Small House Bliss

Small house designs with big impact

Tag Archives: outdoor room


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A modern farmhouse by FAB Architecture

A small modern farmhouse by FAB Architecture

To kick things off in 2013 we have this small modern farmhouse in Austin, Texas. With three bedrooms in a fairly compact floor plan of 1,531 ft2 (142 m2), this is a small house suitable for a family. It is located in Austin’s Agave neighborhood, a subdivision development of moderately-priced modern houses.

Austin firm FAB Architecture designed the house with the simple lines and utilitarian detailing of an agrarian homestead. The house is long and narrow, essentially a one room wide layout with a saddlebag bumpout to one side for the stairwell. The narrow plan is an advantage in Austin’s climate. Having windows on at least two sides of the major rooms allows for effective natural cross-ventilation. The straightforward plan and simple roof form should also be economical to build.

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Montblanc House, a small family home by Studio Velocity

Montblanc House by Studio Velocity

© Kentaro Kurihara

The owners of this small family home in Japan wanted a house that would accommodate their family of four as well as their small beauty salon business. A key challenge was to get some open space on the small site while maintaining privacy from the neighboring houses close by on three sides. Architects Studio Velocity responded by designing a saltbox-style home whose asymettrical roof encloses both indoor and outdoor spaces. Several large openings are carved into the steeply-pitched roof to form protected terraces that provide access to light, air and views.

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Small cabin on Vardehaugen by Fantastic Norway

small cabin on Vardehaugen by Fantastic Norway

This small cabin is nestled at the top of Vardehaugen, a large rock outcrop overlooking a fjord in central Norway. The cabin has an angular jagged form that nicely complements its rugged setting. Its location 35 m above sea level gives it panoramic views of the surrounding landscape but also exposes it to the harsh coastal weather.

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Casa B8, a modern beach house in Chile by 56.02 Architects

B8 House by 56.02 Architects

Casa B8 is a small modern house located on the coast of Chile. Designed by architects 56.02, it consists of two simple rectangular blocks joined by a deck. One block contains the living area and a bedroom, while the second one, at half the size, is used as a guest suite. Between the two blocks is a courtyard patio protected on a third side by a storage wall that also houses a barbecue cooking area. The front door of the house actually provides entrance to this courtyard rather than going directly inside. Having a sheltered outdoor space was important as the area is subject to frequent high winds blowing in from the Pacific.

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“Dream Catcher Cottage” in Seaside, Florida

Dream Catcher Cottage in Seaside, Florida

This classic Florida cottage is in the master-planned resort community of Seaside, Florida. Named Dream Catcher, the small cottage has two bedrooms and a sleeping loft in 1,035 ft2 (96.2 m2). It is topped by a Dutch gable roof, similar to a hip roof but with a small gable at the peak. Hip and Dutch gable roofs are popular in hurricane-prone areas of the coast as both keep the roof line low on all four sides, providing greater resistance to hurricane force winds than a gable roof does.

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Charming Arts & Crafts bungalow in Portland, Oregon

1912 Arts & Crafts bungalow in Portland, Oregon

This charming bungalow home is to be found in the Alberta Arts District of Portland, Oregon. Alberta Arts is a funky neighborhood known for its artist community. The area has been gentrifying in recent years, with many of the older houses being spruced up or completely renovated. This small house was built in 1912 and was extensively remodeled a few years ago. It features the broad eaves supported by knee braces, exposed rafter tails and decorated porch structure that are hallmarks of the Arts & Crafts bungalow style.

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Clifftop “House in Buchupureo” by Alvaro Ramírez and Clarisa Elton

This small cabin in Chile is a literal cliffhanger, perched on pilings atop a bluff that drops steeply to the Pacific Ocean below. The deck hangs so far over the slope that it gives the impression of being right over the water. One definition of a cabin is a small dwelling of simple construction built from readily available materials. Architects Alvaro Ramírez and Clarisa Elton designed the structure staying true to that definition, and yet the cabin transcends its humble form. As Leonardo da Vinci put it, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

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Solar Decathlon Europe: The Odoo House

© Solar Decathlon Europe

Solar Decathlon Europe 2012

Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 is now in full swing in Madrid, Spain. Solar Decathlon Europe is an offshoot of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon held every second year in Washington, D.C. Interest in the U.S. competition had grown to the point that a European version was started in 2010. The U.S. competition invites international entrants but the cost of travel and shipping a house overseas was prohibitive for many potential teams. A European version allows participation by many more teams.

In the Solar Decathlons, university teams compete in the design, construction and operation of small energy-efficient houses powered by the sun’s energy. The Solar Decathlon Europe’s teams are judged in these ten contests: architecture, engineering and construction, energy efficiency, electrical energy balance, comfort, function, communication / raising social awareness, industrialization / market viability, innovation, and sustainability.

We will be having a look at several of this year’s Solar Decathlon Europe entries. First up is the Odoo House by team Odooproject from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary.

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