This 10-foot-wide house in Washington, DC, is for sale for $581,903.Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
- A 10-foot-wide, one-bedroom home was built in Washington, DC, on what used to be a driveway.
- Zoning law changes forced tight measurements for the 0.02-acre property, requiring many iterations.
A developer in Washington, DC, had a small canvas — about the width of a driveway — to build a modern home that's on the market for $581,903.
Now, there's a 10-foot-wide, one-bedroom home on what used to be a driveway.
According to the listing agent, Jennifer Young of Keller Williams Chantilly Ventures, the zoning laws changed shortly after the developer purchased the 0.02-acre property, so they had to scrap the idea of building a home or tighten their floor plan.
"It literally came down to sometimes a centimeter of getting the exact measurements right to both comply with DC zoning and build a really nice home that was functional," Young told Business Insider.
Nady Samnang, the contractor tasked with figuring out how to build a home on a driveway in between two alleys, told the Washington Post that the design went through many forms and took nearly seven months to get approved by the city permit office.
"I wanted to quit so many times," he told the Washington Post.
While the price has fluctuated since being listed for $799,900 in July 2023, according to Zillow, it's garnered interest from many across the country.
"It's one of the most-viewed homes on Zillow that I've ever seen in my career," Young said. "We do have quite a bit of looky-loos, but we have a lot of first-time buyers looking and investors — people that want to Airbnb it or rent it to college kids."
Nady Samnang and his brother Dean purchased the 700-square-foot lot at the beginning of 2021 with plans to build a four-story home.
An outside look of the skinny home. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
Originally, they were going to build a four-story house, double the width, but DC zoning restrictions changed shortly after he bought the land.
The home is built on what used to be a driveway. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
"They changed zoning right after he bought it so they were kind of screwed and they either were going to scrap a deal or try to build a tiny home," Young said.
Construction was difficult with such a narrow space, and the materials had to be brought in by hand.
A view of the kitchen upon entry. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
"All the materials had to be brought in by hand versus pulling a truck up to the site because it is a very condensed area," Young said. "There's a road, but big work trucks can't come through and it's a very tight space to work in."
Even with a width of six feet at it’s most-narrow point, there are still a number of amenities that you would find in any modern home.
The outdoor patio. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
It even has a fenced patio big enough for an intimate seating area.
Bringing materials in was not the only challenge. Samnang also had to get creative when finding space for basics inside.
The powder room underneath the stairs. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
Samnang told the Washington Post that the powder room under the stairs was an "extreme challenge" due to DC code requiring toilets and sinks to be at least 15 inches apart. He had to opt for a skinny sink to fit.
Lucky for the future buyer, the skinny home comes fully furnished.
The living room with windows on both sides. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
No need to haul in a bed upstairs or search for a couch that fits — those items come with the home.
"They just went pretty modern and they chose all the right finishes that are popular now," Young said. "They had to do something that made it as luxury and contemporary and high-end as they could within these restrictions."
It first hit the market at $799,900, according to Zillow, making it $1,333 per square foot.
A view of the bedroom. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
It's 45 feet long and 10 feet across at its widest point.
The price has since been dropped to as low as $581,903 in April.
The upstairs bathroom with a washer and dryer. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
"It's definitely hard to price," Young said. "There's not one single comparable because everything around it is condos — and it's not comparable to condos.
The Zillow listing has nearly 50,000 views and over 900 saves — numbers that Young say are rare for the area.
A look at the kitchen. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
"It's probably the most-viewed DC listing in years right now," Young said.
Investors have taken an interest in using the house as a rental unit for students or as an Airbnb.
The built-in seating in the kitchen. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
There are no condo or HOA fees, according to Young, which could be enticing to someone renting it out.
People are drawn to the spectacle, Young said, but there are plenty of interested buyers as well.
A hallway flanked by the glass door leading to the outdoor patio. Courtesy of Jennifer Young.
"It's a very popular building," she said. "I think half the people are looky-loos, and half are very interested."
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