Walkout Basement House Plans & Energy Efficient House Plans From

Sun–Filled Cottage 2 has a floor plan that is nearly identical to the original on the main level, but version 2 has no upper level (it's a one story home), and a fully developed lower level (the original was unfinished). Other changes include widening the garage to accommodate 3 vehicles, and having the garage doors face the front; the addition of a large entry courtyard; the repositioning of the laundry, allowing the conversion of the study to a bedroom with its own full bath; and a small enlargement of the master bedroom and bath, and the addition of a second walk–in closet.

But possibly the most significant change is to the ceilings throughout the house. Because there's no longer an upper floor, all the ceilings on the main level follow the roofline, vaulting from 9' at the outer walls – in four equal pie sections – to 15'6" at the edges of the atrium, and the atrium space itself rises an additional 5'. It can be a passive solar house if it faces northeast (or northwest, if reversed).

As you pass to the left of the garage you enter a large entry courtyard with a covered porch area running along one side. From the covered front porch, a glass door with glass side panels opens to a foyer that widens as you move into the house. Immediately on the left a pair of doors open to a bedroom that could of course also be used as a study, office, or guestroom. Five–foot tall windows line one wall, providing light and views from the front, while an adjoining wall has an identical window with a seat beneath it. A short hall leads past a long closet before reaching a full bath.

When the foyer expands, there are stairs to the lower level on your left and a built–in desk and cabinets on your right that are inside the sunny atrium space. On the other side of the wall where the desk is – also inside the atrium space – the original homeowners wanted a pellet–burning stove installed. Directly across from the stove is an opening to the kitchen, which has a couple of skylights in the vaulted ceiling. Other unique features in the kitchen include an angled island between the kitchen and both the living and dining areas that has a range on top – allowing the person cooking a meal to enjoy the activities of those who will eat it – and a breakfast bar on the outer edge for casual eating and serving; sinks placed beneath two corner windows for light and views; and a large working pantry.

The dining space and the great room are open to each other, and the ceiling above them angles up from 9' at the outer wall to around 16'. The outer wall of both areas is filled with either 60"x60" windows or two glass–filled French doors with transoms above that open to either a screened porch with an optional fireplace that would be ideal for outdoor dining and/or entertaining, or a deck area that wraps around the porch. The far wall of the great room is also filled with large windows that look into a lovely sunroom at the rear of the house. A glass door next to the windows provides access to the sunroom, which is not only wrapped completely in windows matching those in the living area, but also have 24"–high windows installed beneath them.

A short hall between the kitchen and the dining area passes a power room and a mudroom with a mail nook and a coat closet on the left, and a laundry on the right, before reaching the garage. A set of pull–down stairs in the garage provides attic access, and windows along one wall provide plenty of daylight into the space that can be used as a workshop or a greenhouse space if you don't need to park three vehicles.

A door at the end of the wide portion of the foyer opens to the master suite. The far wall of the master bedroom is filled with windows, and one inner wall is angled at 45–degrees, giving the space an interesting look and feel. You pass between two walk–in closets on the way to the bath area, which features a large whirlpool tub beneath a 5'–wide window, a separate shower, a private toilet, two separated vanities, and a small window seat.

The lower level, should you choose to build it, has room for two additional bedrooms that share a full bath, a craft/sewing room, a large open space that can be used for recreation or exercise, and another space large enough for a den with a fireplace and an entertainment center along with a kitchenette. There's also a large room for mechanicals and storage.

Similar Versions Available
There is a similar version of this plan, called Sun–Filled Cottage, available on this site. For easy access to this other version, click on the architect's name (in red, in the upper left corner of this page). Red links to each of her plans appear below her bio, in alphabetical order.