SCARBOROUGH – The virtues of the “tiny house,” which can measure as little as a couple of hundred teeny-tiny square feet, have been widely celebrated recently. Here is a home that shares many tiny-house advantages, but doesn’t inflict a sense of claustrophobia.

Built in 1940, the baby Cape was almost entirely renovated a couple of years ago by the seller (for the benefit of a family member) and is relatively spacious, at 528 square feet. Improvements are too long to list here, but some of the important ones include new electrical, hot water heater and oil tank; appliances; air sealing and blown-in insulation; and all windows and doors wrapped with aluminum.

The latter updates highlight the small home’s notable energy-efficiency, a consideration not unrelated to its affordability: This home is listed for sale at $143,900.

In true Cape fashion, the design/floor plan is simplicity itself. Behind the new front porch are eat-in kitchen on the north side, living room on the south. There are two bedrooms to the rear, and a nicely updated bath off the hall and just behind the kitchen. Depending on the buyer’s needs, one bedroom could serve well as an office, and stacked washer and dryer (there is no laundry at present) enclosed in the closet.

A potential drawback for some buyers is that access to the basement is only from outside. Fitting a staircase down could be a challenge, but would repay the effort, since the basement is partial-daylight, high-ceilinged, laundry-ready, and has a workbench with drawers.

There’s nothing little about the 0.43-acre lot, on which the home is set comfortably back from the road, and which behind the house extends about 175 feet, with new fencing and towering evergreens on each side, and open land beyond. The one-vehicle garage’s windows and roof are new. Thanks to grandfathered status, the property’s TVC3 zone will allow for some non-residential uses.

The business-friendly location – on busy U.S. Route 1 just south of Dunstan Corner – will be a turn-off for some buyers, but an advantage to others, who will appreciate the convenience not only to major roadways and to businesses in Scarborough, South Portland, Portland and Saco, but also to attractions such as golf and several of Maine’s finest beaches.

The home at 686 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough, is listed for sale by Jason Bisson of Flynn & Company Real Estate. For more information or to arrange a showing, please contact Jason at 653-1188 or at jason@jasonbissonrealtor.com.

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