Measure twice, cut once.

Hi all!

I've recently begun designing a small home (200ish square feet base) and was looking for some design advice. I was wondering if anyone had some "oh, wish I'd thought of that ahead of time" examples I could/should take into consideration while in the design and early phases. The current plan is to have all of the basic living area (kitchen, table, sitting, storage, bathroom, etc) on the main level, and then loft the bed. I'm also thinking about adding water catchment, but unfortunately my area in the Midwest doesn't allow it at present (so I'll just add it in the design, and retrofit if I'm lucky!)

That's pretty much it. Any advice is welcome! Funky ideas, nifty thrifties, and anything else feel free to join in

Hey Adam,

Here's a short list of things I've come across from reading:

Corner toilets save a lot of room in the bathroom.

arched doorways are much more comfortable, especially in a small house. http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/14452/building-skills-how-to-build-an-arched-rough-opening

Check out japanese tea house designs, I really want to do that at some point. Beds that roll up and store in a closet, walls that slide together to create one room, etc.

Two windows in an exterior corner makes for an "outisde" feeling.

Entry ways should be bigger than you'd think.

"The not so big house" and "Finehomebuilding.com" are great resources.

Also my parents are building a floating house down in Sanford, Florida. Their design is really neat... and cheap! Rent is crazy low at marinas, you live on the water, there are lots of benefits.

If you build it on a trailer you can bring it anywhere and stay as long as you want. This includes national parks! Live in the heart of the most beautiful areas of our country, with the best views, for a week, a year or however long you want! Pretty cool.

tumbleweedhouses are doing that stuff.

Basically the law is that if your house has wheels underneath it it is legally an RV meaning it is a vehicle, and such does not pertain to any housing codes. You can live wherever you can park your vehicle... which is pretty much everywhere...

The wheels dont even have to be visible or work. As long as there is an axle and wheels underneath it you're good.

Thanks for the reply Guarren. I really like the arched doorway idea, definitely something I'd be into (and I've added it to my list of options ). I agree with the corner windows, I was looking to do a good number of windows, so cornering them makes sense.

As for putting it on wheels, that was definitely one of my thoughts as well! I love the idea of traveling around with a comfy house, but I don't have a vehicle to do that with at present. I'll settle for a stationary one for now, and use it to give me ideas for a mobile one should I ever get to go that route.

On a side note, the location for my small house might be built into the side of a hill, so that could be interesting. I'll have to look up grass-roof houses for some more input on structure and whatnot, but I like the idea of having more easily regulated temperature.