Compact House Plans

These cohesive compact house plans juxtapose two distinct living spaces separated by the kitchen hub. The architectural design creates a two bedroom energy efficient home.  The design achieves 1,959 square feet/182 square meters gross floor area and 603 square feet/56 square meters of external living area.

energy efficient layout

A long rammed limestone spine wall extends from the front entry pivot door to the first light-filled interior living space. The rammed limestone wall provides a sense of solidity and strength but also provides pragmatic benefits of thermal mass .  The central gallery style hallway in the heart of the home with highlight windows connects the juxtaposed living spaces. The hallway highlight windows generate an ever-changing play of light in the spaces throughout the day.

When correctly oriented on your site, the floor plan cut-outs ensure the residence conforms to passive solar design principles with each living space having the potential for solar heat gain during the cooler winter months. The kitchen is the hub of the house that connects two generous open plan living areas which transform the eco home to indoor outdoor living through the 8 feet/2400mm high clear anodized end-sliding doors.

The residence strategically locates the two living spaces adjacent to the kitchen for full exposure to the southern aspect. The memorable space relationships are efficiently planned to create a thermally efficient house.  The residence can be built with either reinforced concrete slab on ground construction or the cost effective patented footing system.

eco home material palette

These compact house plans incorporate a material palette of rammed limestone, locally sourced hardwood timbers, corrugated steel and weatherboard cladding. The compact house plans achieve an eco home on a small budget by either slab on ground construction or utilizing the patented prefab footing system, solar hot water and wood fuel firebox for wood fuel boosting. Visitors to the eco home are greeted with a large 8 feet high single light glazed timber pivot door and are only then ushered into the eco home’s open plan living areas.

The hub of the eco home is the architect designed kitchen which incorporates the latest porcelain panel selections to the waterfall edged kitchen island bench and also maximizes interface between the kitchen hub and adjacent two living areas. The compact house plans boast the latest porcelain panel selection kitchen perimeter bench-tops and colored back glass. The kitchen also enjoys Blum Aventos lift overhead cupboards that cantilever above the bench-top height slot window.