Uniquely is a Sacramento Bee series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in the Sacramento area so special.
On the way to a co-worker’s holiday party, Richard Stapler spotted a house that stopped him in his tracks.
He and his now ex-husband had been on the hunt for homes in midtown and downtown Sacramento. They had seen the “Skinny House” in the newspaper but didn’t know it was for sale.
The Sacramento landmark, at 4920 Del Rio Rd. in Land Park, is a 1,109-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath house. What makes the building striking is its narrowness — the house is only 8 feet wide at its south end.
“In a house like that, you feel more like a steward than a homeowner,” Stapler said in July. “Anybody who drives down Del Rio Road, you say ‘Skinny House,’ and they know immediately what you’re talking about.”
They bought the house in 2009 for what Stapler calls the “bargain of the century,” or $190,000. Stapler and his ex-husband called the Skinny House their home until September 2015.