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.

Hip Cottage

The Hip Cottage is an efficient yet spacious small cottage with many special features such as a vaulted living/dining room, large closets, and wide overhangs. It is great for a vacation getaway or if you simply want a nice, two bedroom residence with character.

The Hip Cottage plan is compact, yet has all the features that make for comfortable living including a separate laundry room and kitchen opening into the living spaces. Front and rear porches extend the living space to the exterior. A special feature of this design is the clerestory light well above the kitchen and living areas. Light from the clerestory bathes the vaulted ceilings and rooms below to create a cheery mood. Large overhangs protect the interior from direct sunlight.

1260 sf Hip Cottage

The smallest Southern Cottages house plan.

1423 sf Hip Cottage with Wrap Around Porch

Wrap around porches extend the living space to the exterior.

1545 sf Hip Cottage with Attached Garage

In comparison to the standard Hip Cottage plan, this version with an attached garage also has a sun room in place of the screened porch. A spacious wet room that provides easy shower access is also included with glass block windows that glow of natural light.

2497 sf Hip Cottage with Basement

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.

Rear view of the 2497 sf Hip Cottage with Basement

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!