Smallest House In The World

Since the launch of the Biggest House In The World article there’s been a lot of interest shown on the matter, so obviously my next natural step should be to weed out the smallest house in the world.

Now, this whole issue can be extremely subjective and messy. I mean, by definition, a “house” is simply a building in which people live. Essentially, a garden shed could be considered a house if someone decided to live in one, and I’m sure some people do. So during this crowning, I’d like to declare some guidelines to avoid any confusion. I don’t want another episode similar to the “world’s biggest house” escapade, where a bunch of idiots threw hissy fits because I declared a ‘castle’ the biggest house in the world. I still maintain that by definition a castle is a house! I’m not making up the rules, if you want to query the definition, talk to my mate dictionary.com.

The Guidelines for the smallest house in the world

1. The “house” has to be a structure initially constructed with the intentions of living in, it can’t be a shed, tin can or any other vessel that someone freely chose to convert into a home. Boxes don’t count either.

2. The house has to look like a house E.g front door, windows and 4 walls

3. I think that just about covers it.

Without further ado…

Pictures of the smallest house in the world

Details about the house

• The house occupies a total of 96 square feet, which is smaller than most people’s bathrooms. It is truly TINY.
• The house comes fully equipped with a desk and fireplace in the main room; a kitchen; wet bath; and a loft upstairs.
• For its small size, the house has a large amount of storage space, thanks to its clever design.
• A house like this costs approximately $40,000 to buy
• the house is wired for electricity and ready to be plugged in through a plug on the outside. The house could also be powered by using a standard AC plug-in, or even better, via a solar electric system with an inverter.
• There are two-burner stove, an under-counter refrigerator, a bar sink, an RV on demand hot water heater, and a propane boat heater.
• Tumbleweed Tiny House is very well insulated, easy to heat and cool, and
  meet the State of California’s strict residential energy efficiency standards. Jay typically spent less than $170 (total) on propane to heat his tiny house during the brutal winters in Iowa.

Who owns the house and why?

Everyone say hello to Jay Shafer. He’s the creator and resident of the smallest house in the world, which he has proudly named Tumbleweed. Jay is an artist and architect, who lives in his home near San Francisco. He sells plans for, and builds, tiny homes in sizes ranging from an extremely small 50 square feet to a practically roomy 500 square feet.

Jay has been living in a house smaller than some people’s closets since 1997. Can you imagine living in something so small for so long?

Jay’s decision to inhabit just 96 square feet arose from his concerns he had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because he does not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space. Basically, he’s a tree hugger. Truly inspirational or just plain nuts. What do you think?

Since completing Tumbleweed, Jay has continued to make little buildings, which are available to purchase from his website, Tumbleweed Houses.

Guided tour of Tumbleweed

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13 Comments

offplanpropertyexchange.com wrote, on Jun 4th, 2008

	This is not a house its got wheels on surely its a caravan, you could buy a real house for that money. After saying that the place is really sweet well designed and part of me wants one
1

The Landlord wrote, on Jun 4th, 2008

	Hel Mel, The wheels are just there to demontrate how you could move the house- they’re removeable! And the houses don’t come with the wheels as standard fittings, they’re extras for anyone who may decide to relocate. If a house has an option to relocate, it doesn’t really make it a caravan. Yeah, it’s pretty pricey. Probably because everything is custom made.
2

shania wrote, on Jul 16th, 2008

	the house is really cool i wish i could have one in my back yard !!!
3

mirna wrote, on Sep 26th, 2008

	how old is the house?
4

Smallest Homes in the World | AllPropertyManagement.com wrote, on Oct 8th, 2008

	[...] title of Smallest Home in the World goes to Jay Shafers Tumbleweed. Shafer is an artist and architect and not only designed and built his home but makes tiny houses [...]
5

Risve wrote, on Dec 23rd, 2008

	hey ! he is lving in a natural view with his smallest house in the world,I like it mawallours. Risve
6

A closer squint at the world’s smallest investment properties wrote, on Dec 29th, 2008

	[...] http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/2008/06/03/smallest-house-in-the-world/ In the UK the smallest existing house is widely believed to be one on the quayside at Conwy in Wales. This tiddler is 10ft 2in high, 6ft wide and 8 ft 4in from front to back. It dates back to the 19th century and is amazingly squeezed into a tiny gap between a town wall and a neighbouring house. [...]
7

nicloe wrote, on Apr 26th, 2009

	Why is it on wheels?
8

Holbik wrote, on May 1st, 2009

	Awesome! I love “neat” little things like that. Only problem is I kind of think he will be single for all eternity.
9

Noma wrote, on May 16th, 2009

	I wonder what the moregege is on the house
10

Ian wrote, on May 26th, 2009

	Poster #7, Nicloe (Nicole?) pointed out the UKs smallest house, it is quaint and it isn’t on wheels and is made from brick/stone. It can be seen at http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/photos/showphoto/photo/3454.php
11

hayley wrote, on Jun 7th, 2009

	this house is not as small as the one in conwy, north wales. i live near it and its alot smaller than this one!
12

thomas okhilua wrote, on Jul 1st, 2009

	it is really nice but u can only enjoy that house with out a family and children
13

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