HOUSE PLAN SPECS
Floor 1
1,279 sf
Floor 2
948 sf
Total
2,227 sf
Daylight Basement
999 sf
Unfinished Basement
270 sf
Entry Faces
East
South Glass
10%
Complexity
average
Moorhaus Cottage 4
PLAN PRICING
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Study Plans
See larger, clearer, and more drawings than what are shown on the individual house plan pages.
The price can be credited to future orders of Construction Prints or CAD Files of any Sun Plan even if a completely different house plan is later purchased.(Some exceptions if customer requires Study Plan level of consulting.)
Study Plans can be ordered from the Pricing tab for each house plan.
Study Plans include:
- A mini set of design-oriented drawings set up for 11"x17".
- A choice between a Paper version sent by US Priority Mail or the PDF version sent via email.
- Unlimited printing with PDF's for sharing with family members.
- 6 to 9 pages of drawings depending upon the complexity of the home.
- Click here to see an example set for a 1.5 story home with daylight basement.
- Schematic site plan, floor plans (with room sizes and furniture), daylight basements if applicable, exterior elevations, a schematic section of the house to help visualize the interior, kitchen elevations and garage plans.
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Review Sets
Review Sets provide information to help decide whether the design will meet the budget. They are mainly for those who crave technical details, have construction experience or have a builder on board.
The price can be credited to future orders of Construction Prints or CAD Files of any Sun Plan even if a completely different house plan is later purchased. (Some exceptions if customer requires Review Set level of consulting.)
Review Sets can be ordered from the Pricing tab for each house plan..
Review Sets include:
- A mini set of construction drawings set up for 11"x17"
- Choice of PAPER sent by US Priority Mail or PDF version sent via email. (Select PDF to print extra copies or share electronically with other building professionals.)
- 10 to 16 pages of drawings depending upon the complexity of the home.(See each house plan description for the drawings that come with each design.)
- Dimensions and construction notes.
- Click here to see an example Review Set of a 1.5 story home with daylight basement.
- A copy of the Study Plan.
- An "Opinion of Probable Construction Cost" from Sun Plans if requested. Sun Plans evaluates the design and compares it to similar home designs for which other clients have provided construction costs. A range of construction cost is provided. (This is based on national information. Sun Plans does not have statistics by state, region or country.)
Review Sets may vary slightly from later orders of Construction Prints and CAD Files since drawings are continuously being updated to meet newer construction and in-house standards,
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Construction Prints
Large Construction Prints with clear, concise information make it easy for builders to follow yet they are flexible enough to adapt locally based on the price and availability of materials and subcontractors, various construction methods and home owner preferences. Together, every builder and home owner will change some aspects of the design before or during construction. If mutually agreeable (and approved by the building inspector and local engineer), these "field changes" can often be made with red notes on the Construction Prints. (For complex changes, please see CAD Files or Adapt-A-SunPlan Services.)
Construction Prints include:
- Six sets of Construction Prints on 24"x36" paper shipped via UPS ground or PDF computer files sent by email
- 10 to 16 pages of drawings depending upon the size and complexity of the home. (See individual house plan descriptions for specific drawings for each design.)
- Schematic site plan (cover sheet showing how to orient the house for passive solar gain)
- Foundation Plan (either slab-on-grade, crawlspace, below grade or daylight basement)
- First and second floor plans (many construction notes, window sizes, etc.)
- Exterior elevations (all four sides shown in hatched detail)
- Schematic Building section (cut-away through the home showing basic configuration)
- Kitchen elevations (all sides of the kitchen)
- Typical wall detail (showing the various building materials recommended)
- Schematic electrical (showing lights, switches and outlets)
- Schematic framing plans (showing floor framing, roof framing and beams)
- Garage or Carport
- Custom Energy Specs. (Read more.)
- Under the Tell Me More about the Review Set, you can see an example set of drawings; however, with Construction Prints, the plans are updated to the current in-house checklist, do not have the Not For Construction, and include the Custom Energy Specs.
- One hour of technical support with the architect by email or phone
Miscellaneous Details
- Order Construction Prints through the Pricing tab on any house plan.
- After an order is placed, reply to the email received to advise of the requested information Sun Plans will need to prepare the Custom Energy Specs.
