Toy sized apartments

London can beat anything we have to offer. I'm too lazy to look it up, but there was a great little place in Mayfair that was all over the press. Maybe even here at StreetEasy.

Ugh, vomit. Anytime I hear the word "savvy" being used to market something, I shudder and think the opposite. Savvy Buyer = Sucker. It's sad to think of struggling people plunking down $100k+ on a 14x9 room. Fortunately, anyone who has the 25% down payment probably has enough brains to rent something nicer....

If we're going outside NYC, I think Tokyo has 'em all beat. Can't confirm or deny; I've just heard it's extreme over there.

I think rufus may have the smallest apartment in the world. It's like a tiny closet space, just enough to fit himself and his laptop. You may have to double check with him though. :)

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/353151-condop-99-avenue-b-east-village-new-york
http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/343222-coop-317-east-3rd-street-east-village-new-york
http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/91240-coop-610-east-5th-street-east-village-new-york

The second two are technically one bedrooms, but so tiny. I actually sort of enjoy the theoretical exercise of making a life in a place so small, so I like looking at these.

I like this one:
http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/353137-coop-317-east-18th-street-gramercy-park-new-york

I think this is the London apt.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8MQGPLG2&show_article=1

"If you thought of this as the cabin on a boat, you'd say, 'It's pretty spacious,' "

I owned a 250 sq ft apt a few years ago... it wasn't too bad considering I was coming from a "share", where my room was about 10X9, with no closet. Actually, had my girlfriend not moved in, I probably would've stayed in the 250 sq ft spot for a while. But, with 2 people, it was REAL tight.

broadwayron, did your relationship survive the apartment? I'm always amazed that any couple can live in any sub-loft-sized studio for any substantial duration of time.

these apartments would be fine if they were $100k...I looked at tudor city and they also are very tiny with no kitchen.

@ alanhart, one of the most commented-on chapters in my book is the one where I describe the "jumbo" studio (about 550 square feet) where I have lived with my husband for four years. For us the substantial inconveniences (clutter, the need to constantly rent storage, and banging into each other) are worth the convenience of a very short commute to our jobs. But it does knock Middle Americans over when I say that we live in a space the size of a standard living room, and that it's worth more than a standard suburban house!

ali r.
{downtown broker & author, "Diary of a Real Estate Rookie"}

front_porch...do you separate your sleeping and living spaces with wall dividers?

ali, that makes sense -- even the alcove studio affords a certain level of relative privacy, and straight studios can be thoughtfully partioned and/or designed with flexible barriers to do the same. It's also more appropriate for busier people (biz or social) than for "cocooners"

Ali, I too love shocking the midwesterners. Even my relatively spacious (for NY) one-bedroom knocks them for a loop. ;)

Sometimes that makes me want to buy a smaller place, just to prove it can be done.

ali, didn't know you wrote a book. i'm impressed! i think i may pick it up off of amazon...

Ali, I just finished your book - loved it. I highly recommend it to any real estate junkie, pretty much anyone of us on this site qualifies...

@special_K: oh, do buy the book -- if you want to be technological, you can even get it on kindle for about six bucks!

@everybody -- we have a Murphy Bed. We bought a tremendously fancy piece of cabinetry -- it has drawers and bookshelves on the side, and then two bookshelves in front that swing away so the bed can be lowered. It cost $8K (we got real wood) but you can get cheaper ones . . . and it's really been the piece of technology that has made living in such a small space possible, because it doesn't feel like we're stuck in our bedroom all the time. highly recommend.

The other thing we did was to take a 5 by 8 walk-in closet and make it a den with a love seat and a TV -- so we have a "two-room" studio. It means we are short on closet space but it allows us to have separate defined spaces -- so hubby can watch TV between 11 and 1 while I'm sleeping.

If we had a more traditional alcove studio, I would definitely build a wall. Sometimes you just need a door between you :>.

ali r.
[downtown broker}

wow congrats Ali!!! i'll read your book.

just my 2 cents here about lack of space and relationships: my now husband moved to the studio that Columbia Univ. assigned me almost as soon as we met (2 or 3 months later to be exact, with ALL his furniture). by the way, just few weeks after we met i had my now in-laws eating cake at this same studio (and i was told that american guys wait a long time before introducing their family members while dating!). they are from the midwest (farmers), so go figure what they were thinking about my living arrangements.

anyway, we lived in the super tiny studio for almost a year, married and continued there. for a while we were saving to buy our own tiny closet, during that period i researched the real estate markets and bubbles throughout history (econ/finance background). that's when i began shorting the real estate and finance sectors instead of buying RE (did very well for my family! they supported my "endeavors" from the start to my surprise).

for the last 2 years we've been living in a very comfy 2 bedroom rent stab. i'll advice anybody to live in a tiny closet-like home if you really want to get to know somebody! then find a rent stab, that was awesome for us and there's no small quantity of those. it's not true that you have to have connections to get one as we are about as un-connected as you can be, just got lucky for once.

thanks mrsbuffet!

ali r.
{downtown broker}

admin...how did you find a 2 bedroom rent stab. it sounds that you have a great relationship small or large space.

ali - you get my vote for marriage of the century, if you can pull off living in such close quarters!

