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The House of Thin

By Neil Michel

While most new homes in the Sacramento region seem to reflect the bigger-is-better mentality, at least one Sacramento homebuilder believes less is more.
    Influenced partly by his love of French lanterne-style architecture and partly by the unique shape of his lot in South Land Park, John Johnston built an architectural landmark that complements the rising tide of signature buildings in Sacramento (see “Edifice Best,” page 34).
    Johnston’s recently completed two-bedroom/two-bath home on Del Rio Road measures only 8 feet across at the south end. He says his neighbors have warmed up to the sliver-of-a-home, but prospective buyers aren’t so sure.
    After trying to sell the house for several months, Johnston decided to move in. “You have to get past your first impression,” he remarks. “The place really grows on you.”
    Indeed, the house actually grows 4 feet wider on the north end, an increase that Johnston says makes his 12-foot x 19-foot living room “as big as most tract-house living rooms in Elk Grove.”
    Johnston, a retired fashion merchandiser from San Francisco, knew his retirement would mean living a little leaner, but never imagined he would end up living in Sacramento’s skinniest house.

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