Customer Question: I Need More Information About Your Plans

We recently received a letter asking for more information about our Southern Cottages House Plans.

Island Cottage with Piling Foundation

All of our Southern Cottages House Plans have been designed by a licensed architect.  They are detailed, professional, architectural drawings.  Our construction plan packages are complete and ready to ship.  The house plans we sell include foundation plans, floor plans, building sections, wall details, interior elevations, structural design, and mechanical and electrical layouts. That's everything your contractor needs to build your house the right way.  They will save you many thousands of dollars over custom designed plans and save innumerable hours of time, money, and mistakes by your contractor if he were left on his own.

With our plans, you will be able to get accurate contractor bid prices since all construction items are specified and detailed.  We rarely have questions from a client's contractor and we welcome any questions that might arise.  Plus, we have been complimented on our construction plan quality.  We are confident you will be very happy if you decided to purchase one of our plans and with the outcome of your new home.

For additional information, please read “About the Plans” and “Terms of Sale” on our website.  If you have additional questions feel free to call our office.

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.

Porches Cottage Interior

The Porches Cottage is one of our coastal house plans.  What makes this house unique is that the design locates the living spaces on the top floor to maximize views, while the bedrooms occupy the first floor. This "inverted living area" arrangement works well for a beach community or other location where the view is a primary attribute of the site. 

This is the front of the Porches Cottage.  As the name suggests, this home has wonderful porches to take advantage of the outdoors.  Whether you are relaxing on the first floor porch or entertaining on the second floor porch, your outdoor living space will be the envy of your guests.   

The following are some interior pictures of the Porches Cottage that were sent to us from two different clients.

As mentioned earlier, the majority of the bedrooms are located on the first level of the Porches Cottage.  Each has a spacious closet, plenty of space for furniture and access to a conveniently located bathroom, which is usually attached.

The bedrooms provide a cozy space to retreat after a long day at the beach.  There are also plenty of windows that let in natural light during the day and make for an enjoyable sleeping space at night.

The living and entertaining spaces of the Porches Cottage are located on the top floor.  This provides a way to maximize the views, whether you are right on the ocean, or a lot or two beyond.  The livingroom and diningroom are arranged in one continuous space along the back of the house and toward your view.   A vaulted ceiling provides an airy feel and helps bathe the room in light.   

In another version of the house, the client added some wainscot, crown molding and decorative features to add an upscale feeling to the livingroom.  The fireplace is a central design element in the room and can provide a nice atmosphere during entertaining. 

The wainscot and molding were also continued into the diningroom, which is visually separated from the livingroom by columns.  Even though the ceiling is not vaulted, the atmosphere still provides an open feeling and a lovely space.

The kitchen is another exciting feature of the Porches Cottage.  It opens to the diningroom and livingroom to share in the exterior view and provide for a great entertaining space.  In this view from the diningroom, we look toward the kitchen and then beyond to the second level front porch door. In case you are wondering where the stairs to the first level is, it is located to the left of the porch door.  As you can see, there is still plenty of exterior light coming in through the front of the house.

In this upgraded and custom-modified-by-the-client kitchen, marble countertops, custom cabinets, and double ovens highlight what is possible in this versatile house plan.

In addition to all these features, the Porches Cottage works well on a narrow lot. Views are afforded front to back from nearly all rooms even if adjacent houses are close together on a crowded waterfront site.

There are four different versions of the Porches Cottage available.  Some of the options available are piling or crawlspace foundation, enclosed garage, a residential elevator, a roof deck and a range of three to four bedrooms.

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.

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