The garden house is distinguished by its small dimensions. This is explained by the fact that most plots in collective gardens and SNT are very modest in size. Six acres is a standard allotment, which was provided to almost everyone during Soviet times.
Typical layout of a small country house
Modern gardens boast a larger plot area, but this land is more often used for growing fruit and vegetable crops, and it is not practical to build a full-size large house on it, which will occupy a significant part of the plot.
Therefore, the layout of a garden house must meet two criteria: to achieve maximum comfort and functionality with a minimum area. Appearance also plays an important role, but the presence of a bathroom in the house is not at all necessary.
Materials for building a garden house
Today there are projects of various garden houses on the market. They are adapted to all types of existing building materials. A modern country house can be made of:
- bricks;
- piece blocks;
- logs;
- timber;
- using frame-panel technology.
frame-panel house project
Such a variety of materials allows you to choose the optimal design for a country house. Brick buildings and buildings made of piece materials are more durable and reliable, but their construction will take a lot of time and will cost the owner of the site more. The price will be higher not only due to the more expensive materials used, but also due to the need to build a solid foundation due to the heavy weight of the entire structure.
Houses made of wood are cheaper and more environmentally friendly. The tree will fit very organically into the atmosphere of the garden. The construction of such a house is possible on cheaper and less labor-intensive foundations, for example, screw piles are suitable.
If the house will be used not only in summer, but also in winter, then a wooden house is much easier to heat to the optimal temperature than a stone one.
A garden house using frame-panel technology is a fairly new proposal, but it fully justifies itself in this market niche.
Layout of a country house using frame-panel technology
It is built even faster than a wooden house, since it does not require long exposure of the box for the material to shrink. You can begin installing windows, doors and finishing, both interior and exterior, immediately after completing the installation of the frame and roof. It takes only a month and a half to build such a turnkey structure.
The cost also turns out to be much more attractive than that of houses made of other materials. The user characteristics are comparable to a wooden house, but the guaranteed service life is about 25 - 30 years, which is significantly inferior to stone houses.
With attic
The idea of increasing living space by adding an attic floor comes up often. It is believed that construction costs do not increase much, since most of the superstructure is a modified roof. In reality, if the attic is used all year round, the difference in the price tag for a two-story house and a one-story house with an attic will be small. After all, we must take into account that the area of the attic floor premises is much smaller, and the costs will be high, since good heat, sound, and vapor insulation is required.
For some, a dream home looks like this
Attics under a gable roof
A country house with a summer attic will be really cheap. But it must be taken into account that on sunny days it will be too hot there without insulation, so thermal insulation is still necessary, but not as “serious” as for winter use.
Country house 6*6 with veranda and attic
A country house with a summer attic will be really cheap. But it must be taken into account that on sunny days it will be too hot there without insulation, so thermal insulation is still necessary, but not as “serious” as for winter use.
Small country house 5*4 for two living rooms with an attic
The country house projects presented above are intended for seasonal visits. They provide only living rooms. In the room on the first floor you can organize a kitchenette.
Below is the layout of a small garden or country house measuring 5 by 5 meters with a dedicated kitchen. Please note that the porch is attached and is not on the plan.
5*5 cottage plan with attic and kitchen
All these houses are designed as frame houses. With minor modifications, these designs can be used for houses made of any other material. You just need to take into account the thickness of the walls and choose the right foundation.
Cottage with a covered veranda and attic 6*10 meters: floor plan
If desired, the covered veranda can be made open. Although, usually the opposite happens. Having built an open one, it is glazed or pushed out to half the wall, and single frames are installed. If you want fresh air, you can always open the windows, and the area can be allocated for a summer dining room or kitchen.
How to increase the area of the attic floor
All projects of country houses with an attic floor are made under a gable roof. This is good in the sense that the snow will not linger on such steep slopes. The second advantage is the simple rafter system. The downside is the small area of the “full” room upstairs. Too much wasted space around the edges. You can make cabinets there, but this area is unsuitable for living.
If the attic roof is gable, a lot of space is lost
If it is important for you to increase your living space, you can make the roof sloping. It is more complex and more expensive, but the area of the premises on the attic floor is much larger.
House project for a 7*7 dacha with an attic under a sloping roof and a bay window
Another way to increase the area is to raise the walls above the level of the first floor. They say to build “one and a half floors.” This option is good for dachas that are visited during the cold season. The roof can be made as you like, but a large area of the rooms still turns out to be broken.
Related article: Branded drywall primer and homemade mixtures
Example of “one and a half floor”
When choosing a project for a country house with an attic for periodic visits, it is better to make the attic cold and make the ceiling insulated. On the stairs that lead to the second floor, it is necessary to provide a door/cover that will fence off the upper tier. Otherwise, heating will take a lot of fuel and time. In winter, there are usually fewer people, and visits are short. Warming up both floors is too time-consuming and expensive, so this isn't a bad solution.
Number of storeys and dimensions of the garden house
A classic garden house is a one-story house, with a building area not exceeding an area of 20 square meters. The plan of the house was extremely simple: such a structure contained only one room, and without a vestibule or a dedicated hallway.