Your next book should be a relationships book, for sure!

Here's an article on the tiny trend...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/10/22/tiny.houses/index.html

julia, i gave the link before, it was through K&R:

K & R
K&R Realty specializes in low rent no broker fee apartments throughout Manhattan . Our buildings are clean, well maintained, and efficient.
www.kandrrealty.com/

they treated us with dignity and respect. this was back on 2005/6 when you couldn't find rentals at affordable rates for non wall streeters like us. now it should begin to be much easier than it used to (i hope).

This thread is awesome. I'm poor so I have clicked on many of these listings before (and some I'd consider buying ... if they'd just be priced reasonably).

Here's my fave: http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/312941-coop-88-horatio-street-west-village-new-york

One room. I'm not 100% certain that the bath isn't down the hall and shared with other tenants. But holding out for 300K!

Congrats on the book, ali! I want to read it :)

lvv, always reassuring when they don't even bother with a floorplan! But fear not, it lists "1 baths" in the plural! I'm very curious as to how it can be a top-floor apartment with a private garden that certainly looks like it's at ground level.

Oooh, that kitchen is definitely doll-sized!

On the Citi-Habitats page there's a link to the virtual tour, of which there are two. One of the main room and the other of the bathroom, which has not been renovated since the mid-1940's. There's one of those annoying sinks with two faucets, one each for hot and cold. Hate those.

Hold onto your hats! I live in a 460sq ft studio in the West Village that I bought in my single gal days. Only now, I have a husband, 3 year old son, big hairy dog AND...I'm pregnant! Would rather have more space? You bet I would. We all would. But...do I want to leave the West Village? NO! The schools, the parks, the friendly super safe nabe... it's hard to look at Harlem and feel warm and cozy about it. Also...this baby is bought and paid for...which in this environment is very comforting. I have worked with an architect to maximize the use of space, and will be doing even more creative built ins to prepare for our new arrival....I can say with certainty that this apt has more storage space than many 1 and 2 bedrooms we've looked at. Thankfully, we have very high ceilings. I think about it like a sailboat. Every inch of space has to be put to good use(s). I figure we can last another 2 or 3 years here....before we all go INSANE!

Susan I am so jealous. I owned a studio in 69 w 9 and sold it in 2000 when I got married. Never rebought and threw money away on rent now for 8 years. I wish I had stayed. Have a dog and a baby now too. The most stupid thing I did was sell then. If I were you I would sell now though. You won' t be able to live there much longer and prices will drop even more. Anywhere on the East side has good schools and will be cheaper - up on 1st in the 80s for example. YOu can at least get a jr 4 and live in that

{{But it does knock Middle Americans over when I say that we live in a space the size of a standard living room}}

Ha! I remember moving into a studio just shy of 400 square feet after college - it was roughly the size of my childhood bedroom! I'd often have dreams of opening the closet and discovering another (huge) room hidden behind the wall...

The key is ZERO clutter. Now that we live in a 2-bed, 2-bath I'm still a maniac about getting rid of stuff or not bringing it in in the first place.

This is one of the best postings ever on streeteasy...it's terrific how new yorkers (manhattan) can adjust to small spaces. Susan your story should be on tv. I recently sold my studio (480 sq) no alcove because I felt trapped. Am now renting a one bedroom and have come to realize the studio was perfect.

I would give my left pinky for an alcove! LOL

apartmenttherapy.com has an annual tiny apartments feature; maybe even competition.

yes, but the apartment therapy people who made their rep by living in a tiny apartment and going on Oprah also reportedly have a house in the Hamptons . .

ali r.
{downtown broker}

"broadwayron, did your relationship survive the apartment? I'm always amazed that any couple can live in any sub-loft-sized studio for any substantial duration of time."

We lived there for about a year, and moved to a bigger place. We've been together for over 4 years (since the small place), so I guess something's working.

Funny, someone posted 99 Ave B. I've looked at lots of small places over the years, but I remember trying to buy one in that building for (I think) $99K back in 2003-ish. I think I remember it because the address matched the price. That place would have been impossible to live with someone else, because the layout just didn't work. If you have a small space, you'd better have a decent layout. Funny thing is, my current apt is technically 420 sq ft (measured inside the walls ["real" sq ft), but it feels bigger than some places I've seen which were supposedly 600 sq ft. You gotta love small apts with long hallways- what a lousy design (I realize many weren't actually built that way, though).

front -porch..... actually....that's what we are considering now too. Not the Hamptons... but upstate. The question we keep coming back to is...can we live SMALL, here, during the week to take advantage of all the area has to offer and then escape to a HOUSE somewhere upstate that we can scoop up now at "fire sale prices" (to quote the quote of the week) where we can all roam free? And....even if we can't do it forever...can we do it for 2 years until this all blows over and then when we do move on from this apt., we have a country house to boot!

susan...you would have the best of both. what a great way to raise children.

Susan--

we did that for a couple of years -- the studio during the week and then to a beach house on weekends -- it ended up not working so well when I went into real estate and started working Sundays . . but for awhile I thought it was the best of both worlds!

The problem is that houses break, so every third weekend out there you're waiting for the plumber or the roofer or the electrician, or the driveway guy . . .

ali r.
{downtown broker}