Barnes Design Works · Small House Plans

Small Homes. Thoughtful Design.

A small collection of compact houses, drawn in full. Square footage is the most expensive thing in a house. These plans spend it carefully, so good design does not have to wait for a bigger budget.

Floor plan of Plan 001: two bedrooms and two baths along one side, and a shared kitchen, dining and living space opening onto a covered patio.

Plan 001 1,008 sq ft 2 bed 2 bath

Delivery Instant download
You receive A complete set
Licensed for One residence
Drawn by Brooke Barnes

01  /  The Collection

A Small Collection of
Well-Considered Homes.

The collection stays small on purpose. Each house is drawn all the way through before it goes up for sale. See all small house plans

Available now Plan 001, a 1,008 sq ft two-bedroom house, from the entry side: dark board siding, a cedar entry portal and an asymmetric roof.

Plan 001

$799

1,008 sq ft 2 bed 2 bath 1 story

One vaulted room holds the living, dining and kitchen and opens onto a covered patio. The two bedrooms sit behind it, quiet and separate, each with its own bath.

View Plan

Available now Plan 002 from the front: white stucco walls with warm wood siding bands and a steep single-slope roof carried past the wall to cover a two-car carport.

Plan 002

$949

1,656 sq ft 4 bed 3 bath 2 stories

Two floors under one steep roof, with a two-car carport alongside. Living, dining and kitchen run the width of the house downstairs; the master suite has its own balcony upstairs.

View Plan

Available now Plan 003 from the front: white board and batten siding and a tall central gable, with lower wings on each side under dark metal roofs.

Plan 003

$849

1,280 sq ft 3 bed 2 bath 1 story

One vaulted room for living, kitchen and dining under a tall gable, with glass doors at both ends. The bedrooms sit in lower wings on either side.

View Plan

02  /  Drawing Room

What is being drawn next.

Sketch elevation of Plan 004: two shed roofs at different heights, with a band of windows where they meet.
Coming soon

Plan 004

Two shed roofs at different heights, with a band of windows where they meet.

Sketch elevation of Plan 005: one level, glazed wall to wall, under a deep overhang on timber posts.
Coming soon

Plan 005

One level, glazed wall to wall, under a deep overhang on timber posts.

Sketch elevation of Plan 006: living space above a garage, with a balcony over the entry.
Coming soon

Plan 006

Living space above a garage, with a balcony over the entry.

Sketch elevation of Plan 007: a single sloped roof over a stone chimney, opening onto a raised terrace.
Coming soon

Plan 007

A single sloped roof over a stone chimney, opening onto a raised terrace.

Sketch elevation of Plan 008: an off-center ridge roof in standing seam metal, with a tall window at the peak.
Coming soon

Plan 008

An off-center ridge roof in standing seam metal, with a tall window at the peak.

More designs are added as they are finished. Ask what is next

03  /  Approach

Nothing here is bigger
than it needs to be.

Small is not the goal. Small is what happens when every room has to justify itself.

01
The plan comes first

Rooms are sized to what actually happens in them. Nothing is left over to heat, light, furnish, or pay a mortgage on.

02
Simple to build

Rectangular footprints, slab on grade, standard framing, stock windows. A small crew can build these without hunting for a specialist.

03
One good room

Instead of a formal room nobody sits in, living, dining and kitchen share one vaulted space that carries the whole house.

04
Finished, not started

Plans, elevations, sections, framing, foundation, details and schedules. A complete set, ready to price and build from.

The rear of Plan 001: sliding doors opening under a deep covered patio held on timber posts.
Plan 001   Covered patio 1,008 sq ft conditioned

04  /  The Set

Every plan is drawn,
not configured.

These are not assembled from a library of parts. Each house is modeled and drawn from the ground up, then documented the way a built project is documented.

What you download is the finished set: plans, elevations, sections, framing, foundation, details and schedules. Enough for a builder to price the job and start work.

See what is in the set

05  /  Changes

Ask before
you buy.

Most people build a plan as drawn. Some want the entry on the other side, a wall moved, or a garage added. Say what you have in mind and you will get a straight answer on what it takes.

No packages, no rate card. The conversation first, and a price only if there is work to do.