Tour a modern floating home in Vancouver, B.C.

The exterior of the house is clad in a clean cedar with a clear-coat finish to highlight its natural color. Contrasting corrugated steel was installed on the other side of the exterior, paying homage to the old boat sheds that used to line Coal Harbour Marina. McClelland used a shiny mirror finish on the steel instead of the gray that's usually used on boat sheds.

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The marine engineering was the most difficult part of the home's construction. Underneath the house is an 8-foot-deep flotation barge made of concrete and filled with Styrofoam. "It was pretty tricky for the engineers and the architects to fit everything we wanted and needed into a 20-foot-by-45-foot footprint, while still keeping the house stable and floating levelly," McClelland says.

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Because it had to fit inside a certain footprint, the house has a compact design. The couple had to get creative and organize their living areas in a single great space. "If I could change one thing about this home, I'd want just a little more square feet," McClelland says.

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The lightest available color of bamboo flooring is an eco-friendly choice that helps the small space feel bright and open.

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In the kitchen, they decided to mount a JennAir downdraft fan behind the cooktop instead of using a full hood. "We really wanted the cooktop in front of the window, but we didn't want to have a conventional fan hanging over it," McClelland says. The downdraft fan rises out of the counter and outputs exhaust below the counter.

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White granite countertops, a glass subway-tile backsplash and light maple cabinets from Ikea contribute to the open feeling of the main living area. Steel pendants from Robinson Lighting work well with the stainless-steel appliances. Tucker and McClelland chose an extra-tall Blomberg refrigerator in a counter depth for their limited space.

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Light pours through rounded windows throughout the home, paying homage to the house's nautical location. Natural Linen from Benjamin Moore was painted on the walls, and combines with the sunlight to make this small office feel bigger.

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The master bedroom is "cozy, but it also feels open to the outdoors because of all the glass," McClelland says. "It's wonderful to cocoon in."

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This bedroom has two glass walls to take advantage of the beautiful view. One of these walls is made up of two sliding glass doors that give access to a small balcony.

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The master bathroom sticks to the same light, white and bright palette as the rest of the home. White marble tiles line the floor, and the countertop is made of the same white granite as the kitchen. The window faces the northern view of the nearby mountains, while a skylight lets in additional natural light.

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The smaller guest bedroom has windows that face two directions, for a view of the mountains and the marina. McClelland and Tucker had off-white Berber carpeting with an extra-thick underlay installed in this bedroom and the master bedroom.

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The sunny roof deck is McClelland's favorite part of the house. "From there, you can see the entire marina," he says. "You feel like you're right in the middle of the view, rather than just looking out at the view."

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This is the first new floating home in Vancouver in 15 years. All the other floating homes that have been built since then are upriver in suburban areas. It's also one of only 18 floating homes in Vancouver, and one of six in Coal Harbour Marina.

Vancouver has been home to many of these floating houses since the early 19th century, when they were nothing more than log cabins on log floats.

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