This is it...my dream cottage.

stef · #1 04/08/10, 06:16 PM

This is from the 'Small House Living' website.

I claim no ownership of this plan or its design, but I sure do like it.

Just add a hookup for a washer/dryer on the first floor and I'm set.

It's just so cute and compact. My thing all the way.

stef

http://www.architecturaldesigns.com/....asp?srcID=KGR

txquilter · #2 04/08/10, 06:23 PM

Too cute Stef!

HermitJohn · #3 04/08/10, 06:27 PM

Could just turn the garage into a barn and heat from the animals could warm the living area....

PulpFaction · #4 04/08/10, 08:55 PM

John, I was thinking the same thing, LOL.

I think I'd have to add some gables upstairs so there could be more windows, too. Or bump out the roof line for a loft sleeping room so you could expand the living space a little. I do need a bit more kitchen.

belladulcinea · #5 04/08/10, 10:20 PM

How cool!

where I want to · #6 04/08/10, 10:29 PM

Very cute but I don't think I would like a lifetime of toting groceries, etc up a flight of stairs. The floor plan is very clever.

Hopeful Lady · #7 04/08/10, 10:49 PM

It is cute. My concern would be the later years and the stairs.

Freeholder · #8 04/08/10, 11:23 PM

If you built it up against a hillside, so part of the garage was actually a basement, you could have first-floor access to the upper level. This might also eliminate the need for stairs to the basement, although it would be inconvenient to have to go outside and down the hill to get to the garage, I suppose.

I agree that the kitchen is a bit small, and IMO the bathroom is unnecessarily big -- I think I would do a little re-arranging there.

Also there's no pantry space on the living floor; you could have pantry shelves in the garage, but again, not so convenient if you are having mobility issues.

It is a cute little place, though.

Kathleen

||Downhome|| · #9 04/08/10, 11:39 PM

I like it but not for me, I would loose the double peak thing. I would also not use the lower area as a garage. that way you could move the kitchen/dining area down , probably add a half bath too. leave the bedroom and bath upstairs, make the rest a like a den/study.

I notice there are no mechanicals (furnace, water heater, water softner?)

if you really want a garage you could add a hip roof off the gable end.

I also liked pulp factions suggestion for the dormers.

wouldnt be bad to have a little wet sink/microwave/mini fridge upstairs so if you want a snack or coffee and your chilling in the study you dont have to run downstairs.

oh ya theres no laundry room either?

Im sorta thinking this is for the weekend getaway crowd the way its designed.

stef · #10 04/09/10, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueJuniperFarm

If you built it up against a hillside, so part of the garage was actually a basement, you could have first-floor access to the upper level. This might also eliminate the need for stairs to the basement, although it would be inconvenient to have to go outside and down the hill to get to the garage, I suppose.

I agree that the kitchen is a bit small, and IMO the bathroom is unnecessarily big -- I think I would do a little re-arranging there.

Also there's no pantry space on the living floor; you could have pantry shelves in the garage, but again, not so convenient if you are having mobility issues.

It is a cute little place, though.

Kathleen

I like the idea of building it close the a slope. I once owned a house with a very low front elevation. We were able to use sliding doors to enter the basement. The grade sloped upwards so much along the house that we were able to step out of the kitcken door right into the back yard. So yes, it is very doable.

I'm sure as presented, the drawings leave out a lot of details and some modifications could easily be made and still maintain the design integrity.
I just love a small, cozy home.

This struck me as meeting all the needs of an older person in a charming environment. I'm not a pack rat, so I could easily store what I've got in the existing closets.

I imagine there would be lots of wall space in the lower level, along with an area for the washer and dryer, a laundry sink, and a small chest freezer.
It would be a dream to heat and cool.

