One of the country’s more unusual homes - one that legend has it was built out of spite by an ex-wife after she lost out in divorce proceedings - is currently up for sale.
What makes the Montlake Spite House in Seattle, Washington such a peculiar property is its unusual shape which is best described as V-shaped like a piece of pie.
The quirky-looking 830-square-foot property was built in 1925 and measures just 4.5 feet wide at the back, before expanding out to become 15 feet wide at the front.
Legend has it that the Montlake Spite House in Seattle, Washington, was built out of spite by an ex-wife after she lost out in divorce proceedings
The quirky-looking 830-square-foot property was built in 1925 and measures just 4.5 feet wide at the back, before expanding out to become 15 feet wide at the front
What makes the Montlake Spite House in Seattle such a peculiar property is its unusual shape which is best described as V-shaped like a piece of pie
It is also one of the famous examples of a ‘spite house’ - a property built specifically to irritate neighbors or other parties by blocking out light or access to neighboring buildings.
The property at Montlake fits the bill perfectly as a strange and impractical structure that occupies a small piece of land in front of another, larger property.
Legend has it that the strange structure came about as a result of a bitter divorce between a married couple who owned the property directly behind it.
Allegedly a judge awarded the husband the house and the wife the front yard; so out of spite she built the tiny home on top of her front yard to block out light and access to her husband’s property.
The house is one of the famous examples of a 'spite house' - a property built specifically to irritate neighbors or other parties by blocking out light or access to neighboring buildings
Despite its unusual shape, the house is quite roomy inside 'with the exception of where it narrows into the kitchen,' says the owner
Current owner Lisa Horton firmly believes the legend that the property was built as a spite house but says that she’s heard that it was for an altogether different reason.
‘I can't imagine why else someone would build a house like that if it wasn't out of spite,’ she told Komo.com.
She believes the dispute was over land. The owner of the land went back to Germany and allowed somebody to build a house on the property.
The landowner requested that the builder leave him enough space to build his own home upon his return.
But when the landowner returned, he saw that the new structure was much bigger than he’d expected and he could no longer build the home he wanted.
'Out of spite, he [the landowner] built that funny little pie-shaped home [as a barrier],' Horton told Quirksee.
Legend has it that the strange structure came about as a result of a bitter divorce between a married couple who owned the property directly behind it
The property at Montlake fits the bill perfectly as a strange and impractical structure that occupies a small piece of land in front of another, larger property
'I also heard that back when it was first built, the side that was facing the neighbor had been painted black.'
Another alternative explanation is that the home went up after the next-door neighbor, who wanted to buy the pie-shaped corner lot, made a low offer to the property owner.
The property owner was so angry at the offer that he built the house to get back at his neighbor, who eventually ended up moving.
Despite its unusual shape, the house is quite roomy inside 'with the exception of where it narrows into the kitchen,' said Horton, who has owned it since 2000.
Horton, who has been renting the two-bedroom home for the past eight years, says she hopes its next owner will appreciate its quirks as much as she has.
It is currently listed for sale at $397,500 and is touted by the real estate agent as the 'perfect condo alternative…in one of Seattle's best neighborhoods.'
The seller, who has owned the house since 2000, says she hopes its next owner will appreciate its quirks as much as she has
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