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Short Review

20' wide 1-1/2 story cottage in Alaska

Larry's 20 x 30 1-1/2 story cottage

20' wide 1-1/2 story Cottage with double shed dormers

The owner of this house has sent in pictures of their project. I have posted them at the owner-builder forum. Here is the link to the start of the thread. The upper level rear dormer opens up onto a sealed balcony/porch at the back.

Shortened version of the 2-story Universal Cottage

20' wide single story plan

Panels built in a barn are quickly assembled on a slab foundation. 

Victoria plan using SIP panels and log siding

Here is another owner-builder house where they started with the Victoria Cottage plans, then modified it for a basement foundation, full sized stair and larger bedroom wing. The actual structure was built using 12' long structural insulated panels - SIP - thick foam insulation panels with OSB sheathing on both sides. This eliminates the framing, but involves assembling some pretty good sized panels into a 3D puzzle. I'll let owner Brad Raby tell the story. Click here for the photos and narrative and find out how a log cottage can be built that is both very well insulated and won't settle like normal log structures.

16' wide Victoria Cottage over a daylight basement

Here are some progress photos of the modified Victoria's Cottage that Dennis Kuhn and his family is building. He worked with a local engineer and had the plans modified to be built over a full basement foundation. He has used some interesting owner-builder products in this fine little house. Things like EcoBlock insulated concrete forms that provide a fully insulated basement level living space. Dennis reports he loves the light from all the skylights (there are 6 in his plan). They also installed their own metal roof. Several updates to the project are shown.

Victoria and Enchilada Cottage Compound

Progress photos of an ongoing project with the 16' wide Victoria Cottage and linked version of the 14' wide Builder's Cottage. The two buildings are connected with a mudroom entry. 

A 16 x 24 LeMay cabin

These progress photos show how an owner and friends built a 16' wide cabin with a two room loft. Photos includes a shot of the "L" shaped cottage stair, interior wood paneling, woodstove and a later porch that was added. This cabin has a pier foundation.

14 x 24 Backyard office/studio

Three photos of a simple Builder's Cottage design from the Enchilada plans. Dale has built a very nice small building here and has more plans for future upgrades.

Buildings Under 200 sf - A Tiny house Design Contest!

In many code jurisdictions you can build a shed or storage building of under 200 sf without a permit. These little buildings can provide a place to store materials and work on your house. For country property they can even be outfitted as a rustic retreat for glorified camping. They are also a great way to learn building skills!

This project started life as an A-frame that morphed into a frame cabin or cottage home.

12x18 Little House Project

Here is a set of progress photos of the 12 x 18 cabin built by Mike Nyikos and friends. This plan is part of the Little House Plans kit, but most people build the largest of the three cabins in that set. This is the medium sized building and the owner decided to get some practice for when he later builds a larger cabin in Canada. He built this plan as a storage shed for his current property in Texas. These photos clearly show the construction of the low-impact post and pier foundation and the framing sequence for a simple building.

Little House Projects

Here are two more examples of owner-built small buildings. The first is a 12 x 18 gable roofed workshop/office. The second, a shed roof used to cover a 16 x 24 floor plan. Click the images for more pictures and information.

14x24 Little House Project in Hawaii

Here is a short movie on the building of the 14x24 Builder's cottage in Hawaii. This lockable cabin has used the easy to build Little House post and pier foundation. The owner's have used T1-11 siding and have closable panels to cover the windows and door openings.

This is a movie (mov) file, you will need to have Quicktime or Window's Media Player to view it. Double click the image to download and play.

An inexpensive 14x36 Little House Project

The house at left was built for $10,000 using the 14' wide house from the Little House Plans Kit. The owners extended it to 36' for a downstairs bedroom with a large storage loft above. It was owner-built with family and friends and about $500 worth of professional help. Click here, for additional photos.

14x24 Little House Project in the Yukon

Here is a 14x24 cabin that Stephan Mead built up in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Click the photo or this link for more pictures and a 2 page description of the project.

This is cabin that started these plans and a good example of the simplest of the three cabins in the Little House Plans Kit. Walk through these step-by-step photos of the10'x14' flat roofed cabin my two sons and I built for about $1400.

For another example... This hip-roofed version of the smallest cabin in the Little House Plans Kit was built by a builder who now has a business building these as upscale playhouses and backyard workshop/studios for customers in his area.

Here's a photo of a similar type of simple tarpaper (in process) cabin using just some of the information from the Big Enchilada plans. Click here for a quick shot of a project by Manny Cauto.