Layout of two floors of a country house
The area was arranged quite chaotically, but most often in the house there was a kitchen table with a minimum set of necessary utensils, a sofa or a bed used as a sleeping place. The rest of the space was taken up by gardening tools, accessories, clothing and seedlings. As a rule, there was no electricity in such houses.
Today, the requirements for a garden house have changed. Despite the fact that it still remains a small building, in terms of comfort and functionality it should not be inferior to a full-fledged residential building. If the presence of a bathroom and shower in the house is still considered an unnecessary luxury, although most of the drawings provide for the room, then electricity is a must.
The vast majority bring water into the house. Classic designs of garden houses offer solutions with a building footprint that does not exceed the dimensions of the house 6x6 meters.
Layout option for a small garden house
The exception rather than the rule are houses with base dimensions of 6x8 and 8x8 meters or more. This is due to the fact that such a house is very difficult to fit harmoniously and correctly into a small plot, without thereby violating the rules for developing collective gardens, and also to leave enough space for gardening experiments.
If it is necessary to increase the available square meters, the building is expanded upward, that is, they use drawings of a house with an attic or a full second floor. This allows you to double the usable area.
This is the optimal solution if a large family often comes to the garden and stays overnight, or if you host your friends and acquaintances here. For the usual needs of a gardener, the area of one floor is sufficient.
With veranda and terrace
When choosing the layout of a country house, they often try to find a project with a veranda or terrace. Such a covered area is good not only for relaxing or eating outdoors. On a rainy or hot day, under a canopy you can do a lot of things that, due to the large amount of garbage in the premises, cannot be done.
Relaxing at the dacha is no less important than work. What could be more enjoyable than relaxing outdoors?
On a common foundation
Projects of country houses with a veranda have a small area: the smallest have dimensions of 6 * 4 meters, and the veranda occupies 2 meters on the long side, and the house itself is 4 * 4 meters or 16 square meters (taking into account the thickness of the walls, even less).
Project of a 6*4 country house with a veranda and a bathroom
The project presented above provides for winter use of the dacha. To keep the house warm, there is an entrance through the vestibule. The entrance through the veranda can be used in summer. It is also good because it has a bathroom - a small shower stall, with sinks and a toilet. If there is no sewage system at your dacha, you can consider the option of a dry closet.
Another option is one room, in which there is space for several kitchen cabinets and a stove, there is a small dining table and a sleeping place. This layout is ideal for one person. Two people will feel good in it. This option does not have a bathroom, so you will have to build a toilet separately.
Project of a small country house with a veranda under a common roof
The layout of a small country house (up to 40 meters) is quite simple: usually there are two rooms, the first of which is used as a kitchen and dining room at the same time. Most often it is a walk-through. The second room is living. You can more or less comfortably place two sleeping places here. So, projects of country houses with a 6*4 meter attic are designed to accommodate 1-2 people.
Project of a country house with a bathroom and an open terrace under a pitched roof
If the construction budget is very limited, consider projects of country houses with a pitched roof. They are unusual for our country, but the cost of roofing for a small area is much less. You just need to choose the correct roof slope angle (taking into account the amount of snow cover).
Country house with a covered winter veranda 8*8 meters, project with layout
A medium-sized country house is shown in the photo above. The project is interesting because the veranda here was originally “winter”, glazed. Most owners of open verandas come to the need to glaze it, and to build a gazebo for a pleasant time outdoors. In this project, the veranda is a continuation of the living room, but a partition can be installed here. In general, a convenient and comfortable house with a traditional layout, all rooms are separate, there is a bathroom, and a fenced off corridor. All conditions for year-round living.
On a separate foundation
Please note that the above projects of country houses with a veranda have a common foundation. This is reliable, since even with spring heaving of the soil there will be no movement. But the foundation costs are significant. Therefore, this approach is justified on complex soils prone to heaving. On normal soils, you can build a veranda on a separate, disconnected and lightweight (usually columnar or pile) foundation. One such project is presented below.
Country house plan 4*8 with attached veranda
Related article: Leveling an old wooden floor with plywood without joists
In general, a veranda can be attached to any building. It can be laid at the design stage, or it can be added afterwards (as happens very often).
Small country house 6*4.5 with a veranda on a separate foundation
The veranda can completely occupy one side of the house, or it can cover two or even three of its sides. But there are options with a small open area (as in the photo above). In this case, the foundation may be separate, but there will not be much savings. For example, in the project above, only 1.1 meters of the main foundation were “gained.”
One-story house 7*7.5 with an attached terrace
We are so accustomed to comfort that even at the dacha we don’t want to have “convenience in the yard.” For many, the main selection criterion is the availability of a bathroom. Even the need for individual sewerage equipment does not scare them. Not all projects of small country houses can boast of such “excess”, but some have a bathroom (toilet and shower).
Layout options for garden houses
The layout of the house will depend on its size, number of floors, the number of people who use the building regularly, as well as the existing communications connected to the house.
