Expandable Cabin Plans Question

[Vegetarian]

Hello Everyone,

I've been lurking here for quite some time and have learned a lot reading everybody's threads.  Also, I just enjoy looking at pictures of houses!  I bought John's 20 x 30 single story plan about a year and a half ago, which I was going to extend to 34 ft.  Unfortunately, I haven't found any land yet, and my house fund is dwindling as I am paying my rent out of it.  I'm thinking of switching to the 14 x 24 expandable cabin with an addition on one side in the hopes it will be less expensive to build.  It will be my full time residence and I'll be subcontracting the build. 

I have a few questions about the 14 x 24 Builder's Cottage:

Is there a version with 8' side walls?

Can the additions be put on the version with 8' walls (or do they need to be higher)?

Does anybody know how many sonotube piers the 14 x 24 uses? 

Thanks.

[John Raabe]

  to the forum vegi-girl!

The builders cottage plan is designed with a perimeter concrete crawlspace foundation but could be put on a pier and beam foundation with sonotube piers. You could do the upgraded 14x24 deep pier foundation that is available as a PDF download at our sister site PlanHelp.com. Here is a link that should work for you as you are a member of that site: http://www.planhelp.com/public/programs/downloadsearch.cfm?searchtype=simple&searchmode=cat&keywords=recent&sortby=name&cat=Plan%20Details

Also there is a floorplan of the Builders Cottage plan at PlanHelp as well. Scroll down that link to the "Builder's Cottage Update". Both of those downloads are PDF files that you can open on a Mac or PC.

The height of the Builder cottage walls is 8' and a 10' shed roofed extension to the 14x24 is shown in the last page of the Little House Plans kit (this comes with the Enchilada plans). It is only a diagram but will help you visualize sizes and layouts.

[Vegetarian]

If I built the builder's cottage with no loft (I am disabled so I wouldn't make much use of it) and open plan, would I need double 2 x 8 rafter ties or would I use something smaller?