The One Story Cottage

Specs

600 square feet (20’x30’)
1 bedroom
1 bathroom
3 Foundation plans included
Porch plans included
Electrical & plumbing plans included
Materials List included
Editable CAD File available

20x30 One Story Cottage from CountryPlans.com floorplan

PDF plans$275

Paper plans$350

PDF + Paper$425

CAD + PDF$625

CAD + PDF + Paper$700

PDF plans are complete ready-to-print drawings for permits and building. CAD plans add the editable drawing files, so you or a designer can make changes in CAD software. Paper plans are printed sets shipped to you.

New to codes and permits? Our plain-English guide explains how it works.

Already own an older paper set of these plans? Adding the current PDF to your set is $75, and adding CAD + PDF is $350. Booklet and materials list come with it. Write to questions@countryplans.com with your name and the plan.

Purchase the One Story Cottage Plans

Order Plansfrom $275 · PDF, Paper or CAD

PDF and CAD arrive by email, usually within hours. Paper plans are 5 printed sets by USPS.

Overview

This is a simple to build, one level cottage. It has standard 8' sidewalls built with a sturdy 2x6 framing system. The roof pitch can be adjusted for different climates (it is shown as 10:12 in the elevation above). There are three different foundation plans you can use: concrete perimeter crawlspace, slab on grade (2 versions for different climates) and the easy to build post and pier foundation. Each is on a separate blueprint sheet as you will use only one of the three.

This rendering shows an interior view for a steep pitched roof with open "timber truss collar ties". This roof is actually built as a standard rafter framed roof with beefed up collar ties every 4'. They are built from standard 2x lumber so there is no special carpentry skills needed. These heavy looking "timber trusses" are great for hanging fixtures such as fans and lights. Full details for how to build this are included. The bedroom and bath use standard attic trusses for a flat ceiling. A pull down stair can provide access to attic storage. The Family room can have cathedral trusses or the exposed rafter ties shown above. The floor plan can be easily modified since interior walls do not carry loads.

The plan set also comes with porch layouts and details allowing you to design an 8' deep hip roofed gable end porch or a shed roofed side porch that can wrap around two sides. This porch system is very adaptable and allows for flexible indoor/outdoor living space. With some modification owners can even enclose part of the porch area for more interior living area. Plans also include an electrical plan and plumbing layouts, two options for heating and cooling and two different locations for the hot water tank (electric or gas). Most people will not require a mechanical room.

Plans also include:

Notes on how to customize your plans
An Open Beam Ceiling guide
A How to Read Plans guide with diagrams and a glossary of standard building terms
A checklist and tips for going to the building department
Info on foundations and soil types
Platform Framing info
Earthquake and Wind Bracing info
Plumbing and Electrical info

All of this comes in a free 11-page booklet that ships with every plan set.

The 20x30 Single Story Universal Cottage from CountryPlans.com comes with everything seen here

Here is everything that comes with a plan set (note that paper orders come with 5 sets of printed plans, only one is shown here)

The Materials List

Every set comes with a materials list: a six-page take-off of the shell, as an editable Word file and a PDF. It was put together by a professional take-off service. The pages run from the sub-floor and wall framing up through roofing, siding, doors, windows, insulation, drywall, rough hardware, plumbing and electrical, with a blank price column for you to fill in.

Take it to a lumber yard and get a quote before you commit. The list is for comparing suppliers, not for ordering. A note on every page says what it leaves out: foundation concrete, rebar, wire mesh, visqueen, cabinets, complete plumbing and electrical materials, HVAC, finish flooring, paint and appliances. Trusses come from a local truss manufacturer. You can edit the Word file for your own material choices; save it under a new name to keep the original.

The list used to be a paid extra. It comes with the plans now.

Dimensions and loads

The numbers people ask us before they buy.

Footprint: 20' x 30', 600 sf. One story.
Wall height: 8' as drawn. John Raabe, who drew these plans, said 10' needs only longer studs and no structural change, and that 12' may need wind bracing.
Loft or second floor: None as drawn. The attic is about 7' high at the centre, and roughly 6' wide above 5' of headroom: storage, not a loft. John's answer for anyone who wanted one was taller sidewalls with the loft built over the bath and bedroom walls, or an attic truss from the truss company, or the 1.5 Story Cottage, which is the same 20' x 30' footprint with a full loft.
Roof pitch: 10:12 as drawn, with a note on the drawings that it can be adjusted.
Design snow load: Not certified for one site. John's answer was that the truss designs are engineered by the truss company for your local loads, and that the site-built truss diagram is not engineered for a specific snow load. His charts put the 2x12 open-beam ceiling option at more than enough for a 55 psf snow load.
Height to peak: 18'-6" typical.

Dimensions come from the plan sheets. None of these plans is engineered for one site: your truss company designs the roof to your local snow and wind loads, and your building department has the last word. Ask us about anything not here at questions@countryplans.com.

Related discussions on the forum

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20x30 One Story Cottage from CountryPlans.com

The finished 1 Story Cottage

A Customer’s Story

Here’s the first message from Cody:

“Here are some photos of the 20x30 one story we built from your plans. We went with 8' sidewalls and an 10/12 roof pitch on a slab. I think we will do a little loft over the bedroom and bathroom. Up to this point building has been very easy partly because I built the outer walls in my sisters barn and then used a U-haul to take them to the site."

Here you can see the roof rafters in place and how every other rafter is tied across with an exposed built-up beam (made out of 2x lumber). Part of this will be decked over later for a loft.

"I built them with 5/8" plywood using 2x6 studs. Each panel was 4x8. I had to build this way because my husband was away in school and I have two girls - one 2 and the other was 2 months at the time, now she is 5 months old. It only took one day to bring the panels in and set them up. Everything was perfectly square and plumb. If I had been a little braver I would have installed the windows and doors beforehand and maybe even put the Tyvek on."

The builder, Cody, with the little one and the barn-built panels

Here’s the second message from Cody:

“My husband is home now and was able to help with everything but the outer walls. He is unable to do a whole lot because he is military and works about 80 hours a week. We did have someone do the slab and the metal roof. We only paid $3,800 for the slab and 40" deep footings so I couldn't pass it up. The metal roof, installed was $1,185 - not much more than shingles."

The weatherized 1 Story Cottage

Here’s how the Tyvek was cut and the windows were installed.

"I will be happy to explain to anyone how to panelize their house. It is sooooooo simple, especially if you plan the doors and windows to fit inside a 4x8 sheet."

-Cody