Not So Big House Plans
 If you've ever had a
chance to visit the Not So Big Plans for Sale page on NotSoBigHouse.com, you might have noticed that there is a wide variety of architecturally designed
plans for people looking for better (though not necessarily bigger) homes. In the coming year I will be increasing this
selection by developing plans to address the needs of two markets in particular
-- bungalows that are truly compact; and smaller but better-designed houses for
builders who want to improve their product line for the new economy.
The Not So Big Bungalow
 There are many people today
who are looking to build or buy homes that are significantly smaller than what has
until very recently been the norm. In
response to this demand, I'm developing a 1,200 square foot Not So Big Bungalow
plan with all the ceiling height variety, built-ins and floor plan features that
I describe in my books. If reception to
this first plan is positive, it will become a prototype for a line of
house plans that I hope to develop over the coming year or two.
Not So Big House Plans for Builders
 Many builders are looking
to downsize the square footage of their existing line of house designs, so I'm also
developing a group of plans for the production housing market that is intended
to offer builders and developers some smaller, better designed
alternatives. These houses will be
between 1,500 and 2,400 sf, reasonably economical to build, with all of the Not So Big features that make each house really feel
like home.
A New Collaboration
 In 2009 I made some
changes to my home plan sales operation, joining forces with HousePlans.com, a
company that is rethinking how house plans are made available through the web. Dan Gregory, an old friend of
mine who was Senior Home Editor at Sunset Magazine for many years before joining
HousePlans.com as their Editor-in-Chief, does a wonderful job of highlighting
plans that have architectural merit. He's even made
available some plans from iconic figures of the profession, such as Joseph Eichler, who introduced modern architecture to the California suburbs in the
1960s,
and William Turnbull, who designed a number of lovely small houses for The Sea
Ranch in the early 1980s.
 Dan
Gregory also writes a regular blog for HousePlans.com, Eye On Design,
which is well worth reading.
Click here to see all the plans
I currently have available on HousePlans.com.
The Architect's Role
I believe that architects
have an important role to play right now in rightsizing the new homes of the
future. A number of years ago I wrote an
article for Fine Homebuilding, "The Importance of Architecturally Designed Plans", about the significant market potential for
architecturally designed house plans,
and I still feel strongly motivated to pursue this issue.
Over the coming year, I am also
planning to expand the selection of plans from other architects on my Not So Big Plans for Sale page. So if you know of any architects who might be
interested in participating, please let me know by writing to me.
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