Need help on 700 sq ft ideas, Please and thank you!

[twain]

The wife is thowing me the curb after 9 yrs. and after buying 5 acres in Hocking County, Ohio. I bought the place for a camping cabin/bug out site, but now looking at maybe building something permanent, going in stages as the money comes in on the cheap. I can build a camping cabin, any sq ft, but to live permanent, I need something 700 sq. ft. per the resrtictions. I want something 2 story for the less cost to build, on peirs. I want to stay right at 700 sq. ft., just because of the cost. I have looked and figured, a thousand times, but looking for some ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Twain

[suburbancowboy]

I would go with a 20X36 using the 20X30 plans on this site.  The extra 6 feet make no difference on the plans.  By going with with 12 foot walls verses the 8 foot walls you get double the floor space with only 10 percent more cost.

[Squirl]

I second suburbancowboy, but single story not two story. Since you said there are restrictions, I would assume there is code enforcement and I believe 12 ft high walls are usually against code.  Also many people on the site use a lowered loft as a substitute to a rafter tie, which is also against most codes.

You could do a 16x24 two story, but by the time you subtract out the square footage loss to stairs, you a looking at a lot less usable square feet than 700.  If you do a half story and a 12:12 pitch, at 16 ft wide, you will still lose a lot of square footage to the slope.  With smaller houses the savings on a smaller foundation and roofing when adding a second story is negligible when you add up the cost per usable square foot.

Six one way, a half dozen the other.

Also piers require less digging, but don't always cost less than a full foundation. 

[dollarcounter]

Hey Twain,

I used to be a draftsman and a designer.   I vote for something long, skinny, simple, and rectangular--maybe measuring 14 x 48 or 12 x 56, yielding you 672 sq ft.    In that space, you could have 2 modestly sized bed rooms.   Locate each at opposite ends of the house, so you won't lose any square footage to hallway space.   A combined + open living, kitchen, dining area would be in the middle.   Maybe have the kitchen back up to a bath + utility area next to one of the bed rooms.   If you can possibly squeeze that 2nd bed room in there, it could be a big help when re-sale time comes.   Economize on space in the kitchen with downsized appliances:   single bowl vs dbl bowl sink, 24" range vs 30", 24" or 28" fridge vs one measuring 30" or 36".     Stick with standard sized components elsewhere.    Good luck w/your project.

[alex trent]

To me, one story is the way to go..Squirl lays it out well.  Plus a lot easier to go one story if you build yourself.  I'd stay away from too narrow...12 foot sounds a lot like a double wide.

I  use pencil and paper for dozens of rough drawings...first not real to scale...just to see the layout possibilities...then to scale.   Went and look at rooms my size and measured them to see how it would feel. Tore stuff up and did it again. Was fun. I suggest you do the same.  This is more important than even the foundation!!

[MikeC]

What is the 700 sq ft restriction? 

[twain]

700 sq. ft. is the min. for permanent living. I can build smaller, but would be considered a camping cabin for the weekends, ect., but not full time living.

They didn't have the restrictions up till after I put a non-refundable deposit down, I should have asked.  

[twain]

Thanks for the ideas guys! Maybe something like MountainDon's place, just a little longer to get the sq. footage. I love the way his place turned out!

[ColchesterCabin]

I second Squirl...

You could do a 16x24 two story, but by the time you subtract out the square footage loss to stairs, you a looking at a lot less usable square feet than 700.  If you do a half story and a 12:12 pitch, at 16 ft wide, you will still lose a lot of square footage to the slope.  With smaller houses the savings on a smaller foundation and roofing when adding a second story is negligible when you add up the cost per usable square foot.

With the right layouts and dual loft with a bridge and 12/12 pitch the space is listed as 768 sq ft but like squirl suggested if you get technical and delete the stair room you are roughly where you want to be.. Your could only open the second storey only for the stairs and add a dormer to the front to make the landing usable space. 10' walls (avoid the 12' restrictions)would give you a 2' knee wall upstairs eliminating some costs and do a parralel chord truss engineered would only be about a $1000 for your trusses depending on your market. and you have yourself functional 720 sq ft and all usable space.

[CjAl]

someplaces if you have a screened in porch they will let you count it as living space. cheap way for some extra sq footage. im doing it

[considerations]

"10' walls (avoid the 12' restrictions)would give you a 2' knee wall upstairs"

Well, sort of....don't forget to subtract the thickness of the ceiling joists and loft floor.  I have 10' walls, a 7' 6" ceiling downstairs, then 2 x 10 ceiling joists (9.25") and 1-5/8" loft floor thickness, so my knee wall is about 18" in the loft. 

Just food for thought.  I love the loft, its the private place, downstairs being where visitors get to be.

[BADB0Y]

I second the porch suggestion. Also are you able to include any loft space? My 20x30 1.5 will be around 750 sqft.

[MountainDon]

Personally I would not build any narrower than 16 ft, but 16 ft wide would mean 44 ft long to make 700 sq ft. That doesn't seem right to me. So 20 ft wide x 35 = 700 sq ft, so maybe 20 x 36?  Or 24 x  30?  Buy some graph paper and play around with floor plans; see how what rooms you want fit different proportions, widths and lengths.

Take your time planning the layout. Also take your time deciding on the best placement on the land. We changed both our floorplan and size as well as location on the land several times before we started to build.

Notice I'm thinking single story? Stairs, done right, take away a lot of space in a small / smallish home.

Do a crawlspace or a slab.

[waggin]

How do spaces like upper half stories and basements factor into the 700 square foot requirement?  Is the 700 square foot minimum for the building footprint, finished square footage, above grade square footage, etc?  Depending on the previous question as well as details like your water table and topography, I'd consider a partial or full basement.  It's usually an economical way to gain square footage for storage, mechanical equipment, laundry, etc.  It's also a plus in areas where tornadoes occur, as it would be pretty easy to incorporate a safe room into the design.  It also makes for a cool place during the summer if you don't want to spring for A/C, and the payback on the extra cost of a basement and avoiding needing A/C might make it worthy of considering.  I lived in western Ohio in the late 80's when there were 21 days over 100 degrees one summer, so a cool place was really nice to have!

[poppy]

   Hocking county is a beautiful place.  Spent a long weekend in Hocking Hills in April.

700 sf is pretty small even for a single guy as a permanent residence.  I would be considering future expansion on top of the 700 sf. and not necessarily up.

I live in a 24x38 2 bedroom one bath ranch which is good for me as a single guy, but it has a full basement.  It would be too small without the basement.

If I were building my house now, it would have a 2 car garage in that basement.

Also consider that a 10x70 has 160 ft. of wall where a 20x35 has 110 ft.; so same floor area but much more cost for the skinny house. 

A lot of folks on this site opt for a 1 1/2 story for a variety of good reasons.  If the footprint is 700 sf. you meet your restrictions; a loft area can be finished later, and a basement can serve multiple purposes.

Good luck.