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.