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Luxury Beach House with Cantilevered Pool
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House Features Wall of Operable Reclaimed Douglas Fir Screens
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Sustainable Home with 2 Landscaped Roofs conceals Private Terrace
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Son Builds House on top of his Mother's Home
Located in a traditional neighborhood of Cehegin in Murcia, Spain - a place known for its high density housing - Grupo Aranea Architects built up to create a new penthouse suite for a young musician. His mother and sister already lived in the building and by renovating the home to include 2 new floors as well as a rooftop deck, the son was able to have not only his own personal place, but also a home that overlooks the surrounding town.
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Alpine Villa Cleverly Uses Hillside to Form a Giant Wood Clad Courtyard
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Forest Cabin Redesign on a Modest Budget
What started out as an old, un-heated and uninteresting cabin was transformed into a vibrant year-round retreat that we'd never want to leave! The redesign and revival by Reader & Swartz Architects infused this slope-side forest home with a bright blue facade and interiors that marry modern white and natural, punctuated by pops of bright color. On a modest budget, the architects opened up the cabin, both inside and out, removing walls and adding windows that invite the free flow of natural light. From the ground up, the fresh new vibe reads youthful with sophisticated tastes. The original steeply pitched roof was replaced by a butterfly shaped cover, which both sets the tone for the modern exterior and interesting interior architectural details. Scroll on for more photos, and for additional details visit Reader & Swartz Architects.
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Sophisticated Coastal Home Design Filled with Luxury Interiors
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House Built with Pre-manufactured Steel Modules and Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL) beams
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Living Roof House Built with the Use of Local Soil
This living roof house was built using local soil and a seeded roof. You simply cannot be closer to nature than this. But make no mistake - this is no Yurt. This is a gorgeous contemporary weekend retreat on the coast of the Boso Peninsuala in Japan. And the vistas go on for miles through the floor to ceiling glass walls. The owner, who lives in a high-rise condo, wanted to get away from it all on weekends. And this is just the spot. A project by Hiroshi Nakamura Architects, the home is a combination of raw nature and smooth design. The structure is concrete, but needed to be coated to prevent salt damage. So a formula was developed that used local site soil (along with resin and cement) for the exterior - bringing the land into the house. The owners participated with trowels and shovels, contributing to their dream home with their own toil and sweat. The roof uses the same soil as a final layer, and it was seeded to create a true green roof. And one that will go native, opening yet another door to the harmony between nature and man. Now, that's Zen.
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Mid Century Modern House in California
This mid-century modern house in California pulls out all the stops. By Studio William Hefner, the Beverley Hills home in Trousedale Estates overlooks the twinkling lights of tinsel town. When you start with a view like that, you've got a lot to live up to. The zero-scape gardens set the stage for the simple lines of the 50s, picked up in the pendant lighting and Eames-style (or maybe even real Eames) chairs. The modern art, the poolside cabana, it's all so Bogey and Bacall. The touches are magnificent - be sure to check out the fan over the kitchen range. We've never seen anything like it. And those multicolored pendants in the alcove of the master bedroom, those are spectacular. Just imagine a late night swim in that horizon pool. Honey, we're home!
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Beautiful Larch Clad Lake House with a Church Like House Plan
This beautiful larch-clad house sits on a lake with a church like gabled roof. The owners picked the location for the unparalleled views of both the lake and the forest. Designed by Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture, it's on the outskirts of Gothenburg, Sweden. It has a delightfully minimalist look on both the inside and out. We love how the larch-clad exterior blends with the surrounding forest. But even more, we love how the extruded gabled-roof space faces the lake and offers such a magnificent view. It's such a beautifully executed design that follows the topography of the hill. The minimalist interior is seamless in white with black details and a few splashes of color. The kitchen - the heart of any house - is the 'church" space - with expansive vistas. A weekend here would be so heavenly, you could almost call it religious experience.
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Beauty in Harmony: Cantilevered Lake Cottage with White Cedar Exteriors and White Oak Interiors
This cantilevered lake cottage is nothing less than beauty in harmony. The white Cedar exterior is a hint of what's to come when you open the door - gorgeous white Oak interiors. Christopher Simmonds Architect designed this incredible cottage in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec, close to Ottawa, Canada's capital city.
