Check out the smallest house in the world
- The One-Sqm-House is the smallest house in the world
- As its name suggests, it measures just one square meter
- The lightweight and easy-to-build house is also fitted with wheels so you can change its location
Published on Jul 09, 2024 at 4:38 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 09, 2024 at 3:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The smallest house ever made measured just one square meter (10.76 square feet) and was fitted with wheels, meaning you could easily switch up its location.
The design, which is aptly named the ‘One-Sqm-House’ was dreamed up by designer Van Bo Le-Metnzel, who worked on the basis that people have a general need for at least one square meter of personal space.
Le-Metnzel, who worked for Hartz IV Möbel, joined forces with BMW Guggenheim Lab and hoped to kick-start the One Square Meter Revolution when it launched in 2013.
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What’s the story behind the world’s smallest house?
According to reports from the time, Le-Metnzel envisioned entire villages of these teeny tiny homes set up as a place for students to get some shut-eye or to be used as unusual Airbnb options.
The hardwood houses can be built by anyone with even a basic grasp of DIY – and Le-Metnzel put the plans online for free.
Not only that, but they’re incredibly cheap to build, costing just €250 (around $270 at today’s exchange rate), and made from common, easy-to-find materials.
Although it might be a bit of a push to call it a ‘house’, the One-Sqm-House was fully waterproof and came complete with a sliding window and a lockable door.
How small is small?
Standing at 200 centimeters (79 inches), the house – which has four walls, a floor, and a pointed roof – can be used as a solo office or even a booth for vendors; at night you can lay the house on its side and it works as a tiny bedroom or a space to simply sit down and relax.
The One-Sqm-House weighs just 40 kg (88 pounds) and sits on two trolley wheels so it can easily be moved around by hand or towed by a car – maybe you could even hook it up to the world’s smallest car – this was a key selling point, according to the designer.
“So I said, OK, I want to have my own square meter…that no one other than I, myself, can decide what happens with this one square meter of mine in the world,” Le-Metnzel said.
“It’s the only square meter in the world where I can decide what direction the window looks in, what direction the door opens in, what neighbors I have.”
Sounds pretty good when you put it like that.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
