What's Hot: DC Can't Afford to Increase the Homestead Deduction | Luxury in the Heart of Adams Morgan
Best Alternative to a Studio: DC’s One-Room House
1349 C Street SE
UrbanTurf usually stays away from publishing rankings or lists…except at the end of the year when we look back at the best that DC’s real estate scene had to offer during the previous 12 months. So, this whole week, we will be looking at not only the best, but the most intriguing and peculiar things that came across our radar over the course of 2013.
Small living spaces were all the rage over the last year or so. In 2012, it was micro-units, a trend that became the development term du jour in 2013. This year, at least in DC, the trend switched to tiny houses, both existing and under construction.
Our favorite example of the former came when we discovered Jan Walwyn’s one-room house on Capitol Hill in May.
Walwyn was taken with the 372 square-foot home at 1349 C Street NE (map) as soon as he saw it in 2009. He purchased it, despite the restrictive space.
With square footage at a premium, Walwyn’s futon served as his couch and his Queen-sized bed, and a loft space was constructed in the living room to provide extra storage space. For entertaining guests, there were two chairs, one that was also used as a sleeper, and an ottoman that could also be used as a coffee table. Walwyn, an avid cyclist, installed ceiling hooks for his bicycle. A small backyard (formerly the home’s parking space) provided a place to entertain.
The 1300 block of C Street NE is full of similar homes. A century ago, they were houses for workers in the area. After that, they became commercial properties, and most recently, they were all part of a church before being converted into homes.
Small living is not forever, though, and we covered Walwyn’s home soon after he put it on the market. Rest assured that space efficiency is part of his plan at his new home: UrbanTurf wrote about Walwyn’s girlfriend’s 308-square foot home back in 2011.
See other articles related to: dclofts, capitol hill, best of 2013
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/best_alternative_to_a_studio_dcs_one-room_house/7937
UrbanTurf Listings showcases the DC metro area's best properties available for sale.
Most Popular... This Week • Last 30 Days • Ever
Following news that the retail outlet is replacing Best Buy in Tenleytown, UrbanTurf ... read »
For the first time in years, the spring housing market looks to favor buyers. ... read »
Nearly six months after a PUD was approved for two of the last remaining Waterfront S... read »
Cutting off Purple Line construction funds to spite late-night rail service; where to... read »
This week’s Best New Listings includes an ample Victorian near H Street, a cute cot... read »
DC Real Estate Guides
Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market
We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Visit guides.urbanturf.com or start browsing below!
First-Timer Primers
Intro guides for first-time home buyers
Northern Virginia
Profiles of 14 neighborhoods across Northern Virginia
|
Ballston
Looking to Give People A Reason to Stay Past 6pm
|
Clarendon
Happily Straddling the Line Between City and Suburb
|
Columbia Pike
Arlington’s Neglected Stepchild is Getting a Makeover
|
|
Crystal City
Turning Lemons into Lemonade
|
Lyon Village
Developing An Air of Exclusivity?
|
Rosslyn
Hitting Its Growth Spurt
|
|
Shirlington
An Urban Village Hitting Its Stride
|
Del Ray
Virginia’s Small Town Near the Big City
|
Eisenhower Avenue
The Vibrancy Might Take a Few Years
|
|
Huntington
The Quiet Neighborhood By the Beltway
|
Old Town
Mayberry By The Potomac
|
Parkfairfax
132 Commerical-Free Acres
|
|
Downtown Falls Church
Staying the Same in the Midst of Change
|
Tysons Corner
Radical Change Could Be On The Way
|
Maryland
Profiles of 14 neighborhoods in suburban Maryland
|
Annapolis
Small-Town Living in the State Capital
|
Bethesda
Bedroom Community Gets Buzzing Cache
|
Cabin John
In With The New While Maintaining the Old
|
|
Chevy Chase
Affluence, Green Lawns and Pricey Homes
|
Downtown Silver Spring
Experiencing a Resurgence After a Bumpy History
|
Potomac
A Suburb on Steroids
|
|
Rockville Town Square
Despite the Dynamism, Still Somewhat Generic
|
Takoma Park
More Than a Little Bit Quirky
|
Wheaton
A Foodie Magnet on the Verge of Change
|
|
Capitol Heights
Kudzu, Front Porches and Crime
|
Hyattsville
Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
|
Mount Rainier
Artists, Affordable Homes and A Silo Full of Corn
|
|
National Harbor
A Development Rises Next to the Potomac
|
Riverdale Park
A Town Looking For Its Identity
|
Northwest DC
30+ neighborhood profiles for the city's biggest quadrant
|
16th Street Heights
DC's Sleeper Neighborhood
|
Bloomingdale
Where (Almost) Everyone Knows Your Name
|
AU Park
One of DC’s Last Frontiers Before the Suburbs
|
|
Brightwood
DC’s Northern Neighborhood on the Cusp
|
Burleith
DC’s 535 House Neighborhood
|
Cathedral Heights
Do You Know Where That Is?
