Single Story Home Plans & Solar House Designs From

The Rainbow home is a one–story plan with a few curves to brighten the simple lines. Like all of Ms. Coleman's designs, Rainbow was originally designed for a client who wanted an energy–efficient, passive solar home. You can build this house facing in whatever direction suits your needs, but if you're interested in building it as a passive solar home, please read the section below titled Passive Solar Info for specific information on orientation.

First Floor
From the foyer off the front porch, you can enter the spacious great room to the right, or a home office (that could also function as a third bedroom, or a guest room) on the left. The great room features a large bay nook in front for overnight guests, or for curling up with a great book. Beyond the great room are the dining area and the kitchen, which are separated by a breakfast island. The kitchen has a large pantry, and room for a second island. Double French doors off the dining area lead to a large, curving covered porch – a great place for dining on warm days and evenings.

The two bedrooms at the front of the house share a full bath that doubles as a guest bathroom. A large laundry room sits across the hall from bedroom 2. The master suite includes a sitting area and a walk–in closet, and the master bath has both a tub and a shower. A pass through door in the linen closet opens directly into the laundry.

Carport & Storage (Opt Garage)
The attached carport allows the family to enter an extra wide corridor with shelf nooks that serve as a catch–all for keys, boots, etc. Garage doors could easily be added to either the front or back. If your lot is narrow, the carport or garage could be moved to the back of the house.

Passive Solar Info
To maximize its passive solar design, the front of the house should face west (or east if reversed). Thermal mass is in the concrete floors that can be covered with a number of attractive materials. With this home having a lower amount of solar glazing (as is often the case with larger one–story homes), thermal is less important to keeping the interior comfortable year round. The Rainbow can work well in both cold and hot climates. Tile floors are great for both summer cooling as well as winter heating if hydronic radiant heating is installed in the floor. The 35 pages of specifications that come with these plans (see Please Note below) will give your builder precise details on all the passive solar issues pertinent to the construction of this house.

Construction Info
The great room, dining area, and part of the kitchen have raised tray ceilings. Elsewhere, the house has 9' ceilings. The roof is designed to be stick–framed to allow for the extra large attic storage. The attic is accessed from the carport (or garage) with permanent, full size walk–up stairs. With added insulation just below the roof deck, your items will be stored in semi–conditioned space.

The plans for this house call for 2x6 stud exterior walls. However, they can easily be changed to 2x4 stud walls by your builder, or to SIPs walls by a dealer in your area. If you plan to change the walls, we recommend that you purchase the plans in CAD format.

Foundation Info
This house was originally designed to have a slab foundation. You can of course change it to a full or partial basement, or to a crawlspace, but you will need the help of a local builder or designer, and the new foundation plans should be reviewed by a structural engineer prior to construction.

Modification Idea
Construct the roof with trusses to lower costs.

Please Note
All of Ms. Coleman's plans include 35(!) 8.5"x11" pages of specifications to help your builder construct this house exactly as it was designed. These technical specifications are organized to follow the CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) format, and apply to the various aspects of the built home. They also include complete details on passive solar issues.