Building A Small Cabin Tags

He decided to build a spec house (for sale) in Santa Paula, California because land there at the time was extremely cheap. His infill lot cost $40,000. He purchased Plan 48-516, shown here, which is 28 feet wide.

Choose a floor plan based on your design style. Everyone homeowner has their own design style and choosing a floor plan that meets your needs is essential. Are you more traditional and prefer a compartmentalized floor plan where walls separate rooms or do you have a more modern style where...

Circulation is something else to think about. As Dan Gregory points out in a post called Watch That Layout! the best house plans provide two ways in and out of the living room, dining room, and kitchen -- as illustrated here with Plan 929-1 by Donald Gardner. See how you...

For starters, the size of the home will shrink. As the Boomers jettison stuff, weaning themselves from some of their accumulated furnishings and other material, they will find that a smaller house suits their needs just fine. And since these houses will likely be situated in warmer locales, generously sized...

Understand what the pros and cons are of your floor plan. There isn’t a perfect floor plan. There will always be pros and cons and you will need to decide what are your priorities and what can you learn to live with or without. A large living room window...

Research local building codes: Before you purchase plans, seek the advice of a building department official in your local jurisdiction of where your property is located. They can provide you guidelines on the height, size, and how far away from the street it can sit, etc. These guidelines are important...

Similarly, if you plan to encourage visitors to go outside, it helps if the door to the porch or deck is located in the family room or great room. It’s less likely to be used if it’s in the nook or bedroom. Parties are the one time when your entry...

Home floor plans have come a long way in layout and feel. Long hallways have been replaced with half walls, and dark rooms now get natural light from the perimeter adjacent rooms. The open floor plan concept is not for every family. Use these tips to see if it will...

Eye candy is fun. When you're looking at home design plans with photos, scrolling past stunning home after stunning home, it's easy to spend hours dreaming. But finding equally Insta-worthy options that are affordable to build (and that your builder will love) is possible, too....

Emphasis on the Outdoors, This sleek, small home (plan 484-6) opens along most of its side to flow seamlessly onto the impressive deck. Here's a look from inside: Wow! Can't you imagine this at a lakefront or mountain location? The bedroom even has room for a queen or king bed....