Worth the Wait

Tucked into the side of a scenic San Francisco hill, one of the city’s more diminutive houses battles everything from dry rot to obstructionist neighbors in order to grow up.

This is the story of a tiny house that overcame mansion-sized hurdles in its quest to become a wee bit more commodious (97 square feet were added to the existing 806) and a lot more hospitable. Built as an infill shack between two larger buildings at the turn of the last century, the warren of small, light-blocking rooms on split levels was more conducive to claustrophobia than California dreaming, despite its idyllic locale.

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Deborah Bishop
Based in San Francisco, Deborah Bishop has written for Dwell almost since the first issue hit the newsstands.

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