The Woods Cottage

The Woods Cottage is similar to our Shingle Cottage with the added feature of an attached two car garage with bonus room above.  This is an extremely livable house with a cottage charm and many amenities suitable for a large family.  Below are some pictures of a built Woods Cottage sent to us from a past client. 

This is the front of the Woods Cottage.  From this view you can see the way the garage comes together with the main house.  The wood plank siding with white trim provide a comfortable look and feel to this cottage.

In this view we see the front of the cottage from the other side of the front yard.  The porch is a welcoming area with plenty of space for furniture, such as rocking chairs, to enjoy the outdoors.  The house reveals the dining room on the right as it steps away from the main volume, as well as the family room fireplace by way of the chimney.

When we walk through the front door we are greeted in the foyer by the stairs.  To the left is the living room, to the right is the family room, straight ahead leads to the remainder of the first floor, and up the stairs leads to bedrooms and additional family spaces.

The living room is visually separated from the foyer by four columns (two of which can be seen in this picture).  This is a great space to make a formal area to greet visitors.  Two sets of windows bring natural light into the room.

The family room is separated from the foyer by a pocket door, in essence making it possible to close off the family spaces from the formal ones.  This room features a fire place, built-in shelving (not shown), a pass-thru to the kitchen (not shown) and plenty of natural light.

The dining room is off of the family room and also opens to the kitchen.  There are windows facing three sides of the house: the front, the back and the side.  These windows provide beautiful views as you enjoy your meals.

The first floor also features a large kitchen, master bedroom suite with an enlarged whirlpool bath, a spacious laundry room, a powder room and an office which connects the garage to the house.

Upstairs, there is plenty of room for a family to move and grow.  There are three generously sized bedrooms (each with its own large window), two baths and a den leading to the large bonus room over the garage.

For more information on the Woods Cottage please visit our Southern Cottages website.

Over 1,000 Views!

We are celebrating the number of views our three-part video series, entitled How to Draw a Floor Plan, have garnered on YouTube!  Parts 1 and 2 have had over 1,000 views and Part 3 will reach that number soon!  If you want to know what you are missing, here is Part 1 - Tools and Materials.

If you are hungry for more, check out our Southern Cottages page on YouTube!

The Shingle Cottage

The Shingle Cottage is a glorified, contemporary, bungalow with "rooms in the roof".  Large porches and a sheltering roof combine with a free flowing floor plan to give this house a distinctive appearance and a comfortable living quality.

This design has many special features including skylights over the stair, baths and dressing area; an open central stair well; a laundry chute/hamper; vaulted ceilings in upstairs bedrooms; large walk-in closets at all bedrooms; interior columns at living room; built-in storage cabinets and TV/sound system cabinets in the family room; large "table" island in the kitchen; many full height windows with transom windows above and palladian windows at upstairs bedrooms.

We have two versions of the Shingle Cottage.

Shingle Cottage

Shingle Cottage Balcony Option

Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitect.com.
View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.

Getting a Budgetary Cost to Build Your Home

This house is the Shelter Cottage, available on our website.

Construction costs vary from region to region and city to city.  This makes it difficult to get an idea of how much it will cost to build a home.  To get an idea of construction costs in your area, have a good local builder or two give you a budget estimate from something like the Study Plans we offer on our website.  (If you need help choosing a contractor, please read our post "Selecting Your General Contractor".)  He will not be able to provide a firm contract price, though, until he has the construction plan package. 

Have your contractor update his quote with the construction plans and specifications prior to signing a contract with a general contractor or any sub-contractors. Otherwise, you will constantly hear "I didn't include that in my quote.”

Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitect.com.
View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.

Waterfront House Plans

These waterfront house plans were designed to maximize views and create delightful living spaces for gracious coastal living. Each house plan design incorporates a timber piling foundation system to provide protection from flooding and to meet coastal code requirements.

The Winds Cottage is a contemporary adaptation of southern coastal design elements put together in a new and exciting waterfront house plan.

The Island Cottage House Plan is a playful, waterfront cottage getaway. With it's wrap around porch, roof decks and roof-top observation loft, it's a great waterfront house plan.

The Porches Cottage is ideal for a streetscape lot in a beach house community or anywhere that large, covered porches are desirable. The "inverted living area" floor plan maximizes distant views from the living/dining areas on the top floor and makes this a special waterfront house plan.

The Lookout Cottage is a magnificent treehouse with roof decks, balconies and a rooftop observation deck perfect for overlooking surrounding trees and distant views.

The Grand Peaks Cottage provides "rooms in the roof" and a cascading, sheltering roofline to give this waterfront house plan a distinctive appearance and interesting interior spaces.

The Shelter Cottage has a large, sheltering roof and ample covered outdoor living spaces. The linear plan allows for views both front and back from most all rooms making it a light and airy waterfront house plan.