I've viewed the plans and yet to pull the plus on purchasing as just not sure the 20x30 or a 20x XX is right for us.
Is there a specific reason the 20' is used vs say a 24' which IMHO might be easier to fit in stairway to a loft area?
Is it a cost issue, material factor or what is logic?
No doubt other than the stairway I could make it work - probably could as it is but that extra 4' seems to make a huge difference when we play with a mock up cardboard build.
Thanks for any and all input and thoughts on this. ;)
One reason is that beyond 20' you will need either a center beam for the floor joists or floor trusses to span the width.
When I designed my cabin I opted for 24' wide, mainly because like you I wanted a nice stairway.
I have also designed it with a center beam as stated above.
You can get an idea from my design here: http://www.anglersparadise.ca/category/cabin-design/ (http://www.anglersparadise.ca/category/cabin-design/)
At 24' wide the loft begins to work well with the rafters running down to the floor joists, structurally the roof becomes simpler and better with a useable loft.
24' can be built bearing on just the perimeter using floor trusses and attic trusses. With attic trusses they can be a cantilever design with the rafters springing from the outer edge of the overhang rather than from the wall, which would give several more feet of loft space.