Continuing Evolution

I've decided to go smaller than the last plan I posted. This one is 18' x 16' on the ground floor with small screened porch and a finished attic above. With a little more rigor, I've condensed the living space while still relying on normal-sized furniture and without having to transform one space into another during daily life. Years ago when I lived aboard my sailboat, I found that I never transformed my double berth into a dinette--I just ate in bed! Understanding that I am lazy in this way, I'm not designing space that is configurable with pull-outs, fold downs, etc. I'll leave the table as a table, leave the bed as a bed, and so on.

While there is enough room to live simply on the ground floor, the attic will allow for relatively easy access to things that aren't needed every day like books, fancy clothes, filing cabinets, and so on. I'll be able to store family heirlooms like paintings and other nicknacks without having to rent space in a climate-controlled self storage facility.

The tradeoff for a conventional gable roof is that there is no longer a living roof. I'm sad about that, but the much smaller footprint is compelling in its own way. There are many tradeoffs in any design exercise. This should be a cozy first phase building, and later I'll be able to use it as a guest house or home office after I build my “larger” house next door. (At 900 sf, large is a relative term.) I'll bring in some of the higher-cost but greener items into the main house, like the living roof, and active solar for the radiant floor. In the meantime, it's almost time to submit for a building permit!