New empty nesters often experience sad days when their last child leaves home. However, once the initial shock wears off, the realization hits them that there is a whole new world to discover. Hobbies and travelling they have missed out on because of time or finances. As well, they often think about downsizing and building a smaller version of their dream home. Then the search is on for small house plans.

Although this step of looking at plans for a smaller house feels uncomfortable at first because for a large part of their life, the big family house was the base for their children and them. They eventually realize that the house is too big and less noisy making it feel a little lonely. Trading in the family home for a more efficient smaller home shouldn’t ever be thought of as trading down. Small house plans offer more space quality and practicality. Their new, smaller dream home will take them through the rest of their lives in comfort.

There is no longer a need to feel that life as they knew it is over. Instead it is an exciting beginning, especially since with small house plans they can have a say in all aspects of the home before it’s built. This can become one of their new hobbies.

Small House Plans for Empty Nesters

The empty nesters can look at homes with less bedrooms and more space for relaxing and entertaining. When designing their new small house plan, they can also add luxurious touches, if they choose. However, no matter which direction they want to go, they should consider storage, maintenance, practicality, kitchen and master bedroom size.  Materials for small house plans are generally cheaper because less brick or wood is needed. As well it doesn’t need as much land to place it on. Empty nesters can also search for a plan that is close and then discuss the possibility of modifications.

Stairs or a Bungalow?

One challenge empty nesters face is getting rid of stairs. With aging it is important to think about the practicality of stairs. Small house plans can have a basement, or no basement and one or two floors.  Bungalow and cottage plans are very often two story so this sentence doesn’t apply.  Another factor to consider with a small house plan is whether to get a traditional, or open house plan. This can take a while to decide, particularly, if both parties can’t agree. Some empty nesters like having the master bedroom separated from the other bedrooms with a traditional plan; while others don’t.

When empty nesters are ready to start their new lives and think about building a cosier and smaller home, they have a lot of exciting things to think about. Although the transition is sometimes difficult, once they start planning their dream home, it gets them excited about the future. If you just found yourself childless, now is the best time to start looking at small house plans, to see what your next dream home will look like.

Before you resign yourself to drafting up small house plans, think innovatively about how you can make a large house work on a small lot.

If you take a stroll through any of the older neighborhoods in your city – older meaning mid-century or earlier – you will notice something about the homes: the lots are all big, but the houses tend to be a bit on the smaller side, with large yards. Fast forward a couple of decades and you’ll notice that houses started to get bigger, much bigger. Lots were still fairly large, so there was still decent yard space, but houses began running over two thousand square feet, even in fairly modest middle-class neighborhoods. Since then, the story has changed yet again. Due to population expansion in many major cities, new homes are being built on smaller and smaller lots. So what does this mean for you when you’re planning on having a home built? Can you only look at small house plans? Or will you be able to somehow manage something a little bigger?

Well, in a way yes, and in a way no. There are still larger lots available in more affluent areas, so if you can afford to live in one of those neighborhoods, you can scrap the small house plans and build something bigger. If you can’t afford the richer areas of your city and are looking in a more standard, middle-class neighborhood, you might not be able to plan a house that appears large or has a high square footage, but you can still build something much bigger and more elaborate than your basic small home. Bungalows might be a popular choice right now, as are split-level homes, which, despite being built upward, still must cover a large surface area, otherwise all those half-floors would simply be too small to be practical. However, on a newer, smaller lot, those might not be options, but before you give up and start drafting up small house plans, consider your other options.

Why not plan for a multi-story home? True, those aren’t done very often anymore, but they can be beautiful, sophisticated, and perfectly modest homes. You will have to be careful when making the plans, though. You want to make sure you really consider where you would like everything to be. It might seem simple to just take small house plans and throw on another floor, but unfortunately it’s not quite so simple. You’ll have to consider whether you want all bedrooms on the upper level, or if you’ll need one or more on the main level. You also have to think about your maximum square footage per floor, and what room placements that will allow for. Also consider how many floors you’re willing to have (why stop at two?), window placement (for privacy), and whether the neighborhood has restrictions on housing styles. In all of these considerations, the size of your family, your propensity for keeping company, your decorative taste, and your physical health will all be considerations.

Despite the work involved in changing your small house plans to multi-storey house plans, it will be worth the effort when you live in the neighborhood of your dreams, without compromising the house of your dreams.

Have you ever thought that perhaps your small house plans just weren’t visionary enough? A massive home with an echoing front hall isn’t everyone’s ideal.  Smaller homes provide a warmer atmosphere in a reasonable space. There are practical benefits to more modest homes as well, including the cost to build, utility costs, the amount of land needed and future upkeep.  Ultimately, the bigger your home the bigger the costs associated with it.

It’s not all about money though; small homes are fantastic in many ways.  So if someone is teasing you about your small house plans for the future, you can make an excellent argument.  Things to keep reminding yourself about include; you have a larger variety of locations to build available to you, it will be cost effective and custom and your small house plans will be fulfilling your big dreams!

Some people just have home envy. It’s true, home ownership is something that is not within reach for everyone.  Your small house plans might be a bone of contention for some because not only are you buying a new home, you’re building a new home! You get to choose each detail from the ground up and you will undoubtedly have friends and family who purchased an existing home that they were not one hundred percent satisfied with. Even though you have small house plans, building from the ground up is going to allow you to make sure that you structure your home to your personal or family needs.

Perhaps you have small house plans because it’s your second home, a rental property or a vacation home?  In that case you need to consider several different things; a rental home should meet all generic needs and be highly functional, don’t waste any space! If it’s a second home or vacation home then be sure your small house plans cater to the needs you’ll need met while you are there.  For instance, you aren’t there all year round so perhaps a massive bedroom is less important than a beautiful deck overlooking the scenery.

A vacation home implies time and luxury so maybe consider looking at small house plans that allow for an opulent bathroom where you can really relax.  Don’t overlook the fact that, despite not living in it all year round, you still have to maintain it.  Consider house plans that have features which will allow for easy or low levels of maintenance.   Some of these features could be; a low-pitch roof, easily accessible eaves troughs and a durable exterior building material.  Don’t overlook exterior additions either.  If you are planning to build a deck onto the home, ensure all the wood is cured and sealed so it doesn’t warp in temperature extremes.   There are also weather-friendly and environmentally friendly materials available for decking that are made of resin and require very little work to maintain.

Luckily, no matter why you need small house plans, you are definitely going to love designing the home (or vacation home) of your dreams!  We have many great small house plans available for you to choose from.