For Amanda - a Builder's Cottage idea.

[DavidLeBlanc]

this is John's standard layout. Added as reference to help visualize this.

If I may be so bold as to share an idea for a nice BC layout for one! This is what I may end up building for myself!

Starting where it says "storage", on the N wall, put the main entry door (put a skylight over it! - dramatic and it will also help get morning light to the head of your bed - see below). Next to it, forget daybed and window and put a full-sized stacked w/d behind a bi-fold louvered door. Next to that, but a storage closet. Next comes the desk with a small window (just enough for ventilation and to peek at who might be coming up your walk. (The fewer openings you put on the N wall, the more you'll save on heating.)

On to the E wall:, reduce width of porch to 7' and enclose it to be a window seat (consider generous ledges/window sills for plants and don't put "E" glass here - plants don't do well with it!

On the S-ish wall, put a single french door with an opening 1/2 door sidelight. It should not come any closer to the short end (window seat) wall than as shown on the plan above. Next to that, put a cozy booth for 2 in a bumpout. Next, bring the kitchn counter "around the corner" and to the dotted line - more kitchen storage and counter workspace! (Both the french door-1/2 and the dining alcove windows should be low-E to control insolation. Ditto the S-facing kitchen window.)

In the kitchen, move the stove to where the sink is shown and put an exhaust hood over it. Move the sink  to the south wall and put a window over it.

Now for the heatstove that's lost it's place to the dining alcove: build a wall extending out from where the ladder is now to about where the dotted line for the skylight is and then a "T" wall. Put the stove on the  "T" facing the windowseat.

Next, on the long axis of the "T" wall, put the ladder on oneside (possibly with an alcove for hanging coats and the like (this puts the ladder opposite the front door for rapid egress in case of emergency). On the flip, "S" side, put shelves for more storage. Consider glass cabinet doors here for a bit of class opposite the dinging alcove and to show off your nice stuff. (I would put books here!)

Upstairs, extend the loft to 10 or 12' (gives you walk around room around the bed to make it etc. - in fact, you may want to consider extending the cabin by 6 or 8', but don't worry, they're cheap square feet ) pop a shed dormer on both sides of the ridge beam to give yourself some headroom (also build 10' or 12' sidewalls to help wtih that). Extend the loft on the S side out over the area where the the dining alcove "hallway" is. Enclose this to make your closet (this will have to be under the dormer to be usable space). By enclosing it, it gives you a corner of the loft with a bit of privacy for changing clothes and etc. if you have a guest sleeping on the window seat "guest bedroom". The head of your bed would go on the N wall, along with a couple of small windows for cross ventillation. Bigger windows on the S wall of the dormer for the view and light. Maybe a porthole on the short wall.

A note about the ladder: have it climb past the level of the loft so that you can climb up and step off to the right and vice versa. I think this is a lot safer than slinging your body out over the void to climb down.

Last, but not least, in the SE corner of the main room, near the window seat goes the "momma" chair: a swivel recliner. Turn around enough and you're gazing out the french doors, a bit less and you've got the propane or wood fire to gaze into. Look across the room to the desk and you are looking at the generous sized LCD scree that doubles as a computer monitor and TV (if you're son inclined). Swivel a bit more to the right and you're in conversation iwth a guest, if you have one. If they bring a friend, the desk chair can be pressed into service and y'all still won't quite be on top of each other

Outside the french door-1/2, put a little covered porch for lounging on the warm evening summers! You could do that in a second build phase even.

For expansion, you can go out through the dining alcove or take out the w/d and closet and go out the N. wall.

Just an idea...

[Amanda_931]

That would work.   Two doors are good.

I could probably do most of the work myself.

I have done projects somewhat like that by myself.

Now, if only I weren't such a durned pack-rat.

Books.  Mind you, they could go up in the loft.

[DavidLeBlanc]

Well, I hope you like the idea!

