10 Small House Plans With Big Ideas (2024)

Photo: istockphoto.com

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

Photo: Etsy.com

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

Photo etsy.com

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

Photo: etsy.com

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

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

Photo: etsy.com

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

Photo: etsy.com

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

Photo: etsy.com

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

Photo: etsy.com

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

Photo: etsy.com

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 cheapest design to build a house? ›

The cheapest way to build a home is to design a simple floor plan. Sticking to a square or rectangular floor plan makes the building and design more straightforward. Plus, building up is generally cheaper than building a sprawling one-story home.

What is the simplest floor plan? ›

Open floor plans are simpler to build as they require fewer materials and are more energy efficient than traditional closed floor plans. Many Modern styles such as Modern Farmhouse, Ranch, and Barndominium typically have open floor plans.

Is there a free app to draw house plans? ›

Some of the most popular free options include Planner 5D, RoomSketcher, SketchUp and Floorplanner.

Why are Barndominiums so cheap? ›

Barndominiums have a quality that often makes them very customizable, which is that typical barndominiums are often constructed from a metal building. Metal structures are usually less expensive to construct than traditional buildings, which is one reason why they are used so much in commercial construction.

Is it still cheaper to build than buy? ›

Overall, it's cheaper to build a home than to buy one in California, with 13 out of the 20 counties saving you money if you decide to build your house from scratch. Budget-wise, building is more favorable in Southern California whereas Central California caters best to those interested in buying.

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. All these cheap flooring options can be purchased for under $2.00 per square foot.

How can I make my small house look amazing? ›

'Neutral colors create a serene and spacious atmosphere that makes your space look bigger and more refined,' says interior designer Artem Kropovinsky. 'You can add some color with accessories, artwork or plants, but keep the walls, floors and furniture in shades of white, beige, gray or black.

What is the number one free drawing app? ›

Krita offers professional-quality free drawing software, created by a team of artists with the noble aim of making creative tools within everyone's reach. You can use Krita for any kind of drawing and illustration, and even animation. But it's particularly great for comics and manga.

What is the most economical building shape? ›

In terms of building cost, a square or rectangle built as a multiple of standardized construction components, like 4x8 plywood and Sheetrock, is least labor intensive and therefore most cost efficient. If you mean energy efficient, a dome or sphere has the least surface are for volume.

What is the cheapest shape house? ›

A square is the most economical shape to build for anything under 32 ft. square.

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

More expensive to build: Walls are cheaper and easier to construct rather than visually appealing, but sturdy load-bearing beams that support open-floor-plan homes are more expensive to build or remodel.

Is brick cheaper than wood? ›

Wood is faster and more affordable to build with than brick. Wood houses are more susceptible to pest and mold issues than brick.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Duane Harber

Last Updated:

Views: 6567

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Duane Harber

Birthday: 1999-10-17

Address: Apt. 404 9899 Magnolia Roads, Port Royceville, ID 78186

Phone: +186911129794335

Job: Human Hospitality Planner

Hobby: Listening to music, Orienteering, Knapping, Dance, Mountain biking, Fishing, Pottery

Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.