Don't Judge This Skinny House From The Outside... It’s Better Than You Think!

Here's why you shouldn't judge this skinny house from the outside... it's better than you think!

February 25, 2022・

16 min read

From slices of real-estate pie to livable cowboy boots, don’t judge these upcoming skinny houses from the outside, they’re better than you think!

Pie House, Illinois

At a glance this house seems pretty ordinary that is until you take a peek at its side profile. This Illinois home is known on the streets as ‘Pie House’. Why? Well, unfortunately it’s not because it’s made of pie; rather, it’s pie shaped.

This triangular abode angles down to an acute 3 feet on its smallest end and expands to approximately 20 feet at the other side! With these credentials, you’d be forgiven for assuming it’s no slice of heaven, but things get a whole lot tastier once you get inside!

With 1,600 square feet, this slice o’pie has a deceptive 2-bedroom filling, meaning a small family could easily set-up camp here! And with 2 bathrooms, there certainly wouldn’t be any toilet queues either!

With its strategic open floorplan, this house ditches excessive walls and instead allows rooms like the kitchen, dining room, and living area to seamlessly and spaciously flow into one another. But the question remains: why would anyone choose to build this Life of Pie?

Allegedly, the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, which the pie-house calls home, has an ordinance which prohibits new houses from being built closer to the sidewalk than the average house on the street, meaning that what Pie House lacks in space, is made up for in its lovely front yard.

So, fancy a bite of this pie? Well, dig deep, as this house sold in May 2021 for $295,000! Which, according to Zillow, seems to be around average for houses of a similar caliber in the same area though that is the only average thing about this house!

Thurloe Square, London

Like most modern metropolises, London needs to squeeze every last drop out of its prime real estate. This unsurprisingly often results in some fairly bizarre looking homes.

Take Thurloe Square, located in South Kensington, for example. While its façade says, ‘act natural’, as you navigate to the side, you’ll see it’s looking a little malnourished at just 6 feet wide!

Apparently way back in the 19th century, artists would flock to the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea and set up their studios. Therefore, construction whizz William Douglas saw this as prime time to capitalize on a recently demolished, albeit tiny, plot on Thurloe Square.

Impressively, in this meager wedge-shaped building he managed to squeeze in 7 studios, and today each one sells for a whopping $1 million!

Despite the lackluster exterior, each 580-square-foot home remarkably fits in 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. And with a spacious open plan, top-notch décor throughout, and even a private terrace, you’ll forget all about the limited space!

And while space is certainly limited, these skinny apartments are still located in the heart of London, one of the world’s best-loved cities. So, whether you go big or small, you can never really expect a bargain there!

Starter Home, Louisiana

While it’s pretty commonplace to dream of a huge, fancy mansion, does anyone ever really need that much space? The Office of Jonathan Tate, a housing firm in New Orleans, take a much more economical stance and instead create homes that provide only the space that is needed; they call them ‘starter homes’.

Straying away from the cookie-cutter approach, they aim to tailor each build to the needs of each prospective buyer, while also being environmentally friendly. How so? Well, their inaugural home, located in Louisiana, is built on a wood and steel frame, and cladded in corrugated metal, meaning this home’s recyclable, durable, and energy-efficient!

And with it taking up just 16.5 feet in width and 55 feet in depth, this home economizes the urban footprint. I know what you’re thinking: it’s a bit of an ugly duckling, right? Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and once you behold the interior, you might just change your tune!

Inside you’ll find a stunning home that adequately offers 1 bedroom, 1 and a half bathrooms, ‘half bathroom’ meaning a room containing a toilet and washbasin, and even an office space, earning its title as the perfect ‘starter home’!

At $315,000, the house’s price isn’t quite as beginner friendly, however the housing firm project that prices will reduce as they continue to save the world one house at a time!

La Casa Estrecha

Located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, La Casa Estrecha has a pocket-sized 5-foot-wide estate, meaning this skinny home is slimmer than most people are tall. But as everyone knows, the little ones are often the feistiest, and judging by that canary yellow paintjob, this Casa is no exception!

Tetris blocked into the space of an old alleyway, this house surprisingly manages to squeeze in more than you might expect! Spread across two tiny stories you will find a kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom, and as all good homes have, a toilet, making this skinny house a real flush!

Seattle Spite House

Next up is another serving of pie, located in Montlake, Seattle. Although it’s smallest end points to a tiny 55 inches, this pie house gets a lot of mileage out of its 860 square feet of space, boasting an impressive 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room!

While all that is great, unfortunately it’s a bitter-tasting pie! When it comes to this house’s origin, local rumor has it that in a divorce settlement between previous owners, the judge granted the husband the bulk of the marital home, while only sparing the wife a plot on the yard.

But when life gives you lemons, there’s only one thing to do: build a house on the lawn of your ex-husband’s place, right? Except this isn’t the only tale tied to the spite house.

An alternative account says that the owner of the main house actually wanted to buy the triangular plot of land. Apparently, the cheapskate made such a low offer, that the irritated owner of the land decided to build what we now know as Seattle Spite House.

