When you're trying hard to stay on a budget, a small house plan represents huge savings by reducing the size of the mortgage you need.

In the world as we know it today, everything is more expensive, jobs are no longer as secure as they used to be and resources are stretched and dwindling fast.  Our biggest expense, the home loan, is a necessary part of our daily existance.  We have to live somewhere, right?  And a quality home and a clean, and safe living environment is important.

A small space home delivers all of that and more.  Costs can range from zero (recipe: add one free small house plan to several truckloads of recycled building supplies) to less than half the price of your standard sized home.

Worldwide, the response to smaller living spaces has caused a complete 180 degree shift in the way we think about housing loans, our style of living and the environment in which we exist.

Here at L.I.S.H., we'll feature small house plans that are no more than $100,000 - the majority of them will be under $70,000.  

If you're not already transfixed by these small spaces and their potential mortgage-releasing capabilities, you'll soon understand as you explore every type of small home imaginable, right here!

Simple Inexpensive Small House plans

If you're opting for an easy design to build yourself and you've never built before, plans for small, inexpensive house designs are a great place to start.  Straightforward, easy to build and leaving very little room for error. You can always add to them, and get creative with the design, when you've 'got your feet wet'.  Or maybe when you build your next small house.

Kit homes fit that bill well.

They are available worldwide from a large range of kit house manufacturers and include everything you need to get your small home livable with minimal fuss and full instructions.

You can opt for a choice of steel frame kit homes or timber frame home kit. They can cost as little as $20,000 to get to lock-up stage. 

How many houses can boast that?

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Small Log homes

It's great when housing trends do full circle in your lifetime. A big favourite - log cabins - were made famous long ago with the popular TV show "Grizzly Adams".  Log cabins come in all shapes and sizes and the smaller they get, the more we love them.

For old times sake, the "Grizzly" theme song lyrics ...

Here is our life and home,
We are staying, here forever in the beauty of this place all alone,
We keep on hoping...
Maybe, there's a world where we won't have to run, and
Maybe, there's a time we'll call our own,
Living free in harmony and majesty,
Take me home,
Take me home.

Ahh, returning to the wonder of nature and freedom from our constraints. Sounds blissful.  Such cosy little small house plans are in huge demand everywhere to this day!

We've never really gotten over the cosy, natural look of log cabins, have we?

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Cottages, Cabins and Beach Houses

Small cottage house plans, cabin plans and beach house designs easily lend themselves to do it yourself home building. Now even the least experienced of us can build our small home, holiday home, shack or country retreat.

Since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, USA, in August of 2005, small house plans for "Katrina cottages" have arrived on the housing scene. Born from the need to provide "a solution that delivers houses that are manufactured, houses that are panelised, and houses that are site-built" for the victims of this tragedy, plans for these cottages are now available for anyone who wants an easy-to-build house.

Small cottage home designs have become increasingly popular as simple kit home constructions for the owner-builder. Of all the small house designs, these are the most widely available plans and come in many different styles.

Naturally, if you don't fancy kit manufactured homes, you can do it yourself from scratch with the help of small cottage house plans.
The old "McMansion" way of life is fast surrendering itself to cottage living and all of the savings that come with it.  A small luxury home is a much more mortgage-friendly option .

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Small prefab, kit and modular homes  

If there's one thing that's huge in modest living spaces right now, it's small prefab, kit and modular homes.

Designed by Zenkaya

Constructed in the factory, put together piece by individual piece on your home's new site, they're up and liveable as quick as you can say "howmuchdidthatcostmeagain? sorrydidihearyouright?".

The new low cost prefab homes are stylish, affordable and are now at a supplier near you! The small house plans for modular homes are many and varied and I can't wait to introduce you to these 'fab' designs. 

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Farmhouse plans 

So you don't have cows or chickens and there's no tractor in sight? That's ok! What were previously houses for the farm have now evolved into small houses suitable for towns and cities too.

Farm house plans have a great capacity to create space where there is usually very little.  With designs such as carriage house plans, traditional small barn designs, gambrel roof barn plans and small ranch plans you can take advantage of loft spaces.  Lofts create a large and roomy upstairs area in what can be a very simple, small design.

This style, of all of the small house plans, is a very sentimental choice. Lovers of home and hearth, cosy warm fires, loft bedrooms and dormer windows (in which you can sit, enjoying the sun and reading a good book) would feel very comfortable in a small farm house.

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Dome Houses

Have you considered dome house plans for your small house, instead of a flat or A-shaped roof? Me either, at least until I spotted these practical, strong dome houses.

Dome styles are resistant to extreme wind and storms that will demolish other traditionally shaped houses. Energy efficient by nature and with better airflow capacity, these offer the resident more living space with their rounded roof. With it's partner, the geodesic dome, the dome house is one of the most under-utilised building styles around.

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2 bedroom house plans

With all these small houses, you may be wondering how you're going to fit your partner, kids and beloved animals without all sleeping in the one room?

Never fear, there are 2 bedroom house plans to suit the family or even for those who just want a second bedroom for guests and/or their hobbies.

Small doesn't have to mean cramped. Many of the above styles of small home allow for additions, such as building a smaller dome onto the original one to add a bedroom.

If your family is larger again, you can stretch the boundaries of small houses to create a small house village, like Patricia from Texas, USA.

The key to small living spaces is the flexibility to build slowly keeping building and maintenance costs as low as possible.

Most importantly, they allow you to comfortably manage small mortgage repayments rather than allowing a large mortgage to manage you!

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Tiny Houses

There is a strong, growing movement for smaller than small living and this has resulted in Tiny houses being born. If you're thinking you need small house plans to suit just you or yourself and your partner (or a furry friend), then tiny may just be the ticket.

Tiny homes are loosely defined as being 65 to 837 square feet in size. Whereas small houses are roughly 900 to 1500 square feet.

Some tiny houses are like gypsies and can be transported from place to place on a trailer.  Others are permanently placed. The designs vary greatly and if you're seriously considering a tiny house, you'll need to evaluate just how much 'stuff' you really need. Space is at a premium!

Not satisfied that you've seen enough small house plans yet? Get ready to explore more small, unique and unusual house plans.

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