Small House Plans: Design for Small Houses

A small house is enough room for a thousand friends.
-Syrian Proverb

I strongly believe that the size of the house does not matter, the most important thing being that the house should always provide a feeling of warmth to people who come to seek refuge in it at the end of the day.

Small House Plans – What are they?

Houses that are normally less than 1800 feet are defined as small houses. These houses are cheaper to build because they do not require as much brick or wood. Small house plans fall under categories such as tow houses, bungalows, semi-detached houses and condos/flats/apartments, making it easier for the buyer to select one that is in sync with his/her budget and the space available.

Some of the small house plans come with a crawlspace for extra storage and have two floors, with or without a basement. Traditional plans have a room off the kitchen which can be used to place the washer and dryer in.

Other small house plans and designs are made up of homes in which the bathroom, kitchen and the bedrooms are located at the end of the house with the living in its center. This kind of design provides simplicity as well as a sense of luxury.

Where can I find small house plans?

I am sure that you will be relieved to know that you can get small house plans or blueprints from a number of sources such as the Internet, at many different prices. Apart from printed out copies, these plans are also available in Computer Aided Drawing files, which provide all the information required to build the house on a CD-ROM and have blueprints that can be printed.

Apart from the option cited above you can also look for a designer who will make custom blueprints with all the features you will want in your small house. There are also kits that come with the plans. These will help you build your home in a few weeks to a few months.

Small House Designs

A small house should be designed in such a way that it provides an airy and pleasant space to live in while creating an illusion as if the space is larger than what it actually is. To achieve this effect it is important to keep the house tidy and de-cluttered.

To create the above effect, you can try using neutral colors on your walls as these colors reflect the light entering the room and also expend the size. You can also have large windows and glass paned French doors to achieve the same effect.

For the ceiling you can use crown molding, chandeliers, vertical striped wallpaper treatment or a ceiling fan. All these designs will go a long way in making the space seem larger than it actually is. Remember to use the same wall treatment for the entire ceiling as this will create a solid space instead of a divided one.

While selecting upholstery for the furniture, go in for light-colors with pale patterns or prints. Also use light shades on woodwork and try and have the same flooring throughout the house, even in the outdoor patio or deck.

When buying furniture, keep in mind the space, the amount of people in your household and the number of people you usually entertain. You could include a see-through glass coffee table in your design as that will blend in. If you like large furniture, you could buy them as long as you remember to choose them well.

For the decoration, you could use mirrors because they help extend the room considerably. Try and use built-in cupboards to display your favorite items, also using the space below the staircase as a utility room. Go ahead and use the stairs as drawers too! While buying knick-knacks to decorate your home, consider the object’s location in the room and the way it is going to affect the surroundings.