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House Plans for Homesteaders
There are many different styles of homes and types of house plans out there. In fact, while there are thousands of modern house plans to choose from, you can still go back and look at house plans from more than a century ago! Not all house plan types are suitable for a homestead or very popular. A house needs to provide certain things for a family on a homestead, including food storage and mudrooms.Â
Five different housing styles are very popular among homesteaders: Farmhouse, Barndominiums, Cabins, Cottages, and Ranches. Each of these homestead house plans has different unique features and provides different aesthetic or practical value for the home.Â
Learn the Unique Features of the Most Popular House styles here!
Farmhouse StyleÂ
While the ranch-style home may be the most-searched-for house plan right now, the farmhouse-style house plan holds a special place in the heart of many homesteaders. Easily identified by the gabled roofs, long, often wrap-around porches, dormers, and clapboard siding, the Farmhouse is a staple in the countryside and carries with it a sense of nostalgia; that same nostalgia that seems to pull at homesteaders until they finally take the leap and pursue a country living lifestyle.Â
Barndominium Style 
The Barndominium has been all the rage in recent years. Whether revitalizing an already existing barn structure or building a fresh metal or wood structure from scratch the soaring space of the barndominium and vast customization options easily draws homesteaders in. These homestead house plans are very aesthetic, second perhaps only to the farmhouse style home in the type of house a homesteader first pictures when they think of what they’d like to build on their land.Â
Cabin StyleÂ
Rustic and rugged, the cabin is most often seen in world-worn wood or the more traditional logs. They are fairly inexpensive to build, and the plans are usually simple and straightforward. The cabin is not the same as the lodge or chalet. The lodge-style home focuses on connecting to the earth via rugged materials, and the chalet tends to be elaborately decorated. The single or cross-gabled roof and simple, rustic flair are hallmarks of cabins. Generously sized front porches and sizeable fireplaces are some of the key and most attractive cabin features.Â
Check out these posts for more ideas on Designing your Homestead
Cottage StyleÂ
Cottages are defined by their small and cozy feeling that makes you picture something out of a fairytale or winter painting. They’re an ideal homestead house plan for retired couples looking to downsize, professional couples, or as a guest house. They aren’t large, usually less than 2000 square feet, but that doesn’t mean they don’t provide a lot of comfort. Floorplans in modern cottage-style homes are open and excellent for individuals with mobility issues. Though similar in size, decorative details get more attention in a Cottage than a Cabin. Porches and asymmetrical rooflines are common features.Â
Ranch StyleÂ
The most-searched-for house plan in America is the Ranch style. Large picture windows lining the front and low-pitched roof lines are the main features of these “L” or “U” shaped homes. Many of these homes have finished basements that can serve as extra food storage, bedrooms, or a home gym. Patio and deck space is accessible via a sliding glass door in the Ranch house plan. Five other home styles are considered to be Ranch style: The Suburban, the Split-Level, the Raised, the Storybook, and the California.
