Compact Craftsman with Detached Garage
You may have heard the phrase good things come in small packages (familiar perhaps because the writer of this blog is height challenged). With this plan, however, great things arrive in the form of a compact craftsman home (HPP 7037). Whether you choose to make this your mountain, lake or permanent abode, you will find that 1676 square feet is plenty of room to live, play and entertain. The house has two stories, three bedrooms and two full baths. The front porch, with room for a potted plant and a rocker, extends across the left front of the house. Finding plants that are native to your area (and with a disposition that agrees with the orientation of your home) will add a personal touch to the front window flower box and in the landscape you design.
Inside the home, the foyer has room for an entryway sofa on the left, as seen in the plan; add a basket to the side for items to drop and retrieve later, and the foyer is almost complete. The wall on the right side of the room is the perfect place for adding family pictures. The utility room is nearby, where you can bathe your Toy Poodle in the utility sink or save that space for cleaning your gardening tools. A “smart” washer and dryer (or all-in-one, if you prefer) fit in here nicely, too. Next to this working space is the powder room (did you know that in the 18th century, this room was a very small, closet-sized space where people would go to powder their wigs? During Prohibition, women went in there to powder their noses and sip a little of the forbidden spirits).
Walking towards the rear of the house, you will find stairs on the left going up; a hall closet is tucked underneath these steps. Built-in shelves will add storage space here, or you could use this area for the Mason jars you used to pack up the summer sunshine and fall crispness like canned tomatoes and apple butter. Another storage space is right across the hall- an extra closet for seasonal clothing, with room below for your winter boots or that Bissell for quick pick-ups when guests are on their way.
The kitchen and family room blend together to provide room for entertaining and relaxing. The kitchen island has room for seating, and a sink for washing vegetables before paring them. The L shaped countertops have space for the refrigerator at one end (there is even one that lets you make your grocery list on it!). The stovetop/oven are centered on the long part of the L, leaving you plenty of room on either side for meal prep. At the far end, a double sink and whisper-quiet dishwasher make this kitchen an efficient one.
The family room has a fireplace with space on either side for built in bookshelves; whether your preference is Toni Morrison or Langston Hughes, you will have found a place to display your favorite authors. A sectional sofa strategically placed will help define the room and allow you to put your feet up after a long day. Your living area is extended by the covered terrace at the rear of the house.
Going outdoors, the house plans include space for your smoker and grill on the left. You will still have space for the outside furniture you have had in storage, waiting for that perfect home. Expand your family living even more by adding pavers, more seating and a water feature or fire pit. When the weather is agreeable, you will find yourself spending more time outside, rather than being glued to your electronics or the television.
Returning to the family room and entering the foyer once again, you turn left to enter the master suite. A walk-in closet gives you ample room for organizing your wearables by season or color. If you add shelves at the top, be sure to tuck a step stool in the corner for easy access. The master bath includes two sinks with space between to put your toiletries (his and hers). A walk-in shower, garden tub and toilet (or bidet, if you prefer) complete the master bath.
Upstairs are two additional bedroom suites. When guests arrive or your children are old enough to sleep away from parents, this area is an ideal one. Both suites have walk-in closets, a shared bath (also called a Jack and Jill bath) with his and her sinks and a garden tub.
A complementary detached two-car garage plan, HPP 10299, gives you the needed space to park your vehicles. You may also enter from a door on the left side. Coordinating the shake siding of the house with the garage will help maintain the paired look. Inside the garage, you will find two small storage rooms. Equipment that you want to keep locked up, such as small power tools, will be secure here. You might also want to add cabinets along the walls for seasonal gardening supplies, such as birdseed, glass birdbaths, or lawn chemicals that you do not want to store inside the house.
Choosing the location of your new home, the materials for the outside and the interior designer for the inside are all very personal choices. However, this compact craftsman home with less than 1700 square feet makes this easy for the discriminating buyer. The front and back terraces extend the living areas. Small things, indeed, come in wonderful packaging.