We’ve all heard of the tiny house movement but Anna Jones’ house is next level. So much so that people come from as far as Israel just to tour her mini-sized ranch style brick cottage in Brick, NJ.
When we say mini… we mean mini. We’re not talking about your standard tiny home living, the ceilings are only 3 and a half feet high in this home.
Jones is the owner of the “Brick Midget House of Brick” which has become a New Jersey tourist attraction.
Jones and her husband Matt bought their corner lot in 2000. In their backyard next to their house was a fully functional tiny home complete with a bedroom, bathroom, dine-in kitchen, living room, brick fireplace, running water, electricity, and an outdoor pool.
Not only is the house fully functional but it is also fully decorated with small furniture including tables, chairs, a bed, wood panel walls, a tiled bathroom that also has a shower, kitchen cabinets and a piano.
The home was built in the 1960s to serve as a playhouse for the previous owner’s grandchildren.
However, the local community created several their own lore about the house, including that it is the home of a family that used to be in a circus.
“You see, people don’t think it’s my house, because it’s on its own lot,” she explained. “So they just think it’s a separate entity.”
The popularity of the house with the public is actually one of the reasons her children didn’t play in the tiny home that often over the years.
“We wanted them to, but didn’t think it was safe for them because I never knew what was in there from the night before,” she told Weird NJ. “We would find used condoms in there, someone threw a Jack Daniels bottle through the front window. That costs $400 every time that gets broken and needs to be replaced. Most of the people that come have all good intentions––they want to take a picture, and I don’t have a problem with that.”
Pictures, she doesn’t mind. However, some parties break into the home to steal or vandalize the home
“You want to take a picture, take a picture,” she told NJ.com. “Just don’t steal. You wouldn’t walk into someone’s house if it was open. So don’t walk in there.”
Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy caused more than $78,000 to her home alone and has also wrecked the tiny home’s interior. It flooded out the mini house, destroying her furniture, carpets, and other decors.
Between the storm damage and the constant theft and vandalism, Jones says she is looking to sell the mini house, which she says she would need to do in order to sell her property.
“I say I’ll be happy if it’s sold and somebody wants to take it, and somebody else could enjoy it on their property,” she said. “I know a lot of the neighbors — or some of the neighbors, I should say — feel a little differently. This is like a landmark and they don’t want it to go.”
You can watch the video tour of the home below.
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