Small Houses

One of my favourite ways of wasting time is to look on house plan websites for what I think of as "Ontario cottages", to see how they use the space. I don't think I've ever actually found one yet, but I do find lots of other interesting houses that I like.

Of course I'm a sucker for a pretty artist's rendition, but who isn't? (Click on any of the images to see a larger size).

Clocking in at only 950 square feet, not much bigger than my husband's condo, this plan from houseplans.com fits two bedrooms and 1.5 baths under its dormer roof.

I like the way the full-size kitchen is open to both the living and dining rooms, using an island to demarcate the space. We tend to spend most of our time in our dining room, so having one so light-filled appeals to me.

Upstairs are the standard bathroom and two bedrooms - not too much to be said about that. I would probably build in storage along the west walls in both bedrooms, including some hanging space and drawers, rather than just a standard closet. There's a handy gap at the bottom end of the tub for a built-in linen closet as well.

The square shape of the building would not, unfortunately, suit a city lot. On a bigger lot you'd want the staircase/bathroom wall facing north, since it has the fewest windows, meaning morning sun in the living room and evening sun in the kitchen - possibly backwards, but then again, mirror plans are available too.