Cottage and cabin - country home plans

Updated  
10/23/04

Click here for questions and answers on cottage and cabin home design


Easy to Build Cottage, Cabin and Country Home Plans

Cottage, cabin and country home plans you can build
Cottages, Cabins & Small Homes You Can Build


Selected Posts from the free Design/Build Forum

20x34 2-story plans

Span tables for joists and rafters
Alternate Tread Stair

Cabin rentals as rural business

Inexpensive windows

SIP panels with log siding

This site can help you plan and build your own customized cottage, cabin or small home. See the houses available in the Plan Picker below or explore by clicking some of the pictures further down the page.

Updated Plans & Building Info.

20' x 34' two-story plan
20' wide 1-1/2 story cottage w/ loft
20' wide 1-story Cottage.

The Volks 1-story Cottage

FREE STUFF:
3D Home Architect - Design tutorial
The Landkit - How to find and develop land.
Post & Pier Foundations. (updated)
Solar Saltbox study plan - Print the PDF.
Another free PDF - Wood/Solar hot water heater

Plan Picker - I want to build:
(click the arrow to the right side of this list and a menu of plans will drop down.)

— To view all our plans click the Order Form button and then the blue item #'s for more Info.

Owner-built cabin 14x24 w/ sleeping loft

10x14 cabin w/ roof deck cottage cabin small home

Little House Plans (for backyard studio or starter home plans)

Complete building plans for three size buildings - 10'x 14', 12'x 18' and 14'x 24' (drawing). Customize your own layout. Two roof styles - one with a walking roof deck and the other with a sleeping loft. Easy to build no-concrete post and pier foundation and 2x4 wall construction. Lowest cost structure.

Perfect for an owner-builder camping cabin, back yard guest cottage or that starter house for the homestead.

Retreat Cabin (A "how-to-build" example)

Step-by-step photos of a simple 10'x14' cabin my two sons and I built for about $1400.

The hip roofed cottage  at left is an example of modifications that were done by one builder who sells these as backyard retreat and play houses.

14x24 Cottage Home Plan Builder's Cottage Plans

For year round living or easy code approval upgrade the Little House plan to an all-season 14'x24' cottage. Click the image for floorplans and more information. This house has a concrete perimeter foundation and better insulation. Highest quality construction at reasonable cost. Best plan for year-round living. Very energy and space efficient design. Easy simple plan for quick code approval.

This plan is part of the Big Enchilada kit below which includes many possible customizations and additional options for additions and exansions.

For an example, see Victoria's Cottage Progress photos. Roll down almost to the end. The Builder's Cottage is being built as the guest cottage.

Expanded builder's cottage The Big Enchilada Plans Kit

Our most popular combination plans set for the owner-builder or owner-designer. Allows unlimited expansion and customization of any cabin or cottage up to 14' wide and any length.

When you order the big Enchilada you get all this:

  • The Builder's Cottage plans (See above.)

  • The Little House Plans kit

  • The Sunroom, Greenhouse and Skylight plans

  • A special book of bonus details and building tips you use to customize your plans.

Click HERE or on the image for more information.

16' cottage home with 12' wide addition - modeled in 3D Home Architect

The Concept

Victoria's 16' cottage home with 12' wide addition

          The Reality

Victoria's Cottage

Click the title or images to see the plan for a 16' wide little house with 12' high sidewalls with an open interior and a full sized loft with two rooms. Energy efficient R-30 roof, and 2x6, R-21 walls.

Click Progress photos for shots of this house under construction. (It also has a 14x24 Builder's Cottage out back).

Grandfather Cottage, a simple to build one story home
Grandfather Cottage plans

A two bedroom cottage home with an easy-to-build truss framed roof. This efficient plan uses an inexpensive but well-insulated slab-on-grade foundation for heat storage from the south facing windows. R-21 walls & R-38 roof.

Volks Cottage plans

An alternative floor plan for a one-story two bedroom cottage. Slightly larger but still under 1000 sf.

2 story farmhousesingle story cottageexterior w/ Bdrm loft

20' wide Cottage Home plans

Three different versions of a basic 20' wide floor plan allow a simple cottage to evolve into a full sized expandable farmhouse.

Upgrade plans and tools for use with any house

Greenhouse built using our plans Sunroom, Greenhouse & Skylight Plans

An inexpensive technique for adding solar heat and light to any project. Build your own sunrooms, skylights, and window walls using standard wood working tools. The key is using tempered insulated glass from sliding glass doors and a special hi-tech glazing tape. Click the drawing or the title above for more information.

Also - an income opportunity for small home builders.

greenhouse, skylight and sunroom plans

SUNKIT

(Sun Charting & Simple solar design kit.)
Downloadable PDF file - print and use today, or order the booklet.
Sunkit site evaluation and solar energy optimizing tools. Use simple passive solar, sun tempering and other techniques such as a sunroom to increase energy efficiency of a new home at little or no additional construction cost. (This two story sunroom uses tempered sliding glass door panels and the Sunroom glazing plans above. This is only one of the simple solar strategies explained in the Sunkit.)
  • Learn simple, low-cost solar heating and cooling strategies that work anywhere in the U.S.

  • Evaluate solar potential of any property (even before you buy!)

  • How to evaluate your site and find the sunniest place to build or install PV or other solar collectors.

  • Adjust your plans and maximize window areas to best fit the local climate. (This costs Nothing!)

Building Resources and Help
several owner-built homes with photos

The Owner-Built Gallery
Where owners show their work. Updated Photos 1/12/04 (Nyikos barn).

Other direct links: Cleghorn cabin, Nash cabin, The Missouri House Journal , Carol's "Little House In Bynum" - w/ conc. piers.

building books and resources
BOOKS
(on Land, Home design & Building)

cottage and
		
		
		
		      cabin web links

Our Best web links
to other sites and on-line building resources.

Books, software & resources

The best books on country home building with short reviews of each. These are the ones you will want to own.

Best Web Links

cottage cabin and small home plans
TALK (Discussion group)

TALK  Small home and alternative building discussion group. Ask questions or look up answers using the search feature.

cabin cottage and small home plans
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cabin cottage and small home plans
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Home Planning Tools
Click here for help finding and buying Property
and building the Right House
FREE TOOLS

cabin cottage and small home plans

To explore this site further...

Home Design

Ideas and articles

  • When you reach your fifth decade you find you are not as interested in the earlier distractions of physical life (usually sex, drugs, and rock n' roll). These essays are my poor attempt to make sense out a crazy world and specifically how we got into our present pickle and what it might take to get us out.

    It's something to do when you can't dance.

Personal Notes

John Raabe Just an old white guy

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My suggestion for the Best Web Host

cabin cottage and small home plans
John C. Raabe
(email link)
Country Plans LLC
5010 Inglewood Dr.
Langley, WA 98260

cabin cottage and small home plans