More Boat for the Buck: A Cost-Conscious California Houseboat Remodel by Medium Plenty - Remodelista
This overhauled Berkeley, California, houseboat is a lesson in how to get maximum value out of a remodel–on land or sea. Photography by Melissa Kaseman, except where noted. Client Zack Canepari, a photographer and filmmaker, wanted to undertake a major cleanup–including removal of load-bearing walls and the introduction of new glazing–all for less than $150 per square foot. From the dock, the front door opens onto a small landing. The seating cushions are covered in dark denim. To keep everything in the kitchen below the horizontal paneling line, Medium Plenty opted against full-size appliances and instead installed two under-counter refrigerators clad in plywood. Visible on the far right is a glimpse of the handmade spiral stair that leads to the master suite (to be renovated in Phase Two). The stair had been hidden inside a closet and was newly revealed in the renovation. The kitchen cabinets are red oak plywood with 1.5-inch exposed edges. The drawer pulls are vintage knobs from an old gas stove found by Canepari. Wanting to combine humor and color with a maritime theme–”the 1970s-style romance of living on a houseboat”–the team wrapped the den in a “Margaritaville sunset,” the same wallpaper used in the office of Al Pacino’s character in Scarface. On the mural wall, the architects installed three portholes of blown glass to obscure the view of the houseboat next door while still allowing light in. The houseboat at twilight. Photograph by Zack Canepari. “The biggest drawback is that you can’t just build level and plumb, because you can’t trust that the boat is level in the water.” Lanigan also notes that the contractor needed to acquire special insurance to work on a houseboat: “I don’t think most contractors would have agreed to do that, and apparently specialist marine contractors are exorbitant.”