Introducing the Colonial 78.8 – A Compact 2 Bedroom Ranch-Style House Plan
If you're looking for a small 2 bedroom house plan that combines practical living with the relaxed appeal of a country home, our new Colonial 78.8 design could be worth a closer look.
This compact home features 2 bedrooms, a flexible study/sitting area, open living, kitchen, combined bathroom/laundry and a large full-width verandah.
With just 51.8 m² / 557 sq ft of internal living space, the Colonial 78.8 demonstrates that a comfortable home doesn't necessarily need to be large.
The generous verandah brings the total building area to approximately 78.8 m² / 854 sq ft, creating valuable covered outdoor living space and giving the home its distinctive ranch-style character.
A Small House Designed Around Everyday Living
One of the challenges when designing a smaller home is making sure that every square metre has a purpose.
The Colonial 78.8 uses a simple rectangular layout with the main living area positioned at the centre of the home.
The kitchen opens directly into the living room, avoiding unnecessary internal walls and helping the central part of the house feel more spacious.
Bedroom 2 and the combined bathroom/laundry are positioned at one end of the house, while the larger main bedroom and sitting area are located at the opposite end.
This arrangement provides a surprising amount of separation for such a compact floor plan.
2 Bedrooms Plus a Flexible Study or Sitting Area
The additional sitting area beside the main bedroom is one of the features that makes this small design particularly versatile.
Rather than simply filling the house with bedrooms, we've allowed space that could be used in several different ways.
It could become a home office, study nook, reading area, hobby space or additional sitting room.
For people working from home, this flexibility can be particularly useful without having to increase the overall size of the house substantially.
The Verandah Makes the Difference
The standout feature of the Colonial 78.8 is its large full-width covered verandah.
In a small home, outdoor areas can become an important extension of the internal living space.
There is enough room to create an outdoor dining area, add comfortable chairs, plants or even an outdoor lounge setting.
For an acreage, country or lifestyle property, the verandah also gives the house a relaxed appearance that works particularly well with the simple ranch-style façade.
Colonial 78.8 House Plan Features
2 Bedrooms
Study Nook / Sitting Area
Open Living Room
Kitchen
1 Bathroom
Combined Bathroom & Laundry
Built-In Robes
Large Full-Width Verandah
Compact Single-Storey Design
Ranch / Country-Style Appearance
Metric & Imperial Dimensions
Customisation Available
Upgrade to Full Construction Plans Available
House Size
Overall Width: 10.8 m / 35'5"Overall Length: 7.3 m / 23'11"
Living Area: 51.8 m² / 557 sq ftTotal Area: 78.8 m² / 854 sq ft
Indicative Room Sizes
Bedroom 1: 3.5 × 4.6 m / 15'3" × 11'6"
Bedroom 2: 2.7 × 2.65 m / 8'7" × 8'9"
Living / Kitchen: approximately 4.6 × 4.4 m / 14'5" × 15'3"
Who Could the Colonial 78.8 Suit?
This design could provide a useful starting point for a wide variety of projects.
It could work as a compact permanent home, downsizer, country cottage, acreage home, guest accommodation, holiday retreat or secondary dwelling, subject to local planning and building requirements.
For people trying to reduce building costs, a smaller and relatively straightforward floor plan is also worth discussing with your builder.
he actual cost of building will, of course, depend on your location, site conditions, foundations, engineering, materials, finishes and local building requirements.
Start with Affordable Concept Plans
You don't necessarily need to spend thousands of dollars on detailed construction drawings before you know whether a house design is right for you.
Our Concept House Plans are designed to provide an affordable starting point.
You can use the Colonial 78.8 concept to discuss the project with builders, investigate preliminary construction costs, review the room sizes and determine what changes you might want before progressing to detailed documentation.
This is particularly useful if you're still comparing several different home designs.
Want to Change the Design?
House plans rarely need to remain exactly as originally drawn.
If you like the Colonial 78.8 but need something different, send us your notes, hand-drawn sketch or a marked-up copy of the floor plan.
We can look at changes such as enlarging Bedroom 2, modifying the kitchen, changing the bathroom/laundry arrangement, converting the sitting area into a dedicated office, changing windows and doors, altering the verandah or increasing the overall size of the house.
The Colonial 78.8 can also simply be used as the starting point for a more extensively customised design.
Need Full Construction Plans?
Once you've reviewed the concept, discussed preliminary pricing and finalised the changes you want, you can ask us about upgrading the design to a Full Construction Plan package.
Starting with the concept first can help avoid spending money detailing a design that you later decide needs substantial changes.
Important – Concept Design
The Colonial 78.8 is offered as a concept / preliminary house design.
Concept plans are intended for design exploration, preliminary pricing and discussions with builders. They are not site-specific permit, engineering, approval or construction drawings.
Before construction, the design will generally need to be reviewed and adapted for your individual property and local building requirements. This may include site planning, foundations, structural engineering, soil classification, wind requirements, energy assessment, bushfire/BAL requirements, drainage, services and certification.
Explore the New Colonial 78.8
If you're considering a smaller home but still want two bedrooms, flexible living space and a generous outdoor area, the Colonial 78.8 offers a simple and practical starting point.
2 Bedrooms + Study/Sitting Area | 1 Bathroom | Large Verandah | 78.8 m² / 854 sq ft
You can also contact us if you'd like the design customised to suit your land, lifestyle or building requirements.
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