I wonder how much something like this would cost to build. Or, I should say, could something like this be built for $20,000---$25,000?

stef

ChristieAcres · #11 04/09/10, 01:16 AM

It is cute, but I like one level living. It isn't due to my present physical condition (no issues with stairs), but the future who knows for sure. DH has had his knees operated on and is a candidate for knee replacement in the future. So, I'd want a 1.5 story (loft for office & guest room) with a garage to the side & entry to the inside.

Ode · #12 04/09/10, 03:07 AM

Cute little place, but I am one who is planning for single level living in case there are physical limitations in my old age. I like how open it is but it does need a bit more size to suit my hubby and my needs in our retirement. There needs to be space enough for wheelchairs/walkers to get around. Bathrooms are tricky for the handicapped, after dealing with a small bathroom (that was bigger than the one in that design) and a wheelchair bound son we will never have one that small again. It was especially hard for caregivers to be in the space at the same time, for bathing and bathrooming.

I know not everyone becomes handicapped in their old age, but both my husband and I have knee problems and the older folks in my family all suffered from arthritis, so we are taking that into consideration in all of our plans.

ronbre · #13 04/09/10, 07:44 AM

a lot of people use garage plans like that to make small houses from..sometimes it can be a good plan, however often they don't consider the insulation, plumbing, elec and finishing costs can run them a lot of $..

if you are in a warmer climate and plan on being fairly rustic and off the grid it can be fairly inexpensive though

fishhead · #14 04/09/10, 09:25 AM

My house is 24' x 28' and it only has 1 floor with a partial basement with a low ceiling. That's more than enough for me and my dog and brooding chicks/ducklings at times. When I think of small houses I think of under 20'x20'.

salmonslayer · #15 04/09/10, 10:41 AM

My daughter and her boyfriend live in a homestead in Alaska in a place about that size (most recent entry in my blog). All of their living area is downstairs with a sizeable bedroom and bathroom upstairs. The kitchen is way too small for my tastes and between DWs hips and my knees the steep stairs you find in these smaller places would do us in.

They have numerous outbuildings that solve some of the storage issues and I think if you were disciplined and really limited what you brought into the house a small place would be fine.

ronron · #16 04/09/10, 11:31 AM

We are adding a second floor studio apartment to our garage next summer it will be a guest room and eventually a possible apartment for our daughter. This is very simalar to our plans.I think the upper floor space for us is 26 x20 we are going to recess the walls in on one corner so it will have covered deck.

cowboy joe · #17 04/09/10, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishhead

My house is 24' x 28' and it only has 1 floor with a partial basement with a low ceiling. That's more than enough for me and my dog and brooding chicks/ducklings at times. When I think of small houses I think of under 20'x20'.

Yeah, me too. Apparently we are oddballs...well, at least according to one of the episodes of "This Old House" in which they visited a "very small" house that was only 2,400 sq feet! They went there to see how creative the couple (no kids) had to be to make due with that limited space.

Stef...I like the floor plan, especially if built on a hillside with a walkout on the ground floor. Lots of possiblities. Hope you get to live the dream!

Txsteader · #18 04/09/10, 11:49 AM

The only flaw I see in the design, and it's just a personal preference, is that it doesn't have enough windows. I'd have to have at least a little porthole window in the bathroom and a window over the kitchen sink. But again, that's just me.

It's an adorable cottage. My home is just about the same size.

mamita · #19 04/09/10, 12:31 PM

I love it! we live in a small cottage, and I confess that I'm addicted to tiny homes. I love the cozy, and with great thought everything you need fits in perfectly.

stef · #20 04/09/10, 01:56 PM

I'm glad to read there are a few more here with a 'turtle' mentality...I like everything tidy and compact.

I'm pretty disciplined about keeping things picked up and routinely get rid of stuff I haven't used in a year.

Almost everything in my place is used at least once a week.

Someone suggested a garage.
That would be the ideal. Finding a carriage house to remodel. New wiring, plumbing, lots of insulation and big windows.

Maybe a small (sunny) yard for a garden.
And the taxes would be low.
You're never too old to dream. (o:

stef