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	Photo: Lisa Sze

“Did you have trouble finding us?” Jericho Saurea asks as she guides me back through a maze of narrow docks and homes sitting just above the water. I had to admit that I did—I’d heard of the Barnhill Marina, but never realized that this compact floating world existed just beyond the Chevy’s parking lot.

The hulls of Barnhill homes nose right up against their berths and challenge one’s sense of privacy. Front and back doors are at arm’s length from passersby and overhead decks permit close-up views of a visitor’s bald spot or bad hair day. At the same time, the intimacy creates a strong sense of community. “Some of our best friends live here,” says Saurea. “When we go to our other home on Fire Island (a resort area near New York City), we want to take them all with us.”

Suddenly the press of boats, tools, ropes and ladders gives way to sea and sky. Here, Saurea lives with her life partner Roberta Bobba in a floating home that sits like a seaside cottage at the Marina’s edge.

When Saurea and Bobba decided to move to Barnhill over a decade ago, they spent more than a year prowling the docks waiting for a home with an outside berth. When one became available, they moved quickly before it ever went on the open market.

The location was prime, but the structure was little more than a two-story shell with tired wooden fittings. A complete overhaul was required, so they hoisted the home out of the water and put it into dry dock. Their biggest change was switching out a threefoot deep fiberglass hull for a five-foot deep concrete one. This modification delivered two advantages—the concrete added stability and allowed them to create a full third level below.

The rest of the structure was torn down to the studs, save for a wall of storage cabinets on the top floor. On the main floor, a reconfigured layout pushed the kitchen from the center of the space to the back, which opened up the rest of the area to spectacular vistas from Coast Guard Island all the way down the Estuary. Up top, Saurea and Bobba enjoy more sparkling views from a dramatic master suite with a lavish Jacuzzi tub and rooftop deck with views all the way to San Francisco.

Saurea and Bobba were hands-on during the remodel and worked closely with construction crews who understood shipboard construction and had the knack for finding plumb lines and level surfaces in rooms with constantly tilting floors. “We had a marvelous carpenter,” says Bobba. “He let us help him so he could stay focused on the important things.” To keep the project moving along, they often resorted to playing gopher and doing some heavy lifting, such as hoisting all the sheetrock for the Captain’s Quarters down a steep set of narrow stairs.

A 600-square foot footprint on each level forced Saurea and Bobba to get creative and grab whatever extra space they could within the home’s tight envelope. To turn a halfbath into a full one, they popped out an exterior wall for a small recessed shower, and found extra food storage by wedging a small cupboard-pantry into the studs behind a kitchen wall. Even so, the limited space forces them to be tidy and selective about what they bring into the house. “We’ve reached our limit,” says Saurea when talking about shopping for the home.

The lower level, encased in concrete and mostly below water, pulls in air and light through a series of rectangular clerestory windows set just below the ceiling. Dubbed the “Captain’s Quarters,” it boasts a guest suite, laundry room and full bath. There is also a small office for Bobba, who often finds herself eyeball-to-eyeball with the ducks when she glances up from her desk. Nosy kayakers also bend down for an occasional peek below. “They can’t help themselves,” she says good-naturedly.

For decorating, Saurea and Bobba took a no-holds barred approach when choosing water-oriented furniture, art and accessories. Seascapes, shorebirds, mermaids and a wide variety of fish adorn lamps, walls, windows and corners. Many of the pieces were custom designed or commissioned by the owners. Others were picked up during extensive travels to warm, exotic places. Bobba’s favorite is a ceramic plate from Capri decorated with a fictional goddess. Saurea’s is a painting of sardines that they found in a Portuguese flea market.

Saurea and Bobba let their intuition guide them through most of the remodel and made up much of what happened as they went along. The results often deceive those who have completed similar remodels. “We love it when a neighbor comes in and says ‘Wow! We wished we’d planned ahead like you did,’” says Saurea.