The 420 square-foot backyard cottage

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New-Avenue-in-Berkeley5

New-Avenue-in-Berkeley6

New-Avenue-in-Berkeley

The cottage was built with insulated slabs and features R19 recycled denim insulation. It also has insulated hot water pipes and an on-demand water heater. The windows have low-E insulated glass. In the kitchen there is an induction cooktop and an Energy Star dishwasher amongst other amenities and features. No compromises have been made when building this cottage and it includes everything one would need for a comfortable living. The cottage is powered by a 1.67 kW solar array that was installed on the main house.

New-Avenue-in-Berkeley7

 

New Avenue Homes
5515 Doyle St. #4
Emeryville, CA 94608
(855) 5NEWAVE


36 Responses to “The 420 square-foot backyard cottage”

  1. Elliot says:

    So two rooms then… The porch can never be considered a room. Would you call your garden a room as well? The bathroom is the only separate room in this so even though the design is good, I was disappointed to click on this to find it’s similar to most tiny homes.

  2. John says:

    I love the one water wall being interior. And though I could barely see it, it looked like a comfy couch, not some art deco thing designed to sit on while drinking tea.

  3. Michael says:

    One of the best. I would do a single pitched roof and regular stairs. Just wish I could find an area near Los Angeles where I can build this small.

  4. Brad says:

    This would be great additions to our dropzone. Can you contact me via email to discuss getting these made.

  5. that guy says:

    I do believe that a correction needs to be made. The article states 6 rooms in 420 square feet, however, the truth of the matter is there are only 5 rooms.. a porch is not enclosed by walls, and is therefore not a room

    • oddlotfarm says:

      #outdoorliving is a thing. It exists. The porch is considered a room as in outdoor living space. We could add a few more rooms to this cottage becuz of multi-use living spaces…dining/office, living room/guest room, loft/bedroom, porch/mudroom, etc.

  6. Pat Gustafson says:

    This is an amazing layout. How may I obtain the plans?

  7. Sherri Grant says:

    How much does it cost to built this adorable cottage?

  8. Michael W says:

    Approximate cost to build?

    • Dave says:

      Price per square foot depends on local, but a quick google search will tell you the approximate cost depending on where you build.

  9. Kent Fletcher says:

    VERY interested in this plan! Please!

  10. Louanne says:

    I am confused by the photo of the house with the snow on it…. the blueprint shows a porch with double doors but the photo shows a single front door. Not the same house as the second exterior photo that shows French doors open to the deck/porch.

  11. Louanne says:

    Also the lay out of the kitchen in the photos is different from the floor plan…..I like this cottage, but things don’t match up!

  12. michael says:

    Id build 2 and connect the porches

  13. Ken Perez says:

    need to build 3 of these in Oregon Klamath.
    Cost, and how let’s build?

  14. Hofy says:

    Where are the utilities? Water heater? Electrical panel? Furnace/heat source? I hate these plans that omit important things that actually are needed to make them livable.

  15. Natalia Corsello says:

    Yes indeed it may be a factual declaration although the latter is more appropriate.

  16. jered says:

    So how do I get the plans

  17. Helen says:

    What do the people who live in these houses actually do with their time? Clearly they don’t preserve any of their own food, nor sew or knit or have any kind of pastime that requires tools or materials. Do they just watch tv and play on the internet? Not a very satisfying lifestyle.

    • oddlotfarm says:

      I think these are better suited as guest quarters or vacation rentals, but in today’s economy, I can see single professionals renting cottages like this so they don’t have to house share w/strangers. But, it would be easy to add two decent sized lean-to sheds to a couple sides of this cottage for life’s accoutrements. Maybe one for sports and vehicle gear and one for garden & hobby supplies? Think of the nice income one or two of these could provide you.

    • Vanessa says:

      I would venture to say that people who live in these have a very satisfying lifestyle. I would strongly doubt they are the TV/internet junky kind. If I had a house like this, it would be because I spend a significant amount of time outside enjoying outdoor hobbies. Not all hobbies require the collection of stuff. An avid reader only needs one book. That book may change five times in one week but one book does the job.

  18. terry says:

    I need to get one of these made.

  19. just me says:

    I could do this but..the stairs would need to be ‘real’ which would open another storage area for whatever..I realise they use the on demand water heater so minimal space there..but what is the heat source?…and it is a ‘guest house’ since it is connected to the solar panels on the ‘main house’ …guess fine for that usage.

  20. Mel says:

    Buy plans and or house where?!

  21. chris says:

    Well I know I would be outside all the time. Inside is for sleeping. I would have an outdoor kitchen for canning and food prep.

  22. Toes says:

    Helen, I totally agree! I could see this as a guest house (not for elderly guests due to the ladder) or a vacation home for short trips but couldn’t live tiger full time with my hobbies (cooking, gardening indoor & out, crafts, sewing…)

  23. Roman says:

    These are two different houses! Check out the photos on the second page. You can see that the porch is different in the snowy photo and the other one above. It looks absolutely huge inside. Not sure if this would count as a tiny home though and it doesn’t look to be very mobile. Looks amazing actually but is it a reality?

  24. S says:

    Wow. That’s some negative comments. If you buy the pans yous get more info and understand the mechanicals. Ever consider other people built it and modified it and he’s showing various versions? Ever consider people don’t want to knit and sit and might lead an outdoors active life style? People! These posts were horribly amazing. I think it’s one of the better open designs. Good luck with it!

  25. Randy says:

    First, the snow covered house seems to have no reason to have been put on here. It is not the same house. Secondly according to their plans the house has 277 sq ft on main floor and 120 sq ft in the loft. Giving you 397 sq ft with a 62 sq ft covered porch. So whether you count the porch as a room or not it never comes out to be a 420 sq ft house. It’s either 397 or 459 sq ft. Also the pictures show that the kitchen has been built differently from the plans, more of an open concept. A PDF of the floor plans can be found under the picture of the floor plan listing the 6 rooms. And directly below that is a link to the company who I assume designed it, New Avenue Homes.

  26. Doug Burke says:

    Would like to purchase the plans to this small home. Please respond.
    Thanks, Doug

  27. Lynn decker says:

    We have 2 400 square foot homes. An RV that we travel in during the spring and summer and then a Park Model for the winter. We have a very satisfying life. I sew, make jewelry, do clay. Both my husband are avid readers. My husband does projects on both abodes. So it gives us the space and flexibility we need.

  28. Benita S. says:

    I’m checking into these to put on my daughter’s place in Hawaii. It will be a place to sleep eat and seek shelter from the rain. Walking distance to beach and little town of Kapaa 🙂

  29. Alove says:

    I actually live in a tiny home with my boyfriend. It’s smaller than the one in this article, as a matter of fact. I crochet, sew, read, paint, draw and my boyfriend is an accomplished drummer. We manage to fit our hobbies into our home just fine. We had to get creative with his drum set and with storage of my art supplies. It took a bit of getting used to since being that close to each other at all times was new to us, but it has worked out quite well. You just have to think outside the box and get creative!

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