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Using Corner Folding Glass Doors Makes this Compact Design a Real Vacation House
Using corner folding glass doors really makes this compact space into a real vacation home. Holiday House by Bloem en Lemstra Architecten is situated on Vlieland, an island in the northern Netherlands. It's like two walls just fold away and the room becomes one with the outside. The overhang area becomes an extension of the ceiling, actually making the room physically larger. A great deal larger. And the deck extends the room even further. In the summer, the doors can stay open to enjoy the combination of indoor/outdoor living. In the winter, with the glass doors closed - you stay warm, but never feel closed in. Ceiling to floor windows provide great light. And while the doors are clearly the backbone of this compact design - we love that compact little fireplace, too.
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This Tiny Home on Wheels by Tumbleweed is Clad in Steel
Meet Mica, a tiny home on wheels - clad in hot rolled weathering steel siding. By Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, this is a sleek and modern tiny house design. Chose from 20, 24 or 26 ft models - depending on your needs. It's got a full size bedroom, separate kitchen and bath. And great open views! At just 8 ft, 6 inches wide, this model doesn't require any special permits to tow. Your square footage runs 170 - 221 sf, depending on the length you choose. And while the interior is truly awesome, it's the steel that makes this different from anything else on the market. And isn't the red trim charming? It really makes the mica-effect stand out. Oh, to be on the road again.
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Small Wood Homes and Cottages: 16 Beautiful Design and Architecture Ideas
We love wood houses, they feel so natural, so back to earth. As we've amassed a variety of awesome design ideas that are perfect for small wooden homes or cottages we want to share them with you. Maybe you'll see something you'd like to make your own!
If you're building yourself or working with an architect on your small wood home or cottage project, you need to decide on how much square footage of living space you'll need depending on your family size and what you can afford. Price considering, building homes with wood is usually more affordable than with other construction materials, and it's a great choice especially when designing a small cottage. Wood designs allow you to be creative and implement many desirable features with ease.
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Small wooden home architecture has been greatly enabled by the latest technological innovations. Today, there are many structural wood types to choose from when building a new home but your final choices will depend on your design and your budget, with local woods being the most affordable. The site topography can define your home floor plan and offer unexpected design ideas that may transform your small home into a small sanctuary. Below, we offer several examples that prove just that. Some designs we've picked offer sustainable building features which you may also want to consider.
As you will see in some of the listings included, the right choice of wood can significantly beautify even the smallest of designs. As for the overall architecture, things like roof design, number of floors and location of the entrance to the house would also depend on climate, site topography and location. Building permits will vary as well depending on your local ordinance. In some places, small wood homes are especially welcomed and promoted, while in others there are limits on minimum square footage and you won't be able to go very small.
Wood clad interiors create a cottage like feel and we've provided many examples of beautiful living spaces. If you're new to the small home living lifestyle you would want to give special considerations to extra space, to ensure you have enough room for your family to grow, whether that means an additional bedroom, bathroom, playroom or storage space. Wood homes are perfect for children to grow up in, especially if your location is surrounded with nature.
See also: Cottage Design Photos.
To build an all-season cottage you would need to account for heating options in your architecture. You may need a small basement or a crawl space or an attic to incorporate it. Cultural habits can also affect the overall design as in some areas small home architecture is a well established trend, and in some it is still a new - so working with an experienced architect can help a lot.
We hope the design ideas gathered from the examples below will help you with building your own wooden home and making it more affordable and enjoyable for years to come.
Note: we consider small to be anything below 2000 sq.ft in living space but if you're looking for super-compact homes, under 1000 sq.ft, please see our compact homes section. Or if you prefer to go mobile then check out these tiny wooden houses on wheels.
Below are 16 of our modern favorites from around the world, and many come with its own interesting story. We grouped them by architectural style, for your convenience. So, let's begin our tour.