It could do with some additional tuning... If you did extend the cabin by 6-8', flipped the sink and toilet to the inside wall and used a pocket door, you could probably slip the w/d into the bathroom, thus letting you extend the desk area and add substantial book shelving.

Also, the desk really ought to go on the S wall so the "momma" chair could go in the NE corner - better views are generally towards the S than the N

Come to think of it, I might consider flipping the whole arrangement so that the kitchen and etc. are on the N wall... more contemplation is in order!

Got any ideas of your own to share?

[Dan]

I don't think views have much to do with N-S-E-W, my property is in a basically E-W running small tight mountainand national forest surrounded valley.  Those of us on the south side have great north views, but can't see through the trees uphill behind me to the south.  The reverse is true for those on the other side.  Sunlight on the other hand is much better on the north side of the valley.  Between the mountains and the trees, I only get sun in the summer late in the afternoon.  Not to mention the fact that there is no way I could ever get satellite TV unless I climb a couple thousand feet up the cliff behind me.

[Amanda_931]

I hate it when the computer is running at 14.4 k, which it does every time it rains.  Never been quite sure if it's me or the phone company.  When it's dry it's often in the 40's, i.e., good for a dial-up modem.

View does count.  But so does trying to get solar heating in winter.   But if you don't have it, at least it will be cooler in summer!

I think I've posted this here before, but this is what you if you don't want to buy the outrageously expensive Christopher Alexander A Pattern Language that John--and most everybody who is interested in housing and community--recommends.

Even if you have and love the book--I do, it's still a good way to work out a design.

Dan's post reminded me that I really do need to do this.  Sometime when it isn't so wet.

http://www.patternlanguage.com/smallhouse/smallhouseframe.htm?/leveltwo/../smallhouse/smallhousetable.htm

A really big part of Alexander's thinking is that you really want to put your best view where you can enjoy it with your morning coffee from the house--not in the middle of it so people can admire your house from the road.

[Shelley]

How high will your sidewalls be David?  If you're going to move the doors away from the gable end you may run into trouble.  

I don't even know what the plans show, but I imagine that John has them at standard heights for cost savings.

[DavidLeBlanc]

I think the standard sidewalls on John's designs are all at least 8' (net 7'6" interior ceiling height if you build a flat ceiling or a loft at the code height), but I could be wrong.

In any case, if I do build up, I'd probably go with 10' or 12' sidewalls. After a long, tiresome day at the hospital undergoing prep for radio iodine therapy for my thyroid cancer, climbing any sort of stairs or a ladder has no appeal at all.

Also had time to think and realize that all the "bumps" I've been contemplating are just a way to get a bigger house "on the sly" and it's likely to be more expensive than doing a Victoria's Studio version and having a more rectangular footprint.

Heh - I'm so down right now, something even smaller, like one of  Jay Shafer's Tumbleweeds sounds appealing!

[Shelley]

Sorry to hear of your troubles.  I had Thyroid cancer too.

Glad you came to your conclusion.  You're right.  Things like that increase the cost of everything.  More framing, more complicated foundation and roof.  Increased materials and increased labor if you're hiring it.

Better to build a simple rectangle or square.  If you have the right proportion, add some interesting trim details, wrap the porch and perhaps hip the porch roof, it'll be so charming that people won't even realize that you've just built a "box".

[DavidLeBlanc]

Thanks Shelly - this is my first time having the I-131, so it's all new and very painful for me. I had my thyroid out last November, complete with it's own complications - 12 days in the hospital - all torture!

I'm not giving up on all the "bumps"! Window seat and dining alcove are "must haves", but I had gotten to the point of virtually doubling the width of the house from 14-28'! Loses the effect!

I may end up with a 14x builder's cottage with a 12x "L" in a 2nd phase if/when I need it.

Re: trim details and wraping porches... the first steps along the slippery slope! I find myself having to fight an (?natural?) inclination to want to expand on size and featues instead of letting just enough be just enough!