Michael Labate and Catherine Lyons waited more than 15 years for their dream houseboat, which gave them plenty of time to design a 600-square foot home that has everything they wanted.
The house, named “Shanti Ghar,” which means “peaceful home,” is one of a dozen featured on Sausalito’s upcoming Floating Homes Tour on Sept. 14. The popular tour, which returns after a one-year hiatus, is sponsored by the Floating Homes Association, a non-profit volunteer organization representing the owners and residents of floating homes at five Sausalito marinas. Think of the tour as a sneak peek into life on a houseboat.
Shanti Ghar started out as a barge that floated alongside Labate and Lyons’ old houseboat in the Gates Co-op, awaiting a permanent mooring at Waldo Point Harbor. Architect Robert Hayes worked with the couple to design the home, which was then floated to its new place once slips opened up after a harbor renovation project.
The entrance on the main deck opens into an airy great room that includes living, kitchen and dining room space. At the end, a wall of glass doors accordions out of the way, opening the entire space to the waterside deck.
A framed watercolor painting of a houseboat hangs next to a ceramic replica of the couple’s original houseboat, where they raised their two now-grown children.
Descending to the lower level, the landing has what appears to be a marble inlay with an Indian symbol. It’s trompe l’oeil, however, the surface painted to look like marble — and the symbol hails from one Lyons photographed on a trip to India.
The lower level holds the owners’ “dream bedroom” with a raised bathroom, shower and tub that can be screened off by a drape.
Details
“Shanti Ghar”
Address: 1-C A Dock
Owners: Michael Labate and Catherine Lyons
Square Footage: 1,280
Number of stories: 2
Tickets: Prepaid registration is $50 per person; $55 on tour day
Time: 11 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Sept. 14
Location: Tour events are anchored at the Kappas Marina Green, 100 Gate Six Road, Sausalito, where there will be live entertainment, food and refreshments for sale, and artists and authors from the community offering their creations for sale. The tour is a fund raiser for the association and also benefits other local non-profits, including Sausalito Village and the Friends of the Marin City Library.
Other homes
Check out the other homes featured on the tour:
- “White Elephant” houseboat focuses on whimsy, eclectic art
- Houseboat is a salute to modern Danish art and Hawaiian wood
- 4-story ‘Dragon Boat’ houseboat will be open to visitors
- Tiny houseboat makes a big statement
- Romance is only part of this houseboat’s attraction
- Floating museum celebrates Denmark, old San Francisco and Jimmy Carter
- Landlubber transforms houseboat and himself
- Summer always in season on this Sausalito houseboat
- Colorful floating home suits a ‘pair of docs’
- Contractor takes his floating home ‘by storm’ to build his dream
- Transforming tiny floating home into a weekend getaway
