10 Small House Plans With Big Ideas (2024)

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With rising real estate costs, many people are getting priced out of purchasing a traditional home. In addition to offering a more affordable housing solution, tiny houses come with a number of other appealing benefits. Some small house plans can be built on a trailer, providing the possibility of mobility without having to find or build a whole new home. Additionally, the environmental impact of the utility usage of a tiny house is typically lesser than that of a traditional home.

While you could search real estate listings for available tiny homes, you may not be able to find one that offers the layout and design features you desire. Consider giving one of the small house plans below to a trusted contractor—or follow the plans to build your new home yourself—and create the tiny house of your dreams!

1. Adirondack Cabin With Loft Plans

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With a heated interior of 650 square feet, this 2-bedroom, 1 bath cabin is the perfect size for a guest house or a weekend getaway cabin. Build Blueprint’s plans for this 20-foot by 26-foot Adirondack-style home include a materials list, electrical and foundation plans, elevation plans, and other construction details, and comply with North American building codes. We love the cozy loft space that’s tucked under the roof’s peak.

Get the Build Blueprint Adirondack Cabin with Loft plans at Etsy for $95.

2. Barndominium Plans

These downloadable barndominium plans can help you build a small, 1,200-square-foot home with a spacious open living room and kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full-length front porch, and an attached carport. If you’re looking for small house plans with a garage, you (or a contractor) could make a few modifications to the plans to close in the carport.

Get the PaytonMcGarvey10 Barndominium Floor Plans on Etsy for $100.

3. Small Cottage Plans

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Enjoy tiny house living with this charming 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom cottage. This small house layout offers 900 square feet of space, 9-foot ceilings, a fireplace, an attic, and a crawl space. Everything you’ll need to build the house is included in the plans, such as materials lists, elevations, floor plans, foundation and roofing plans, door and window schedules, and complete dimensions.

Get the Build Blueprint Small Cottage Architectural Plans on Etsy for $95

RELATED: 15 Charming Tiny House Communities

4. Modern Bungalow Plans

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If you love modern homes, then these one-story tiny house floor plans might be for you. The downloadable file includes two sets of detailed blueprints with both imperial and metric units to help you build this 1,820-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with an open-concept kitchen, dining room, and great room.

Get the Panaroma House Plans Venus Modern One-Story House Plans on Etsy for $45.

5. Tiny Cabin Plans

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While you could purchase a DIY home kit, these tiny house floor plans enable you to build a more unique and memorable home with greater customization options to match your preferences. The file includes two different layout options to build the home with either one or two bedrooms. Although the home has a fixed width of 24 feet, the length can be adjusted to match your lot size and desired amount of living space. When built following the plans exactly, this home offers 1,088 square feet of floor space.

Get the Architect Chin Daffodil House Plans on Etsy for $160.

6. Tiny House With Attic Plans

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These downloadable plans include all the files you’ll need to build this inviting one-story tiny house with additional attic space. The 749-square-foot house has an open concept living room and kitchen, one bedroom, and two bathrooms on the main level. A small covered front porch is also incorporated into the design, where patio furniture, outdoor decor, and more can be placed.

Get the Plan Library Modern Tiny House Plans on Etsy for $18.

RELATED: How Much Does a Tiny House Cost?

7. Contemporary Tiny House Plans

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If you’re looking for small house plans with porches, these contemporary tiny house plans may be right for you. The expansive front porch spans the entire width of the house, offering plenty of space to sit and enjoy the great outdoors. The downloadable plans include the original AutoCAD file, elevations, floor plan with dimensions, foundation plan, door and window schedules, roof framing plan, and more to help you build this 1,300-square-foot home with two bedrooms and one-and-a-half bathrooms.

Get the FreeHouseplans Modern Tiny House Plans on Etsy for $24.99.

8. Modern Cottage House Plans

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These professionally drawn tiny house plans come with drawings, designs, and more to help you build this simple (yet attractive) 1,377-square-foot modern cottage. With its open kitchen design, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and spacious back deck, this tiny house could quickly become the place you call home.

Get the Wooden Arch Design Modern Cottage House Plans on Etsy for $34.

9. Sugarbush Cottage Plans

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With these small house floor plans, you can make the lovely 1,020-square-foot Sugarbush Cottage your new home—or home away from home. The construction drawings included in the file meet the code requirements and architectural standards for most jurisdictions. This two-story house offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious living room, and an eat-in kitchen.

Get the Classic House Plans Sugarbush Cottage Plans on Etsy for $25.

