Dr. John Tyler built a Spite House as big as his ego when he built the 9,000 sq. ft. building in 1814 to keep the city from building a road next to his home.

The Seattle, WA’s 1925 Spanish Revival style Spite House in the historic Montlake area is at its slimmest only 55 inches, and at its widest, 15 feet. The wedge-shaped home has 860 square feet of living space, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms within its two stories.

A ten-foot, four-inch-wide home in Boston sold in 2021 for $1.25 million. Boston’s Skinny House, sometimes referred to as a spite house, is at 44 Hull Street in the city’s North End.

Builders built “spite houses” quickly to take advantage of loopholes in local laws, as well as address flaws in urban planning until the early 20th century. Alexandria, Virginia, is unusual because it has four spite houses. Those who built them found that revenge is expensive. Today, building a fence or wall is more cost-effective.