The architect they hired for the project, Robert Nebolon, hadn’t designed a floating home before but had worked on waterfront houses. That was close enough. “It’s hard to find an architect who does this kind of thing,” says Kimo. The Bertrams and Nebolon quickly agreed on a “shipping container modern” look for the home. Nebolon clad the exterior in prefinished metal siding, designed a factory-style “sawtooth” roof (a series of windowed ridges), and installed casement windows up to the ceiling so the place is bathed in light. For the interior, the couple mixed natural elements like knotty cypress floors and raw-edge teak furnishings with hits of color. “I wanted to feel connected to the city’s industrial past, but I didn’t want to feel like I was living in a warehouse,” Sarah says.
The only limit to decorating was the hull’s dimensions—about 18 by 42 feet. “We had to come up with smart ways to pack the box,” says Nebolon. Benches flip open for stashing Mary’s toys, for example, and the couple’s bed rests on cabinets. Initially, they worried the weight of their furnishings would tip the home in one direction or another. But “unless we buy a grand piano, it’s no big deal,” says Sarah. “For the most part, it was like decorating any other house.”
Design: Robert Nebolon Architects, Berkeley; rnarchitect.com. Builder: W. B. Elmer & Co., Orinda, CA; wbelmer.com.