Which makes total sense; why accept money when you could spend a heap more constructing a whole house?! Whichever of the two reported backstories is true, if any at all, one idea seems to prevail, this house was built out of spite!

What stings even more than the spite, though, is that this bitter abode is worth around $500,000! That said, Realtor.com suggests the average Seattle home costs around $750,000; so, all in all, perhaps 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a whole heap o’juicy gossip isn’t too shabby for the price?

Horinouchi, Japan

While it might look a bit like an overgrown storage unit on the outside, this slender Japanese house, situated in Horinouchi, Japan is much more impressive on the inside.

Since urban land is generally limited in Japan, tiny, spatially economic structures are more common than you’d think. And while Horinouchi’s 594 square feet of living space might seem a little tight-fisted, its whitewashed interior makes use of every nook and cranny, creating a surprisingly spacious environment!

With 2 stories of minimalist magic, this house manages to include all the basics and then some. On the ground floor you’ll find a hidden cozy bedroom, with a staircase that leads up to the open plan first floor. This airy atrium approach manages to create the illusion of space while also making room for a kitchen, dining area, and a living room.

What’s more, there’s also one last drop of space created by incorporating a mezzanine level that is easily accessed by a ladder. This featherweight house exudes all the energy of a heavyweight champ, once again proving that it really isn’t about size, it’s how you use it!

Boot House, Texas

Houses come in all shapes and sizes, and none exemplifies this better than this cowboy boot located in Huntsville, Texas. It is genuinely a house and it’s quite the southern belle once you get inside.

With an annex adjoined to the back, this shoe buckles up 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and even a roof top terrace!

And with 711 square feet, you can fit some surprisingly big feet into this shoe! So, which Billy-the-kid is responsible for conceiving this bizarre abode? Local artist Dan Phillips.

With recycled materials and the help of construction workers, Dan was able to create this rodeo of a home and renting it out for $1,200 a month means he makes a purtee penny from his avant-garde real estate!

He didn’t stop there though. In 2018, a year after completing the boot house, he constructed a neighboring matching hat home. Similar to its predecessor, this hat features 2 bedrooms and is made of recycled materials.

London’s Thinnest House

With millions flocking to Britain’s capital every year, it’s easy to see why London leaves no stones unturned when finding space to accommodate its ever-increasing population. And at just 6 feet wide, this house in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, looks like it’s been on a diet.

I know what you’re thinking: ‘who on earth could possibly live in that?’. But give it a chance, because beyond the blue exterior things aren’t so bad! With 5 stories and a total of over 1,000 square feet of space, this deceptive property actually gives you all the space you need and more!

Boasting 2 bedrooms, a great sized bathroom and even a study, you’ll forget all about the whole 6-foot-wide thing. I guess the only thing that might be telling of the house’s slim proportions is that you quite literally have to emerge through the floor to access the top bedroom!

This neat little floor flap provides a gateway from the stairs to bedroom and economizes space, meaning not one drop of space is wasted. So, if you’re a sleepwalker I would highly suggest you make sure that thing is closed every night!

Regardless, space clearly doesn’t come in abundance here, but areas like the open-plan kitchen and dining room still show how pleasant living little can be! Still not impressed? Well, sweetening the deal is your own landscaped garden and roof terrace!

Now all this obviously comes at a price, which with its prime west London location and modern interior comes up at nauseating $1.3 million, but nothing comes cheap in London Town! However, if you’ve got the money and don’t need the space, then this house could be your own little spark in the Big Smoke!

Love2 House, Japan

Is it a plane? Is it a spaceship? Nope! It’s just architect Takeshi Hosaka’s home! Officially called Love2 House, Takeshi built this 204-square-foot home for him and his wife when they relocated to Tokyo.

Takeshi could only obtain this tiny plot of land, so he wasted no time and put his profession to good use, resulting in this cozy, yet unique home that is actually quite homely once you get past its industrial exterior.

What’s the deal with that huge metal roof? Well, according to Takeshi, it actually serves a very important purpose: the arched, reflective opening allows for a soft flow of daylight to flood into the home year-round.

And light wasn’t the only thing that influenced Takeshi’s design. Inspired by the architecture of Roman villas, he wanted to emphasize the importance of spaces for studying, bathing, drama, music, and philosophy.

As long as there’s enough space to store books, vinyl records, eat food, learn, think, and bathe, Takeshi and his wife are content in their modest, yet arguably culture-rich lifestyle! It seems Love2 House is Takeshi’s own kingdom; albeit, a 204 square foot kingdom.

Keret House, Poland

Cuddled between two existing structures in Warsaw, Poland, is Keret House, more commonly referred to as the world’s skinniest house! And by skinny, I mean it’s a blink and you’ll miss it kinda house. And by house, I actually mean art installation.

Yes, this house is so skinny that it doesn’t actually meet Poland’s residential building codes! But if you breathe in and walk sideways, you might just find it possible to live in this 3-foot-wide estate!

