This is truly a fascinating piece of real estate.
Located at 2022 24th Ave E in Seattle, the Montlake Spite House was built in 1925 and has been compared to a piece of cheese or pie because of its tapered shape.
In a new YouTube video uploaded by Kirsten Dirksencurrent owner Emily Cangie gives viewers a tour of the unusual abode, starting at the back door which is only 4 feet wide.
She has lived in the property with her husband for over two and a half years and according to the property’s site Zillowit is currently valued at $748,900.
The Montlake Spite House, located at 2022 24th Ave E in Seattle, was built in 1925 and has been compared to a piece of cheese or pie due to its tapered shape
In a new YouTube video uploaded by Kirsten Dirksen, current owner Emily Cangie gives viewers a tour of the unusual home
While the cooking space is narrow, Emily says it’s been a “pretty effective” space. Her only annoyance is the refrigerator, which sticks out in the middle of the kitchen
Further on there is a large living room with a large sofa and dining table
According to Emily, the house was built by a woman who lived with her husband in the big house next door after they decided to get a divorce.
Because it was “in the days when women couldn’t get their own loans in the US,” the divorcee decided to build on the land she won in the settlement: her ex-husband’s front yard.
“The story goes that she decided to build a house to block his view of the front yard,” says Emily.
Starting at the narrowest part of the house, Emily leads viewers inside.
First, there is a porch, used as a ‘mud room’ to store shoes and coats.
This then flows through to the galley style kitchen.
While the cooking space is narrow, Emily says it’s been a “pretty effective” space.
Its only flaw is the fridge, which sticks out in the middle of the kitchen.
Further on there is a large living room with a large sofa and a dining table for six, and, in the widest part of the house, the master bedroom.
Emily emphasizes that the sleeping area is large, with room for a queen bed and two dressers.
However, the bathroom is a bit tighter.
The homeowner, who works in product management and marketing for Amazon, says she happened upon the Montlake Spite House
Emily emphasizes that the sleeping area is large, with room for a queen bed and two dressers
For others considering eschewing a standard home for something unusual, Emily says “creativity” is the most important skill to have
Emily says, “The bathroom is where the angles get weird again… reminds me of New York bathrooms”
The ground floor used to serve as a coach house, but is now a self-contained apartment with a bedroom, living room and bathroom
“I thought I’d feel a little more like I was in a fishbowl, but it’s been pretty private so far. It’s cozy and has so many wonderful features,” Emily says of her quirky home
Emily says, “The bathroom is where the angles get weird again… reminds me of New York bathrooms.
“I mean, compared to New York, you’re just glad you don’t have a toilet in your bedroom.”
As the tour appears to have ended, Emily reveals an entirely different level of the house that can only be accessed by an exterior staircase.
The ground floor used to serve as a coach house, but is now a self-contained apartment with a bedroom, living room and bathroom.
Emily says the lighting in this space is “key” since the “windows aren’t huge down here.”
Including both floors, the house measures 80 m² and has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two living rooms.
Emily, who works in product management and marketing for Amazon, says she happened upon the Montlake Spite House and was drawn to it because it was “historically strange.”
She explained, “Ironically, I went to school for architecture thinking that’s what I wanted to be…so maybe I’m a junkie for it.
“But the design side of me thought this was fun, so I just turned up on it, just out of interest in the quirky nature of it…I’d gone to high school down the street, so I’d passed it a hundred times drove and never noticed it growing up.”
For others considering eschewing a standard home for something unusual, Emily says “creativity” is the most important skill.
She concludes, “It’s definitely one of the things you sign up for with a weird house is that you have to be really creative.
“I thought I’d feel a little more like I was in a fishbowl, but it’s been pretty private so far. It’s cozy and it has so many brilliant features.’