Have you ever designed a place you or your guests would someday live in? This is my first time doing so. It's both fun and a little nerve-wracking. I could do something really stupid that I will later have to live with.
One thing I know I'm not doing is putting a bedroom where it needs an East facing window. East facing windows are the bane of my existence, especially in a place as high and flat as here. The sun starts coming up at around 5 am and doesn't go down fully until about 9:30. I don't want to be awakened by the sun each morning, or worry about a crack I accidentally left between the panes of the light-blocking curtains.
I also want all bathrooms to have windows that open. Why do people even design houses without bathroom windows that open?
Because I'm building off-grid and using a method called passive solar for a good portion of the heating, I have to have an all glass wall facing South. I don't want the refrigerator to fall within the space that gets that direct light, so that I'm not using electricity to cool a fridge that the sun is simultaneously heating. So I'm putting the kitchen on the north side of the cottage.
These are a few of my considerations as I design what is going to be a personal retreat rental.
What's in Your Design?
If you were designing a 500 square foot cottage for people to live in a week or two at a time, what would be important to you?
How would your design change if suddenly this became your own tiny house to live in as your normal home?
Assuming you can make out the rough sketch below, what would you change in my design to make it more fitting for you?
Let's design a cottage together!