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The 20x30 Panelized Cottage

An owner built one story cottage in Kansas, framed from 4x8 wall panels built in a barn and stood up on the slab in a single day.

Here is a photo sent in by Cody, the buider of this house:

the finished 20x30 cottage painted red, with a metal roof and a chimney on the gable end
The house is now painted and pretty much done on the outside. Work is still to be done on the inside. Earlier photos are below.
the cottage wrapped in Tyvek with the gable end sheathed and the roof decked

I have to share an email I got today with these photos:

“Here are some photos of the 20x30 one story we built from your plans. We went with 8’ sidewalls and an 10/12 roof pitch on a slab. I think we will do a little loft over the bedroom and bathroom. Up to this point building has been very easy partly because I built the outer walls in my sisters barn and then used a U-haul to take them to the site.”

“I built them with 5/8" plywood using 2x6 studs. Each panel was 4x8. I had to build this way because my husband was away in school and I have two girls - one 2 and the other was 2 months at the time, now she is 5 months old. It only took one day to bring the panels in and set them up. Everything was perfectly square and plumb. If I had been a little braver I would have installed the windows and doors before hand and maybe even put the Tyvek on.”

“I will send more pictures as we complete the project. Thank you for your plans”

Cody Bergman

Cody holding her baby beside the stack of wall panels she framed in the barn
Here is Cody with the little one and the barn-built panels
wall panels laid out flat on the finished slab, ready to be stood up
The panels at the site. The slab floor is done and we are ready to frame!
inside the framed shell, plywood faced wall panels with rafter ties overhead
Panels are framed up and exposed rafter ties are up. Note that window openings have yet to be cut out.
roof rafters with a built up beam tied across every other rafter
Here you can see the roof rafters in place and how every other rafter is tied across with an exposed built-up beam (made out of 2x lumber). Part of this will be decked over later for a loft.
four windows installed, seen from inside, with the Tyvek cut back around the openings
View from the inside showing how the Tyvek was cut and the windows installed. The double studs are where the panel edges meet. They are then tied together by a continuous top plate put on after the panels are plumb and square.
Cody at the gable end wall, siding started above the Tyvek, a small girl running past
Where is that good help when you need it?

Here is Cody’s update:

“My husband is home now and was able to help with everything but the outer walls. He is unable to do a whole lot because he is military and works about 80 hours a week. We did have someone do the slab and the metal roof. We only paid $3,800 for the slab and 40" deep footings so I couldn’t pass it up. The metal roof, installed was $1,185 - not much more than shingles.”

“I will be happy to explain to anyone how to panelize their house. It is sooooooo simple, especially if you plan the doors and windows to fit inside a 4x8 sheet.”

“I did make one huge mistake so far and I am embarrassed to admit it. I tried to side the house with 3/8" plywood siding, over Tyvek and the 5/8" plywood sheathing. It was much lighter than T1-11 so I thought it would be easier to put up. Well, the panels warped in 3 days even though it was primed first. So now the red siding you see in the picture will be torn off this weekend. Grrrrrrr. I am just going to leave the house until spring and start working on the inside. I will send more pics as they come up.”

red panel siding on the gable end with the metal roofing in place
The thin panel siding is on the gable end and the metal roofing is up.
painting the red gable end wall from a step ladder
“Did I miss any spots?”

Where to go from here