History of the tiniest house in Toronto

Toronto’s tiniest house sits on a residential street and comes with an over 100-year history.

The St. Clair West Village home, known as ‘The Little House” is a bungalow at around 300 square feet — smaller than many bachelor condos. The average size of a Toronto condo is about 650 square feet, according to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

The home was built by Toronto contractor Arthur Weeden in 1912. In 1939, Weeden told the Toronto Sun Telegram that the lot was original supposed to be a laneway but a curb was never cut by the City of Toronto.

So Weeden decided that “in order to use the land, I would build on it,” he told the newspaper. He and his wife lived in the home for 20 years and after his wife died, he lived there for six more years.

He had a vegetable garden in the backyard growing tomatoes, cabbages, Swiss chard, rhubarb and some flowers.

Born in England, Weeden migrated to Canada in 1902 and worked as the superintendent of the old Lighthouse Mission and later built homes in Toronto.

The home garnered international attention when it was listed for sale in 2008. U.S. talk show host Ellen DeGeneres spoke to Toronto realtor Cristina Lopes about the home in January 2008.

“We have a lot of attention from around the world,” Lopes said.

Lopes told DeGeneres a family with two children lived in the home before her client. Her client completely renovated the home.

She described it as an “open-concept” design with a Murphy bed. The resident lifts up the bed to access the back door to the patio.

The home is an alternative to condo living, she added.

“You have a place to park your car and a patio to enjoy,” Lopes said.

Despite the attention the home received, it did not sell in 2008, according to online real estate sites.

The home was last listed for sale in 2010 and sold in about 30 days for $173,000.

The listing described the home as charming and unique. It had hardwood floors, a new kitchen, a renovated washroom and two parking spots.

HouseSigma estimates it would sell for around $445,000 if sold in 2024.