This sliver of a house is equipped with all the essentials; a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living area, meaning it has a few more amenities than your average shoebox!

Jakub Szczesny, the creator of Keret House, intended for this space to be used by travelling writers, though if staying in a huge, expensive hotel was enough to drive a writer like Jack Torrance crazy, I’m not sure what’d happen in this place!

Tiny Tower, Philadelphia

If you had just a 12 by 29-foot plot of land available, there’d be barely enough room to swing a cat, let alone build a house. So, in the wise words of 80’s popstar Yazz, The Only Way Is Up!

Yes, this slender home in Brewerytown, Philadelphia, officially called Tiny Tower, certainly lives up to its name by structuring itself like a miniature skyscraper!

With a handsome 1,250 square feet of living space spread across 6 levels, this not-so-high-rise has plenty of room at the inn. Not only that, but with a roof top terrace and top quality, modern finish throughout, this tiny tower reaches for the stars in more ways than one.

And while it cost a not so tiny $250,000 to construct, this truly unique home offers a fresh and vibrant way of living that’ll be sure to make you feel like king, or queen, of your own castle! I guess the only problem is all those floors and no elevator!

The Wedge, UK

Much like the pie houses we’ve already seen, The Wedge, located in Cumbrae, Scotland, has gained its apt nickname as a result of its tapered shape, which resembles a wedge of cheese! And just by looking at its 47-inch-wide front it’s easy to write this one off, but it gets better!

Extending to about 11 feet at the broader side of the wedge, this house is packed with 1 bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen and living room, all the while having stunning sea views!

It’s not quite Malibu, and maybe a lick of paint wouldn’t go a miss either, but for $113,000 you’re getting a pretty sweet deal!

Furthermore, this is a record-breaking house! This home was featured in The Guinness Book of Records for having the narrowest house front in the world! And if you needed more evidence of how skinny this home is, then look no further than its sign.

Whether that’s intentional, or the writer genuinely ran out of space, that’s pretty hilarious!

London’s Slim House

Yet another one of London’s super skinny offerings, this house located in Battersea is the Mary Poppins’ bag of skinny houses. While the exterior would suggest otherwise, this slimline city home somehow manages to pack in 4 double bedrooms, along with all the other essentials!

With thanks in no small part to its resourceful open floorplan, this skinny house certainly exceeds all expectations, and its front is just the tip of the iceberg. The house is flooded with natural light due to its sloped roof on the back end, making its limited space feel super bright and airy! There’s a reason why they say ‘good things come in small packages’.

Boston Spite House

Like some of the abnormally skinny homes we’ve seen so far, this next one comes with quite the tale! This one is a slender home is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and had some bitter beginnings.

It all began around 150 years ago, when two brothers inherited some land from their father. While one of them was fighting in The American Civil War, the other decided to build a massive house solely for himself on their shared land.

You can imagine how annoyed the fighter of the family was when he returned home to see his brother had hogged all the land!

So, as siblings so often do, the war-hero brother got revenge by building this skinny house in the tiny space left at the side of his sibling’s place.

This meant any time his brother took a look out of his side-windows, he would always be met with his sibling’s house, most likely with an angry scowling sibling to match! And it’s for that reason, as I’m sure you can understand, that the house is called Spite House.

But though the exterior is a measly 9 feet wide, this 4-story house accumulates a substantial 1,165 square feet of space, squeezing in 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, dining area, and living room. So, I think it’s safe to say this vengeful brother sure made the most of his second-dibs plot!

But when it comes to the price, there’s nothing second-rate about it $1.7 million estimated value. With house prices in this area of Boston already high, the addition of the spite home’s high-spec interior, outdoor space, and roof deck leads estate agents to value its 1,165 square feet at around $1,500 per square foot!

So, while it’s certainly not cheap, any resident will have all the pleasure of knowing they’re ruining their neighbor’s view!

Tailored Tiny, Australia

Tiny homes, motor homes and caravans are all the rage these days. Increasingly, people daunted by the prospects of affording a mortgage see the light in the form of these transportable trailers but can it really replace a home?

Well, according to Matt and Lisa, a couple from Australia, it certainly can! They created their own pick-up pad for just $90,000 and once you see inside, you might be tempted to do so too.

This not-so-tiny trailer, currently nestled into an Australian forest, provides the young couple with everything they need. And with it being transportable, they need never worry about moving house, just moving the house!

With its atrium design, they were able to fit in a bedroom mezzanine level, meaning the ground floor space can be used for their surprisingly spacious living room, kitchen, and bathroom!

Using ingenious space-saving tactics, such as integrated kitchen appliances in the staircase, Matt and Lisa exploit this 8-foot-wide house for all the space it’s got! Furthermore, there’s also a custom-built cat playground outside!

If you were amazed at these skinny houses and their stories, you might want to read this article about homeowners who spent a fortune just for revenge and this article about stubborn homeowners who refused to move. Thanks for reading!