Layout of a garden house with a combined living room and kitchen
The use of electricity is provided for in almost every project; there may be no running water, since some gardens use summer outdoor running water and showers. Gas and sewerage are the exception rather than the rule in the layout of such houses. A nice addition may be a small stove or fireplace, which will allow you to comfortably use the garden house even in the cool season or occasionally come to the garden in winter.
One-room country houses
This type of layout is typical for very small buildings. The outside of the house is a regular rectangle, and inside there is a room of the same shape. Depending on the size, the building can be supplemented with one or two windows. The entrance group is usually located on the side of a wide facade. Roof type at customer's choice. It could be a shed roof, or maybe a classic gable roof. There are even interesting options when the roof goes down to the ground, creating the illusion of a hut.
The most common sizes of such a house are 3x3, 3x4 and 4x4. There are slightly enlarged versions 3x5 and 2.5x5.
When planning to build such a house, you can even refuse to choose the classic technology, but contact specialized companies and choose a ready-made option for yourself. You can see it on your site in a few days, maximum in a week. Such a house will be completely ready for living and use.
3x3 garden house layout option
Alternatively, the plan of such a house may include a veranda or canopy. In the first option, this is a partially open or glazed unheated space, in the second, a dark, completely enclosed unheated room. Both options involve combination with a porch. For the convenience of planning the area, the entrance from the street is from the end, that is, in the narrow part of the extension.
drawing and layout of a 3x4 house with a veranda
Garden house with two rooms
Two rooms can be present in the drawing of a garden house if it measures at least 4 by 4.5 meters. In this case, in a frame house of 4x6 meters, you can separate a separate corner kitchen combined with a dining room and a separate room, which will be a bedroom and a living room at the same time. Such a house can be equipped with a small covered entryway, where there is a hanger for outerwear and outdoor shoes.
With a house size of 4x5, you can also select two separate rooms. The plan of such a building can contain up to three windows in a heated living area.
layout option for a two-story house made of 4x5 timber
The first room is a utility area; it houses an entrance hall, a kitchen and a dining room. This room will also play the role of a vestibule, blocking access to cold street air into the living room. The second room is the living room-bedroom. Houses with a 4x6 building area can be zoned using the same principle.
Option for a garden house with two 6x6 rooms
More variable layout
The larger the size of the house, the more options for possible layouts you can create. 30 and 36 square meters allow you to organize the interior space quite comfortably. In fact, these are the dimensions of a standard one-room apartment.
One of the most interesting solutions is an original small house 4.5x5, which has everything you need. There is a small porch leading into the building, where you can comfortably place a lounge chair. The front door leads into a closed hallway isolated from other rooms. It is also a vestibule. There is a clothes hanger and a closet for outdoor shoes.
Layout with a separate isolated hallway
The hallway also serves as a hall. In addition to the entrance, there are four more doors. Each of them leads to a small bathroom of 4 square meters. m., separate kitchen-dining room and full living room-bedroom. The layout is very simple and functional.
If desired, this area can be used by 3-4 people at the same time without disturbing each other. Four windows throughout the house, but a dark hallway. Optimal use of space in a summer cottage.
Another interesting project with a bathroom involves using a large area of 5x6 and 6x6 meters.
Layout of a country house 6x6 meters
The hallway will also be a vestibule, a dressing room and a hall, but unlike the previous layout, there may be a window here. The rest of the space is occupied by a small bathroom with natural light and two almost identical rooms - a kitchen and a living room.
In the event that a bathroom is not needed in the house, you can use standard sizes 5x6 and 6x6, where the area will be divided between the hallway and two living rooms. An interesting solution divided into three rooms is a 4x6 house with a veranda. The porch is combined with a veranda, and the entrance to the house is strictly in the center of the long wall. In the center of the house there is an entrance vestibule, and from it you can enter two rooms located on both sides.
With sauna
For many people, a dacha is associated with a bathhouse. A bathhouse, of course, can be built separately, but it is time-consuming and expensive. In a medium-sized country house, it is quite possible to set aside a room for a steam room. It is usually done with the entrance from the bathroom/WC, since water procedures are necessary. For true steamers, there should still be access to the street nearby: so that you can quickly cool off in a river or outdoor pool.
Project of a country house with a bathhouse/sauna in a Scandinavian style
The minimum size of a steam room is 2*2 meters, the optimal size is 3*3. Such rooms can be fitted even into small houses, but at the same time the amount of living space will be reduced. If you still need to have enough rooms, you can consider the option of an attic floor. One such example is in the photo below.
Project of a country house with a bathhouse and an attic
Pay attention to the layout. The first thing you should focus on is that the stove is installed in such a way that it is heated from the next room. In this case, it is the recreation room. The option is not very good, since the entrance is far away. You will have to carry firewood across the room, which is inconvenient and usually results in a lot of garbage.
Another drawback: this option does not have a kitchen. For country life this is a serious drawback. The kitchen corner can be organized in a large room, and the bedrooms can be placed exclusively upstairs. Another layout option is to make a kitchen in the current “furnace/recreation room.” It is more comfortable to relax in a large room. It’s convenient to go in there after taking a shower.
Related article: Modular living room furniture: advantages and features
