countertop — IKEA Barkaboda
• Cabinet Murphy Bed — Wayfair Audet Queen Storage Murphy Bed
• White bench seat — Home Depot
• Drop leaf dining table — Wayfair
• Orange Sleeper Sofa — Amazon
• Outdoor Rug — Amazon
• 2 White wood folding chairs — Amazon
• White bistro table — Amazon
• Half round Umbrella and base — Amazon
• 2 Frank Lloyd Wright Toss pillows — Wayfair

Thanks Joyce!

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