|
|
Chevy Chase DC
Not to Be Confused With the Other Chevy Chase
|
Cleveland Park
Coming Back After A Rough Year
|
Columbia Heights
DC’s Most Diverse Neighborhood, But For How Long?
|
|
Crestwood
An Island of Serenity East of the Park
|
Dupont Circle
The Best of DC (For a Price)
|
Foggy Bottom & West End
Where the Institutional Meets the International
|
|
Forest Hills
Ambassadors and Adventurous Architecture
|
Foxhall Village
350 Homes Just West of Georgetown
|
Friendship Heights
A Shopping Mecca With a Few Places to Live
|
|
Georgetown
History, Hoyas and H&M
|
Glover Park
One of DC’s Preppier and More Family-Friendly Neighborhoods
|
Kalorama
A Posh View From Embassy Row
|
|
LeDroit Park
A Quiet Enclave in the Middle of the City
|
Logan Circle
Trendy Now, But Not By Accident
|
Mount Pleasant
Sought-After Homes Surround Main Street in Transition
|
|
Mount Vernon Triangle
From Seedy to Sought-After
|
Palisades
The Long, Skinny Neighborhood at the City’s Northwest Edge
|
Park View
It’s Not Petworth
|
|
Penn Quarter/Chinatown
DC’s Go-Go-Go Neighborhood
|
Petworth
Getting a Vibrancy of Its Own
|
Shaw
The Duke’s Former Stomping Ground
|
|
Shepherd Park
DC’s Garden of Diversity
|
Spring Valley
A Suburb With a DC Zip Code
|
Takoma
Not To Be Confused With Takoma Park
|
|
Tenleytown
Not Quite Like Its Neighbors
|
U Street Corridor
The Difference a Decade Makes
|
Woodley Park
Deceptively Residential
|
|
Adams Morgan
No Longer DC’s Hippest Neighborhood, But Still Loved by Residents
|
Southwest DC
The little quadrant that could
|
Southwest Waterfront
A Neighborhood Where A Change Is Gonna Come
|
Northeast DC
Profiles of 10 neighborhoods in NE
|
Brookland
New Development Could Shake Up Pastoral Peace
|
Deanwood
A Little Bit of Country Just Inside the District’s Borders
|
Eckington
Not to Be Confused With Bloomingdale
|
|
Fort Totten
Five Years Could Make a Big Difference
|
H Street
A Place To Party, and To Settle Down
|
Langdon
The Northeast Neighborhood That Few Know About
|
|
Michigan Park
A Newsletter-On-Your-Doorstep Community
|
NoMa
Evolving from a Brand to a Neighborhood
|
Rosedale
Ripe for Investment Right About Now
|
|
Trinidad
The Difference 5 Years Makes
|
Woodridge
Big Houses, A Dusty Commercial Strip and Potential
|
Southeast DC
6 neighborhoods from Capitol Hill to East of the River
|
Capitol Riverfront
Still Growing
|
Hill East
Capitol Hill’s Lesser Known Neighbor
|
Congress Heights
Gradually Rising
|
|
Hillcrest
Notable for Its Neighborliness
|
Historic Anacostia
Future Promise Breeds Cautious Optimism
|
Eastern Market
A More European Way of Living
|
Off the Beaten Turf
Overlooked parks, shops, cafes, and miscellany throughout DC
Unique Spaces
Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro
