Barnes Design Works · Small House Plans

Small Homes. Thoughtful Design.

A small collection of compact houses, drawn in full. More square footage means more to build, finish, heat, cool, and maintain. These plans spend space 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.

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Available now Plan 002 from the front: white stucco walls with warm wood siding bands and a steep gable roof whose long side carries 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.

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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.

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Available now Plan 004 from the back: a deep covered patio on two wood posts in front of the living room's glass doors, under a low sloped roof.

Plan 004

$899

1,400 sq ft 3 bed 2 bath 1 story

A long, low house under a sloped roof. The kitchen, dining and living room run together as one vaulted room with a stone fireplace, with a covered patio along the back.

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Available now Plan 005 from the front: dark board and batten siding and a gabled porch with timber posts over glass doors.

Plan 005

$949

1,450 sq ft 3 bed 2 bath 1 story

A one-story house with a two-car garage at one end and ten-foot ceilings throughout. A gabled porch opens into the living room, and a mud room ties the garage to the kitchen.

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02  /  Drawing Room

What is being drawn next.

Sketch elevation of Plan 006: one level, glazed wall to wall, under a deep overhang on timber posts.
Coming soon

Plan 006

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

Sketch elevation of Plan 007: living space above a garage, with a balcony over the entry.
Coming soon

Plan 007

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

Sketch elevation of Plan 008: a single sloped roof over a stone chimney, opening onto a raised terrace.
Coming soon

Plan 008

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

Sketch elevation of Plan 009: an off-center ridge roof in standing seam metal, with a tall window at the peak.
Coming soon

Plan 009

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.

02
Simple to build

Rectangular footprints, slab on grade, standard framing, stock windows.

03
One good room

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

04
Finished, not started

Plans, elevations, sections, framing, foundation, details and schedules. A complete set to price and build from, once it has been reviewed for your site and local code.

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 understand and price the house as designed.

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.