Sometimes all you need in life is an old house and a cozy life in 550 square feet.
Homeowner David Morales knows this better than most.
He bought this 1840’s cutie in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from a friend for $18,000. When his friend first rescued the property, it had been abandoned for years.
Today, it’s an adorable city cottage with a bright red front door.
David tells me the house was originally built for a Ms. Barbara Geish in 1840. It is situated on a 1/4 are lot on the Lincoln Highway (now King Street) in historic Lancaster. Few alterations have been made over the years.
Below you can see the little backyard complete with a couple of trees:
This storybook cottage was inventoried by the Historic Preservation Trust in 1985. It is listed as a Germanic 4-bay frame house.
David says it’s just him who lives here so the 550 square feet is the perfect size for one.
The main floor plan is very simple: living room in the front, kitchen in the back.
The Lancaster Amish-made kitchen features old wood floors….
Exposed brick wall….
Center island with a deep sink…
And a built-in china hutch.
David says he removed layers of sheetrock and left the original paint on the kitchen walls. Very cool!
Have a closer look at the old stove:
Upstairs, there are two pint-sized bedrooms.
The master bedroom just barely fits a full size bed, which David says was salvaged from the trash.
Nice find!
The smaller room has a vintage twin-size bed.
Since there is no room for closets, David found this Ethan Allen armoire to use for storage.
The one and only bathroom is behind that white door.
This adorable tiny house was built before tiny was even cool. But for the history-loving individual, this is the perfect little nest.

Thanks to David for sharing these photos of his wonderful home with us!
There are some great historic details in there.
It’s adorable
Love ❤️ very cool perfect for a couple…
I love it!! Perfect
Perfect for one person or a single parent (rental). I love that it’s between two bigger buildings and has some protection from hard days from Mother Nature. It’s still open enough to enjoy the nice weather rest of the time! Perfect!
I hope there’s a fridge somewhere in/near the kitchen!
It’s a beautiful home, one of the best I have every seen, would love to have own one just like it . Thank you for sharing this beautiful home 🏡
Wow. Thank you for sharing
I love it! My only worry is the original paint in the kitchen. I hope it’s lead free 😔
Gorgeous. So cosy. I could fit my family in there. Bigger than most English homes!
Your kitchen stove brings back memories of my maternal grandmother’s wood burning stove. She would use the storage/warming areas up top for rising homemade breads an rolls. Love your tiny house and thank you for the memories by sharing.
Looks like there is a cellar; my 1840’s house has cellar with brick floor set in mud!