House Plans: FIREFLY

This house is designed to include a home business if desired. The west bedroom can be used as an office, studio or study. It is located with a guest bathroom near the main entrance to keep the rest of the house private. The house has a large attic which could be modified with dormers and a staircase to make a second floor.

Firefly is a larger version of our own home. It is the "original vine-covered cottage". Firefly is structurally simple and easy to build, but has many amenities.

Features

• Warm and sunny in winter, cool and shady in summer
• Low utility bills
• Passive solar with autoclaved, aerated cement walls (exterior stuccoed and interior plastered), and decorative lintels over windows and doors that double as weather protecting drip-caps; gable ends finished with cedar shingles and board-and-batten
• Garden orientation; pergola on west for summer shade; outdoor shower and kitchen; glass covered arbor with benches on south
• Radiant floors; on-demand hot water heater and solar water heating panels
• One story: 1920 heated square feet
• 3 bedrooms; one may be used as an office, studio or study
• 2 baths with alcoved toilets
  Lots of storage and minimum of hallways
• Large eat-in country kitchen separated from dining room with pocket door
• Dining room with patio doors to garden
• Living room with high efficiency woodburning fireplace insert placed convenient to firewood, and surrounded by window seats
• Entry porch with vine trellises for summer shade
• Airlock entry with stained glass windows, closet, shelves and hanging pegs
• Five designated casement windows and three door transoms for custom stained glass
• Multiple arched doorways for long "Netherlandish" interior views
• Master bathroom/dressing room with walk-in closet; toilet alcove; large garden tub under window; separate shower; double sinks
• Closets are positioned to provide soundproofing between rooms