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Concrete Cantilever House Extends 32 Feet Over the Pool
This concrete cantilever house extends out over the pool, not just a tad, but 32 feet! That's incredible. Dubbed Casa Cruzada and designed by Clavel Arquitectos, it a very unique house. Located in Murcia, Spain, the Crossed House has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with balance. The garden and pool level of the house has floor to ceiling glass doors - to encourage connection with nature. The cantilevered upstairs offers vital shade - it can get hot in this part of Spain. Modernist (extremely modernist) in design, it's also incredibly practical. We still can't get over the overhang. And we love the whole effect. From the second floor sweeping views, to the poolside shade - it's an incredible vision.
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5 Geometric House Designs with Super Sophisticated Wood Architecture
We find these 5 geometric house designs fascinating. Despite the techy sounding name they are ergonomic, beautiful and unexpected. It takes skill and out-of-the-box thinking to create such sophisticated designs. And all are made in wood which makes them even more exiting. Check these homes out and let us know if you agree with our assessment.
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Conceived by Tham & Videgard Hansson Arkitekter, the home is located among the islands near Stockholm, Sweden, and follows the popular Nordic trend of dark wood cladding. The small bedrooms placed in the back, with the social areas overlooking the seaside.
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This Scandinavian cottage is a light weight construction in wood and glass.
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The next design below follows a somewhat similar concept with the idea to extend certain parts of the house to form an enclosed space, in both cases the deck.
The Parallelogram Design
We just love this house design. The cascading rooms, all share the same covered deck with gazebo style roof and all have a view of the Baltic Sea. This modern Swedish summer cottage may appear triangular in shape at first but it's actually has a geometry of a parallelogram - see the architectural plan below. The geometry of the plan was mandated by the specifics of the site - the house had to be fitted into the flat surface between two mountain rocks and have enough sunlight and, of course, the beautiful views of the sea. The zig-zagged layout of the staggered rooms also creates a series of outside places (voids in the overall parallelogram) sheltered from the strong winds.
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Wooden A-Frame Off-The-Grid Country Home: a charming DIY project in France
Technically not an A-Frame architecture because of the partial vertical exterior walls, this charming and elegant wooden country home sure makes an appearance of an A-Frame design, thanks to the curved profile of the front glazing. Designed and built by architect Jean-Baptiste Barache, it's situated in the tiny Normandy town of Auvillier, France, among farming lands. The project was conceived as an experiment for off-the-grid living but became a practically year around home for the architect and his wife and a holiday spot for family and friends. With no electricity and heated by an old style wood stove via a chimney, the house gets chilly inside in the cold seasons that are long lasting in Normandy. Still, being close to nature and having a sort of old-times lifestyle is worth it. In his childhood years, Jean-Baptiste lived in a barn-style home and he is used to chilly nights. After all, the design of this country home was inspired by the barns.
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He built the house by himself mostly, except the framing - it was done by a local barn builder. So not only this is an off-the-grid home but it's also a DIY project that took him 18 months to complete on a $105,000 budget. The living area is almost 2,000 sq.ft. (including two main floors plus a 3rd floor loft), and is built with low upkeep in mind.
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This Red Cubical Cottage was Designed Based on Statistics
This red cubical cottage was designed based on statistical data - we're not kidding! Swedish architects tham & videgard studied over two million clicks and 86,000 residences on Sweden's Real Estate website, Hemnet. From there, they determined what it is that people were building most often, searching most often, buying most often. And they turned all of that date into this red cubicle cottage, Hemnet Home, appropriately named for the the website. The red wooden cottage exterior provides history and craftsmanship, along with local resources. The white box interior is modern and optimistic and represents industrial development. The entire design is based on user preferences including price, size, number of rooms, bathrooms and floors. It's almost like it was made to order.
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Fortress Like House is a Holiday Retreat by Gubbins Arquitectos
Between the dark blue waters and the green fields, rises above the cliff the Mirador - a concrete holiday home and a design as extraordinary as the surrounding landscape. Mirador means a lookout point or an observation tower in French, and it's sure built to be one. The house is elevated from the ground, to enable panoramic views of the rocky shoreline and the Pacific ocean at once. The home is located in Tunquen, a small coastal town only hour and forty-five minutes away from Santiago, the capital of Chile.
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