Architect Doug Sandberg took a risk when purchasing a lot only 18 feet wide, which would be considered narrow for most rooms inside a house. But after traveling the world for several years he was ready to take on a challenge: successfully build, and live in, a beautiful, eco-friendly, and low-cost home, only 12.5 feet wide. Here's how he made it work.
Rather designing the house 'shotgun' style, which is typical of most narrow urban dwellings, Sandberg made the home split level, and organized it around a central open stair shaft — similar to the general design of the 16-foot wide house we previously featured. Because of the central stair and split level, each room can be accessed from one end, and the need for space-wasting hallways was almost entirely eliminated. Large windows are provided at each end of the house, and each floor is open in plan, so the space has an airy feel with lots of natural light and views to the exterior.
Sandberg also used the process as an opportunity to incorporate a variety of eco-friendly design elements, which included FSC-certified wood, cement fiberboard siding, cellulose insulation, cool roofing, a geothermal heat pump, Energy Star appliances, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and low or no-VOC finishes. The home garnered a three-star rating (the highest available) from the Chicago Green Homes Program.
You can read more about the design and construction process at Sandberg's blog, Park House Construction, or visit his firm's website, Sandberg Architecture And Design.
Read More: House call | Narrow minded at Time Out Chicago
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(Images: 1. - 3. Tate Gunnerson/Time Out Chicago; 4. and 5. Sandberg Architecture And Design)
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that's no slimmer than a typical Baltimore rowhome. did a decent job with it, though.
And his fridge is STILL bigger than mine! Not that I'm complaining. It's hard to find a small fridge that isn't extremely expensive, so I can't blame people for just getting the larger ones.
For a house so thin, I worry about it toppling over. At least, Chicago isn't the West Coast.
@ FALNFENIX: Your comment reminded me of this Habitat house in B-More -
http://www.zigersnead.com/current/blog/post/the-greenest-house-in-baltimore-1810-laurens-street/01-26-2011/2988/
I think this is cool but I feel that the top cabinets/cubbies in the kitchen can use a shelf to take advantage of all that space.
THe floor plan is very clever. I live in a row house about this size, but with lots of hallways. This makes much more sense to me, and I wished I could redesign my house like this. Ah, the joys of old houses...
I like this house, but it is telling that you can't see the neighboring houses in the picture. In my neighborhood there are many fill-in skinny houses. Some are intrinsically attractive, some are not, but all have had an outsize impact on their neighbors that don't extend as far front-to-back. Suddenly a pleasant back yard can feel like a canyon, windows no longer let in much light, etc. These skinny houses work best when there are a bunch together so their odd dimensions don't ruin anyone else's space.
In this house, it bugs me they do not have a front door. I guess you enter along the side, and maybe they are on a corner so it is not as awkward and unfriendly as it seems in these pictures.
i freaking love it!
Ugly.
The inside looks great, though I'm perplexed about the windows. Many cities do have rowhouses this narrow, but they are usually squeezed in between other rowhouses. Many Japanese dwellings are even narrower.
My place is only 9.5 ft across, so this is wide to me!! Im sure that one bedroom is tiny! It is a little odd to have this style of home out in the open and not squished in between two buildings
Love. Want to see the whole thing. Would be interesting to see how it fit into the street.
House Tour !!!
@LanLan11, take your advertising somewhere else, I saw you comment on another post as well. And the house is well designed on the inside, good for him for making it ecofriendly!
I see the lot it is on is 18 feet wide and the house is 12.5 feet wide, but how long is it? What is the square footage? Answering self: Ok, I just looked at the website and it is 70 feet long and based on the number of floors, I guess it is about 2600 sf? Wow, that is pretty huge. My 12.5 feet wide alley house would fit into this house about five times over.
Pretty common size for a row house in D.C. - mine is 11 feet by 44 feet with two stories, but this house just looks awkward and lonesome sitting by itself in a middle of a lot! Maybe it is the outside styling. No roofline, no porch, oddly placed windows. Where is the front door?