Property Watch: Seattle’s Greatest Houseboat Is a Floating Mansion

You’d have a hard time to find a houseboat as fancy as Aurora, a majestic craftsman docked on the bridge of the same name. Houseboats usually have to make do with smaller spaces, but not this one. At 4,850 square meters, it offers enough space for landlubbers luxury, including a home cinema. It even hosted a rotating door with celebrity guests including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis on their first wedding anniversary.

The highly detailed craftsman was specially made in 2012 for Mike Sherlock and Patti Bishop, owners of Fremont Mischief Distillery, and a week-long trip with the builders to Pasadena to admire the iconic architecture, including the iconic one Playhouse, was part of the process. Sherlock that owned a ship repair company played a key role in the design prior to his second career as a distiller – and even built the hull and barge underneath.

“Mike hand-drawn them to scale until the wee hours of the morning and showed me the drawings the next morning,” says Bishop. “We talked and he redrawn it at night. That went on for months. “

Eventually the house had to be carted up the ship’s canal, and its journey under the Ballard and Fremont bridges broadcast on Massive Moves by DIY Network. (The house has also appeared on the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel.)

While this home wouldn’t look out of place from the water, it has a nautical sensibility. Rich, polished wooden beams cover the ceiling in every room and match the imposing wall paneling throughout. Shake cedar shingles in the outdoor area create a beach atmosphere. The aesthetic harmonizes well with the classic artisan look, filled with bold case openings, contrasting wooden window treatments, and bespoke molded parts from Seattle OB Williams. A winter garden connected to the kitchen and living room fits in perfectly.

Creative nooks and crannies and playful floor plans are a mainstay of houseboat design, and this house is full of them: a reading niche in the living room. A mini conservatory half a floor from the master bedroom. A window-filled breakfast nook next to the kitchen.

And of course, it would be a waste of a house on the water without a whole bunch of decks. There’s a massive one on the first floor, with railings separating smaller patios and lounge areas, as well as a larger balcony above that connects to an indoor wet bar.

While the house had its share of illustrious guests – the Today’s show‘s Meredith Vieira is a different one – the most exciting might be a family of three herons that Bishop says visits regularly. “We get to know the family,” she says. “The male is three feet tall [and] it comes to my waist; he’s so crazy about fishing that I can run behind him. “

List quick facts

907 N Northlake Way
Size: 4,850 square feet, 3 bedrooms / 2 bathrooms
List date: 05/14/2021
List price: $ 3,950,000
Listing agent: Jay Kipp, Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty