Shingle RV Garage

The Shingle RV Garage is a relatively new plan in our collection.  If you have an RV, this plan is great for protecting your motor home or recreational vehicle from prolonged exposure to the weather.  It has an efficiency apartment in the attic and three additional bays for cars or boats.  This plan was originally designed to coordinate with the Shingle Cottage, but the architectural features also blend with the Shelter Cottage or Island Cottage.

This rendering shows the exterior of the Shingle RV Garage.  There are "rooms in the roof" of the sheltering roof line.

This is the main floor of the Shingle RV Garage.  The 39' RV Garage plan provides (3) parking bays for regular vehicles and a drive-thru RV Garage.  Also included is a storage room and the foyer to access the apartment upstairs.

Upstairs, the efficiency apartment provides ample living space and opens to a balcony to take in the fresh air.  This plan makes it possible to have your own residence in the apartment or to use it as a special place for your visiting guests to stay.

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.

Selecting Your General Contractor

There is nothing more exciting than building your own home!  After having an architect design your custom home, or selecting a plan you like from a website like Southern Cottages House Plans, the next step is finding a general contractor to build your dream house.

The best way to find a good contractor in your area is word of mouth. Ask neighbors or a local realtor if they know some good residential builders that you can contact.  You can also call local residential architects and ask them for some contractors they have worked with before.

When talking with a prospective builder, ask for several references that you can contact.  Then call the references.  This is to help you be confident that you will be working with a reputable contractor.  Here are some questions to ask:  What are their thoughts about the company in general?  Who was the superintendent they worked with (the representative of the construction company who is consistently on the jobsite) and how did they like him?  Did they have any problems with the contractor and what were they?  How did the contractor resolve the problems and was it in a way they were happy about?  Did the contractor stay on budget and finish their home on time?  And most importantly, do they love the way their home turned out?  People are usually happy to share both good and bad information.  Remember, this is your dream home and you do not want a negative experience while it is being built.  Checking references is the best way to try to avoid that.

Once you have decided on a contractor, ask for a construction quote based on your construction document set.  This will tell you how much they think it will cost to build your home.  Be sure to do this before signing a contract with any general contractor or sub-contractors.  If you are happy about the quote then sign a contract.  If you are not happy with the quote then you are free to take your plans to another general contractor for another quote.  Then you can compare two quotes to get a better idea of your construction costs. 

Once you have signed a contract it is only a matter of (construction) time before you can begin living in your dream home.  Good luck!

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.

Live at the Beach All Year Long

The following are some of our favorite beach decorating elements to remind us of one of our favorite locations.

1.  The use of natural beach items. 

Sand, starfish and seashells make a centerpiece extra special.

A picture frame with starfish and sandollars capture beach memories.

2.  Lighting

A simple hurricane candle holder as a centerpiece on a dining table or as an accent in a room.

Light fixtures reminiscent of a waterfront boardwalk, like this Wire Cage Pendant light.

3.  Letting the outdoors come in.

Operable shutters to open the space to outside.

A rug with tropical plant leaves

4.  The color white.

Fresh, clean, comfortable.

White furniture with accents that provide pops of color in a room.

5.  The use of rattan, wicker and other woods.

A rattan bed completed with beach inspired sheets.

A simple lamp with minimal decoration.

Baskets for storage on a shelf or under a coffee table.

You can add a few of these elements to your room or incorporate all of them to have the feeling of living at the beach all year long.  

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.

Nags Head Cottage

The Nags Head Cottage was designed in the tradition of the Nags Head Vernacular of the Outer Banks of the North Carolina Coast. Wrap-around porches provide protection from the elements. Rooftop balconies take advantage of magnificent views.

Some features of the Nags Head Cottage include 4 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom; a half bath for guests; 3,161 square feet of heated space on three levels; a game room; garage space for two cars; plenty of storage; and an outdoor shower for rinsing off the salt and sand when you come back from the beach.

Front Elevation

Left Elevation

Rear Elevation

Right Elevation

Sloping Sites

Our unique house plans include this selection of home designs for construction on a sloping lot. Our hillside house plans provide an excellent opportunity to use the basement as a garage or to provide a walk-out patio from the basement level. The house plans below are specifically designed as hillside house plans for sloping lots.

Island Cottage Basement Foundation

Available in 2,058 sf or 2,470 sf sizes, plus basement square footage

The Island Cottage House Plan is a playful, coastal cottage getaway with a wrap around porch, roof decks and a roof-top observation loft. The basement version is designed for a sloping lot.

Mountain Cottage

The Mountain Cottage is a variation of the Island Cottage and illustrates one of the many customizations of this versatile plan. In this example, the Mountain Cottage is built into the side of a hill which slopes down to a large lake providing wonderful views.

Country Cottage

The Country Cottage has all the amenities of a larger house designed in a compact space. The basement version provides a rear drive-in garage in the basement which works well with a hillside sloping lot.

Hip Cottage

The Hip Cottage Basement Option extends living space into a basement with access to an outdoor patio which blends this house into a sloping lot.  It is compact, yet has all the features that make for comfortable living including a separate laundry room, large closets and kitchen opening into the living spaces. 

Plantation Cottage

The Plantation Cottage draws upon the southern, coastal, low country vernacular and features large, wrap-around porches and a full basement. Designed for a sloping lot, it provides for a side drive-in garage in the basement of the house.