A woodsy cabin afloat in Portage Bay for $785K

Floating homes come in all shapes and styles. This 1920 two-bedroom home on Portage Bay, just east of the University Bridge, has the feel of a spacious cabin or lodge, with wood paneling, a simple vaulted ceiling, and a wall full of built-in bookshelves next to a cozy wood stove.

Both cabins and floating homes tend to have smaller kitchens, but there’s no concession here. The kitchen takes up an entire room, with counters lining four walls—plenty of prep space for picnics on the water.

The home’s bedrooms make very few concessions, too. One bedroom is small but cute, with a built-in sleeping nook and drawers below. It can either connect to the living room for a cozy, studio vibe, or a pull-down door creates a full wall.

Another is sized more like a traditional bedroom, with room for a larger bed—plus, of course, incredible water views.

Instead of being surrounded by forest land, the home is surrounded by Portage Bay. The home’s French doors open to a large deck in back with dock cleats—the ultimate watery parking spot.

While the living area gives the illusion of a one-story space, a boxy partial second story contains the larger bedroom, an additional bathroom, and a large upper deck for surveying the lake.

The condo dock’s approach is full of greenery—so homes on this dock have both trees and Lake Union in their backyard.

The price of 1,269 square feet on the water plus a spot on the dock is $785,000, plus $535 a month in HOAs.

• Portage Bay houseboat [Cooper Jacobs]
• 3146 Portage Bay Place E Unit H [Estately]