RELATED: These Are the Smartest Home Improvements for Small Houses

10. American Cottage Plans

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If you’ve been searching for the best place to buy a tiny house, why not build your own with these small home plans? The American Cottage design is a modern small home with two bedrooms, plus an optional loft. The 18-page plans include the materials lists, floor plans, elevations, and everything else you’ll need to pass onto your builder to construct this 875-square-foot home.

Get the Build Blueprint American Cottage Plans on Etsy for $95.

The prices listed here are accurate as of December 1, 2022.

10 Small House Plans With Big Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What is the simplest floor plan? ›

What are examples of simple floor plans? A single-story house with an open layout that usually includes a living room, dining area, kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms. A small, single-story house with a cozy layout. It usually includes a living room, dining area, kitchen, one or two bedrooms, and a bathroom.

What is a good layout for a house? ›

Keep an open floor plan with a kitchen on the side.

The living room and kitchen are the two most important rooms in the house. Make the entire living area as one open space, so the house would feel more spacious. In an open house floor plan, the light will flow further inside making the house much brighter.

What is the most efficient house floor plan? ›

Simple, straight lines are not only pleasing to look at, but they are also incredibly cost-effective. Keep roof lines simple and side and rear walls straight for an elegantly modern exterior with great curb appeal. Opting for a cozy floor plan with a modern footprint is a great way to keep your home cost-efficient.

How much to build a small 3 bed house? ›

The national UK average for a three-bedroom dwelling is around 88–100m². So, a three-bedroom house will likely cost between £32,000 and £300,000 to build. For a four-bedroom house, which tend to measure 100–140m², you can expect to pay between £150,000 and £420,000.

How to build a tiny house cheaply? ›

Another way to keep costs low is to buy pre-fabricated kits or plans for tiny houses that come with all of the necessary components and instructions needed to complete the build. These kits usually cost less than buying all of the materials separately and they provide an easier building process as well.

What is the cheapest floor to put in? ›

The cheapest flooring options are vinyl sheet flooring, luxury vinyl flooring, laminate flooring, oak flooring seconds, plywood flooring, painted flooring, wallpaper, and carpet tiles.

What is a free floor plan? ›

Definition. Free plan, in the architecture world, refers to the ability to have a floor plan with non-load bearing walls and floors by creating a structural system that holds the weight of the building by ways of an interior skeleton of load bearing columns.

What is the best bedroom layout? ›

You can usually create some nice symmetry by positioning your bed centrally against your longest wall and bookending with bedside tables. Equally, it'll create a sense of balance if you place your bed opposite a focal point such as a fireplace or window. Any recesses or alcoves create readymade storage areas.

Can I make my own house plans? ›

Yes, you can create your own floor plan using software or online tools. Many of the free options mentioned above are user-friendly and don't require any special skills or training.

How do I make my own house layout? ›

These are the essential steps for drawing a floor plan:
  1. Determine the area to be drawn for the project.
  2. Measure the walls, doors and other features.
  3. Draw the walls to scale on graph paper or using software.
  4. Add architectural features, utilities and furniture.
  5. Review with the homeowner.

What part of building a house costs the most? ›

Building a foundation is often among the most costly items on this list. Home foundations are built underground and support the structure's weight. A strong foundation must: Assist in support of the above structure.

What's the most efficient house shape? ›

When it comes to the most efficient building shape, uncomplicated dome and cube structures retain the most heat. This is because the air can circulate more efficiently around a dome whilst a cube has the smallest surface area to floor area ratio, so it loses minimal amounts of heat.

Is a floor plan enough to build a house? ›

Iit is not enough to build a house. While floor plans give the big picture of living spaces, they do not have enough information for builders to actually construct the home. Your builder will need complete blueprints, or construction-ready drawings, with technical information that you will not find on most floor plans.

What is the cheapest shape to build? ›

A square is the most economical shape to build for anything under 32 ft. square. Above that, a rectangle is more economical.

Why are barndominiums cheaper to build? ›

Traditional houses tend to take longer to build than barndominiums, resulting in higher labor costs. The construction process for traditional houses typically involves more intricate architectural details, varied materials, and complex designs.

Is it cheaper to build an open floor plan house? ›

While traditional floor plans allow you to heat or cool only certain rooms, with an open floor plan, the entire space must be heated or cooled. Higher construction cost. Without partition walls, open concepts depend on steel or laminated beams for support. These are costly to install.

What style home is most expensive to build? ›

Beach Houses and Mediterranean-style homes are the most expensive in the U.S. and are often found on prime land close to the ocean. Large windows and balconies accentuate the use of natural light, which adds a feeling of luxury and simplicity to a home.

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