Small Cottage House Plans

Our Small House Plans are perfect homes for young marrieds, empty nesters and retirees. They range from 1200 to 2300 square feet.

Cottage house plans designed by Michael R McLeod Architect at Southern Cottages are designed to provide for efficient but gracious living in a small house with character! Small cottage house plans provide all the amenities of a larger house without the additional square footage of circulation space (hallways), dividing partitions (which make the spaces feel smaller) and wasted space. Most of our house plans are “open plan” concepts without entrance vestibules, foyers, walled off dining areas or other extraneous spaces.

Most of our cottage house plans have front porches or wraparound porches, and other special features such as roof dormers, “rooms in the roof”, roof decks or rooftop observation rooms.

Because of their size and detailing, our cottage house plans are affordable to build and quite charming. They work well for a vacation home but there also outfitted sufficiently for a family residence. Typically they have interesting windows and roof line, a welcoming façade and cozy interior.

We have many cottage style home plans that are well-suited for coastal areas, narrow lots or to be built in traditional neighborhoods. We have cottage style house plans that have been built in the mountains, on lakes or at the beach. Exterior materials are generally lap siding, shingle siding or board and batten siding.

Our mountain cottage house plan is well-suited for a sloping lot and includes a walkout basement which can be upfitted for additional living space.

A porch is a special feature of the small cottage house plan. This is because it actually increases the livable (exterior) space of the house. Porches recall a time when there was a connection between you and passersby on the street; a time when you might wave or say hi your neighbor. It is also reminiscent of a farmhouse with a large front porch with rocking chairs, plants and a porch swing. The front porch or entrance porch is just as important today as it was then. As Southern Cottages, we feel that the covered porch is an important component in the design of a great house and therefore we have many cottage style house plans with porches in our collection.

The covered porch is actually an outdoor room, which expands your living space while providing a place for you to live, breathe and enjoy nature while being protected from the hot sun. It provides a statement about where the entrance to the house is located for your guests. It provides a place to greet and gather with your guest upon their arrival and departure. The covered porch also protects against heat gain through windows while providing a wonderful transition from the environmentally controlled interior of the house to the outdoor areas, shaded and sheltered, where summer breezes can naturally cool things down. In fact, every house needs a covered entrance or porch of some kind where you can be protected from the rain while finding your keys and which keeps the rain from beating down and splattering up on your front door, thereby protecting it from weather damage over time. The front porch can also give your cottage house plan a very distinctive appearance.