Architectural Designs

what do you think of this small house floor plan?

i have been looking for a house to build to sell and have a budget so have to keep it scaled down at this time...maybe the next one can be bigger. I just built one(finishing now) and learned a lot. I want a one level on a slab for ease of building to speed it up. Also no stairs is a money and time saver. I want 3 bedrooms so it suits the average family. and a few bonuses like walk in closets and an open concept. I was prepared to build a home up to 1500 sq ft but came across this plan... http://www.houseplans.com/1333-square-feet-3-bedroom-2-bathroom-Cottage-house-plans-2-garage-(4411) I think its perfect. Master suite is large and nice to have a porch right by it. and seperate laundry centrally located. also all bedrooms have walk in closets...nice i think. so keeping in mind its size is small what do you think of it? please tell me your opinions as it is to sell so your opinions are what counts.

Public Comments

1. While,your building your dream home just imagine what your wanting not what is made for you. Think of storage,and the bar/dinning area to be opened.The walk in closets are nice.I have them at my apt and barely making rental payments.I say if you have the time and money than go ahead,but you can also invest that money in the future to retire or have a nice little nesting far and away vacation home. but,it's your choice.While you rich folks throw money around(asuming your rich,since your making your own home plans) or you are self made rich etc.Than why ask a bunch of strangers is your money.
2. For a small house, it does have nice extras. Most kids would prefer a tiny bedroom of their own to a larger shared one. It's great to have two full baths, although the master bath might get chilly without an auxiliary heat source because of the outside wall. Furniture can easily be moved into the master bedroom through the back porch door. The working fireplace is a real plus. It looks as if there's storage in the low attic, although it might only have access through a pull-down stairway in the garage. The shutters and woodwork in the model drawing are very attractive. You may be fortunate enough to find a good licensed plumber and electrician who are hungry for work in this economic slump. However, as you know, there are thousands of houses already on the market, so selling prices are depressed, and it doesn't look like they'll rise even to previous levels any time soon. The alternative to building new would be to purchase an existing house in a good neighborhood at a low price, and renovate it to bring it up to contemporary standards. Do you have a suitable location in mind? Not very many areas around here feature small, new houses. Most small-house neighborhoods I've seen in upstate New York, western Pennsylvania, and Ohio seem to be filled with aging blue-collar starter homes on the downside of their value curve. LATER: This article appeared on Yahoo! today. It gives some figures about what renovations are most worth the money when you go to sell: http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/111220/home-upgrades-more-cost-than-value?mod=realestate-homeimprove
3. You're approaching this from the wrong perspective. If you want to build this to sell then you have to focus on what other people want, what the local market is, and what they will pay for XYZ features instead of looking at what is easiest for you to build. You don't want a house that was easy to build, but doesn't sell. I would talk with a few local realtors to see where the market is. Obviously there are many issues with housing right now, but if you're in a place where there is a demand for certain features or where there isn't much new construction and you can find a niche, go for it, but approach it from a straight business perspective.
4. While the prevous answers have valid points, I feel that this is a home I could live in myself. The only thing I would change is the overall size of the rooms, which would bring it more into the 1500 sq ft range. And I'm not crazy about the entrance to the MBR being off the DR. I would also reconsider building on slab versus a basement, which would give the option of living area expansion &/or storage, as well as keeping the house warm (slabs are cold & almost always demand carpetting because of that) Downsizing is huge, & I myself am seeking a home like this with very little yard...just a courtyard with a patio, a water feature, & a fireplace. Unsold homes are unsold because they need major updating & have a poor floorplan. It's not the case with this, as you have vaulted ceilings (virtually impossible to do with older ranch houses, you'll probably have better insulation in a new build, you'll want to have granite counter & vanity tops, & in general can spec all the "must-have" finishes from the get-go.) I would definitely make sure to place this home on a very small "zero lot line" plot to zero in on the low maintenence aspect of this home. I would buy this in a minute if it had a basement, had a more suitable MBR entrance, was slightly larger, & was built on a very small lot.