10-foot-wide Florida 'skinny house' built out of spite. Here's what it costs, and a tour

Never underestimate spite as a motivating force.

Builder John Atkins and Ryan Wetherhold of Oceanside Real Estate decided to build a 15-foot-wide house on an empty 25-foot-wide lot in Jacksonville Beach, but they got some pushback from the neighbors. At a public hearing some of them, particularly a next-door neighbor who had been using the lot as a garden, persuaded the board of adjustment not to permit any more than local building codes allowed.

So the two men made a 10-foot-wide house instead.

"To be honest, the builder almost built this out of spite just because of that fact," Wetherhold told Business Insider. "'Oh, you don't think we can build, hold my beer.'"

The result, at 1952 Horn St. surrounded by homes ranging from $700,000 to over a million according to Zillow.com, was a stylish two-story cross between a tiny home, a trailer and one of New Orleans' shotgun houses.

The house was listed in March at $619,000 and gained some attention, but nothing compared to what happened after it was featured on Zillow Gone Wild.

Jax Beach skinny house: Developers squeeze in lots of style for unique Jacksonville Beach 'skinny house' on sale

How big is the 'skinny house' in Jacksonville Beach?

The "low maintenance, energy efficient" two-story home has 1,547 square feet of living space. The house itself was limited to 10' by 80', but it includes bump-outs similar to those used in mobile homes to add more room for a couch, dining room seating and beds.

The house has two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. And no HOA.

The lot is 25' by 140', just under a tenth of an acre, but there's room in the fenced backyard for a BBQ grill and a pool. The grass-pavered driveway leads to a single-car garage. Stormwater drains prevent runoff and erosion.

"It’s been called everything from a spaceship to the nicest RV ever made," Wetherhold told jacksonville.com

Why build such a skinny house?

When the area was platted in the Williams Coastal Heights neighborhood in the 1920s it was divided into narrow, 25-foot-wide lots which were then bought in groups to get enough for normal-sized homes.

Occasionally when this happens, some orphan lots get left behind. Atkins and Wetherhold decided to nab it.

"We purchased the lot from another builder/developer that does more high-end luxury homes," Wetherhold said. "John and I have developed on smaller lots in the past, so it appealed to us."

Such a narrow, tall building did require some special handling in a coastal, storm-prone area. The foundation is much larger than usual, with 40,000 pounds of concrete at each end to counteract hurricane-force winds, Atkins said.

Where is the skinny house in Jacksonville Beach?

The house is located at 1952 Horn St., in the Williams Coastal Heights neighborhood in Jacksonville Beach, a block north of South Beach Park and Sunshine Playground and just two blocks west of the beach.

What did Zillow Gone Wild say about the skinny house?

In April the wildly popular Zillow Gone Wild site spotted the listing.

"SKINNY HOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE," it said. "As you can see, it's glorious!!"

Zillow Gone Wild did a photo walkthrough and found the skinny house pleasing. "As you can see, it's glorious!!" Attention was given to the spacious feel and the length.

"Walk into the skinny house foyer and you can see all the way through the home," the description said. "I don’t care what the fung shui people say, seeing through your home is good. This doesn’t feel so skinny house either once you are inside."

Zillow Gone Wild's post on X, formerly Twitter, has gotten over 881.6 thousand views and 2,000 likes.

"Damn, even houses are on Ozempic now," one commenter said.

"The number of views on Zillow in just the first few days was in the thousands, which is unusual; it's typically around 50 or so for most houses," Wetherhold said. "Once Zillow Gone Wild reached out, I knew it was going to go viral."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 'Skinny house' in Jacksonville Beach just 10 feet wide