Thursday, March 25, 2010

TAH: The Little House of Toronto

Though we're mostly about apartments here at TAA (it is the second "A," after all), sometimes I come across a house so tiny it's worthy of inclusion too. The "Little House" in Toronto is aptly named -- it's only about 319 square feet. It looks like a house one of the Seven Dwarves would live in if he decided to relocate to Canada. (Any Canadian dwarf would have to be named "Really Friendly, Eh," I think.)


The Little House at 128 Day Avenue was built in 1912 by Arthur Wheeden, a contractor who built many other buildings in the area. When he noticed that the space between two houses, which was meant as a laneway, hadn't had its curb cut to allow cars through, he decided to make use of the space and build something on it. Once the house was completed, he and his wife lived in the itty-bitty home for 20 years.


Wheeden on the front porch in 1939

The house is not only small, but it's narrow. It's only a little more than 7 feet wide. If Chewbacca were to lie down in front of the house, he'd be exactly long as the house is wide. (Not only did I know that offhand, but I looked it up just to be sure and I was right. The Force is strong in me. Booyah.)


The interiors look good, too: fresh, clean, and bright. Everything in it is compact, and many pieces fold up into the wall to save space, like the kitchen table and the Murphy bed.


The entryway


The kitchen with laundry area


The bedroom with the Murphy bed folded up into the cabinet

I love how the tiny house has a green front yard with a stone path, and a cute back patio to boot. When you don't have a lot of space inside, any space that you have outside adds so much.


The backyard

Though the Little House is privately owned, it's become a bit of a tourist attraction. Check out their website at The Little House.

Via Hooked on Houses.

11 comments:

  1. I'm a big fan of those floorplan drawings. definitely helps get the feel when you see it plus pictures - Liz C

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  2. Oh my goodness, how cute! :) {...a washer and dryer, i'm envious...} Wow! 20 years? 7 feet? Thanks for the movie trivia, too!

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  3. that is awesome! i also love the floor plan drawings, esp when they are rendered!

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  4. i actually saw in the news today that this house is up for sale!

    http://bit.ly/di6EaG

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  5. Oh it's so cute!! WHat a great floorplan!

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  6. I love it when places feature floorplans too. Unfortunately I can't always find one for the places I feature. I'll do my best, though! :-D

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  7. Wow, that is toooo cute. You'd definitely have to keep the clutter down by maintaining a minimalistic lifestyle.

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  8. Too bad they replaced the original front window with a nasty vinyl one, took out the porch posts and railing, and tacked that dorky dormer on the front of the roof... Historic preservation fail. :-(

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  9. Okay. This is my first time on your blog. Makes me feel much better about my oh so small house in the Hollywood Hills. I see now that my house could in fact be smaller!

    xo
    Coco
    COCOCOZY

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  10. Oh, its so cute! What a great house! I saw something similar on a TV show about houses in SF. Amazing what you can do with a small space.

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  11. Yes, but without the dormer I can see how it would have looked like a shed or other attachment rather than its own house.

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