Carpenter CottagePlan SL-124

Our Carpenter Cottage is crafted of Southern wood-cypress, cedar, and pine. Artfully rustic, it blends elements of the woodworker's trade with the surprise of classic architectural features and a contemporary floor plan. Carpenter elements outside include cypress board-and-batten walls, a cedar-shingled roof, and lattice accents. Traditional small-pane windows add to the house's cottage quality.

Inside, carpenter detailing includes tongue-and-groove, beaded-board ceilings and wainscots, exposed beams, and a roomy cedar closet on the second floor. The design, including main house, connector, and wing, may be built in stages to suit budget or family size. For example, the house could be built as a 2,300-square- foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home. Or, with the addition of the bedroom wing, the plan can become a four-bedroom, three-bath house of almost 2,900 square feet. The large, double-height living room has a fireplace, a balcony overlook, and steps down to the dining room. An open kitchen, breakfast area, and a butler's pantry adjoin the dining room. For a silver-gray finish on the cottage, cypress may be treated with a bleaching oil or a transparent stain. The construction drawings include details for a crawlspace foundation and planting suggestions for a garden off the kitchen.