Episode 6 - Million Dollar Mansions
Now that they’re 6 children have finally all fled the nest, Allen Lacroix and Jill Gamblen want to create a new home..a home that floats on the Annacis Channel, just south of Vancouver, Canada. Their million dollar mansion will be the perfect place to entertain with its enormous open plan living area, 3 outside decks, luxury master bedroom with their own steam room and a huge hot tub on the top terrace with amazing views across to Annacis Island.
These luxury features don’t come without complications – racing against the bad weather head builder Larry Kenmare has to make sure the 200 ton house is perfect. That the windows – all 26 of them – are installed in time and protect the home from the potentially hostile weather conditions but covering it with a special cement composite cladding.
This remarkable 200 ton floating home then needs to be launched by sliding it down a slipway before tipping into the high tide of the Fraser River. This dangerous event will be controlled by expert Matt Tobias and his team. Then the house will be towed up river navigating through strong currents and frozen swing bridges before rounding the North tip of Annacis Island to its final mooring site. A perfect place for their future married life together and a tranquil spot offering incredible views of the surrounding wildlife and crystal waters.
Joan Rosenstock is a floating home veteran but she’s taking the plunge and sinking her savings into a pair of brand new monster mansions worth a million dollars each! She’s not going to hold back on the high end finishes, installing luxury open plan lounges and kitchens, a sun deck on each of the three stories and a custom lighting plan to ‘zone’ the space.
The only hitch is that they’re being built way up in Vancouver, so will face a perilous 150-mile sea voyage down to Seattle. Unfazed, Joan sets her build team to work and 12 months later the homes are ready for their journey of jeopardy... in the middle of winter. Back at Joan’s mooring in Seattle, we follow a second team as they race to move four other floating homes and clear the site in preparation for the new arrivals. The pair of million dollar mansions squeezes through the locks and canals of Seattle at night before a team of tugs ease them into their moorings. Finally, we see the luxury interiors come together as the dream becomes reality for Joan.