The Hobbit Houseboat

This eclectic float home on Seattle’s Lake Union has been dubbed the Hobbit Houseboat. No, it’s not covered in earth and there isn’t a single circular door or window to be seen. But I suppose if hobbits overcame their fear of water and decided that other window shapes were acceptable, then possibly they would build something like this.

The cedar-clad home has a whimsical appearance with multiple different roof forms giving the impression that it was built without a plan or added on to at various times.

Entering the float home from the dockside entrance, you pass between a small bedroom on the left and the bathroom on the right. The bathroom features a stone floor and a bathtub carved from a 200-year-old cedar log. An old barrel was repurposed as the cistern for the toilet. Stained glass windows let in light without compromising privacy within the close confines of a marina.

The hallway then jogs to the left as you proceed past the staircase before arriving at the living/dining room with its French doors opening to the deck. The kitchen, just around the corner to the right, is bright and fully equipped. The fridge placement, however, seems a bit awkward; it looks like the fridge door will hit the counter before it is fully open.

Heading upstairs, the entire upper level is the master bedroom. The bed is tucked under a skylight in a nook at one end, while a desk occupies the window-lined “turret” at the other end. The open space between seems to be a combination closet/dressing space and sitting area. There isn’t a bathroom upstairs but there is a sculptural sink carved from another chunk of cedar.

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Photographs courtesy of Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty.

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