Need More Room; Raise the Roof
Finding a home in the perfect location at the right price can be difficult. It seems that most urban areas offer very small homes or homes that are extremely expensive. Picture this; you find a terrific urban neighborhood that offers walking or biking to local shops and restaurants and the school district is distinguished, unfortunately the only house you can afford is under 1,000 square feet and you know that size just won’t accommodate your family’s needs. An alternative to a...
Read MoreTiny House Plans on Sale
Tumbleweed Tiny House Plans are on sale and these aren’t the teeny-tiny ones that are built on a trailer; these are the ones that fall under the term “cottage.” Both the Enesti (which is the larger of the two) and the Bodega require foundations. The Enesti is quite large compared to its Tumbleweed counterparts at 746 sq. ft. and can be added on to for a total of 843 sq. ft. This is one of my favorite Tumbleweed plans and for a savings of $400 off the plan, it’s quite...
Read MoreShelterKraft Werks Container Homes
My obsession for residential home designs continues. This is an interview with Kai, the owner of ShelterKraft Werks, a company that builds homes out of shipping containers. Could you tell me a little about what motivated you to build container homes? Well, I’ve always loved the challenge of building small spaces - everything from secret forts when I was a kid to a neo-classic dog house. The idea of using containers first occurred to me when I was working at Starbucks as a store...
Read MoreDreamy Cottage House Plans
When Thomas Kincade’s paintings first started showing up in galleries years ago, I’d imagine myself living in one of his cottage homes near a babbling brook. His namesake is now so commercialized I don’t necessarily think I’d feel this way today. However, the cottage style house plans in his paintings still make me feel warm and fuzzy. Perhaps I read too many fairy tales as a child. Nevertheless, I am still fascinated with cottage-style homes of all sizes. To clarify,...
Read MoreCharming Craftsmans
I haven’t run any posts on small house plans in a while, so I decided this post would focus on a particular style of home that really got its start on the West Coast (really England, then California): Craftsman (sometimes called Bungalow). Craftsman style homes were introduced in the early 20th century with the Arts and Crafts movement focusing on simplifying designs from the previous Victorian era of extravagance and doilies. Craftsman, or bungalow style homes, are recognized by their...
Read MoreShould everyone buy a house?
As I browse the business sections of MSN.com, so many articles are written to encourage prospective buyers to take the plunge and buy a house. Headlines read like a “going out of business” sale, “Mortgage rates at rock bottom, buy now” is the theme. But just because mortgage rates are the lowest they’ve been in years, and home prices are much more reasonable than three years ago, does that mean everyone should go out and buy a house? I’m playing devil’s...
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