- Allow 5 business days for updating the design to the Sun Plans in-house checklist and preparation of the the Custom Energy Specs. (Shipping then takes another 3-7 days.)
- With PDF's, unlimited copies of the Construction Prints can be printed locally so long as they are used for building one home. PDF's are handy for sending to builders, mortgage companies, appraisers, home energy raters, and others who may be assisting with the planning and construction of the home such as the builder's subcontractors. Some building inspection departments require PDF.
Rick is in the lighting business and reviews construction prints in his work.
They are wonderful! If you saw most of the drawings and specifications I see, you would wonder how anything got built properly...It is just nice to see a true professional who does the job correctly and takes pride in her work. In my 34 years of working with Architects you are hands down the best I have had the privilege to work with. - Rick
A client sent a set of Construction Prints (designed for stick construction) to a SIP company to have them converted to SIPs. This is what they told the home owners:
I also wanted to take this opportunity to confirm your selection of Sun Plans Inc. We receive many sets of drawings each day that are interested in comparing SIPs. The drawings submitted by Sun Plans Inc. were high quality and very easy for us to work from. - Steve, SIPS of the South
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CAD Files
CAD files are the most flexible type of construction drawings since they can be modified and sent electronically. While the house design is intended to save the home owner energy, the CAD files are designed to save the energy of design professionals by making adaptations proceed faster should it be desired to have someone other than Sun Plans make the changes. The PDF files that are a part of the order allow for printing unlimited Construction Prints even if no changes are made. CAD files are intended to be used by professionals experienced in residential design.
CAD Files Include:
- CAD files of the Construction Drawings (see below for options)
- PDF file of the Construction Prints (see Construction Prints)
- PDF file of Custom Energy Specs
- PDF file of Copyright Release to allow the house to be modified and changed to build one house
- Under the Tell Me More about the Review Set, you can see an example set of drawings; however, with Construction Prints and CAD Files, the plans are updated to the current in-house checklist, do not have the Not For Construction, and include the Custom Energy Specs.
- One hour of technical support. This can include review by the Sun Plans' architect on proposed changes prior to preparing Custom Energy Specs. If the customer sends a list of proposed changes immediately after placing the order, the architect can review them for energy implications and try to address them in the Custom Energy Specs.
CAD File Details
- Order CAD files through the Pricing tab on any house plan.
- After an order is placed, reply to the email received to advise of the requested information Sun Plans will need to prepare the Custom Energy Specs.
- Allow 5 business days for to allow for updating the design to the Sun Plans in-house checklist and preparation of the the Custom Energy Specs.
- With the CAD files, many changes can be made to the design.
- With PDF's (part of the CAD file order), unlimited copies of the Construction Prints can be printed locally so long as they are used for building one home. PDF's are handy for sending to builders, mortgage companies, appraisers, home energy raters, and others who may be assisting with the planning and construction of the home such as the builder's subcontractors. Some building inspection departments require PDF.
- If consulting on changes is desired before the order is placed, then Adapt-A-SunPlan Consulting and Review Service is the process to take.
- The design professional may expand the house a couple of feet, change the exterior materials, move a bathroom, or rearrange interior walls and doors.
- The structural engineer may want to add engineering information such as rebar sizes and specific connections suitable for the local codes, soils, winds, snow or seismic activity.
- The builder may find it easier to perform take offs and layouts with this electronic version of construction prints.
- Home Energy Raters or HVAC subs creating duct work layouts can increase the speed and accuracy of their services.
Info for the Design Professional
- The CAD Files are designed to be used by an experienced residential design professional
- The standard method of preparing the CAD files is in AutoCAD 2000 DWG file type, with the files split into separate files. Approximately 95% of CAD file orders are prepared in this format. (Sun Plans can export to any version of AutoCAD between version 12 (released in 1992) and 2021, but 2000 is the default as that seems to be the most common one that design professionals can use including those with older versions of the software. It is not uncommon for other design professionals to use very old versions of AutoCAD.
- Can't use any of these CAD File types, but still want the local design professional to copy and redraw the design with changes? The Copyright Release that comes only with CAD Files allow for this. (Please see Copyright.)
- Special requests for all-in-one CAD files, DXF or AEC (DataCAD) files can be honored if advised within one business day of the order.
- Split CAD Files are divided into separate files - cover sheet, foundation, first floor, second floor, elevations, section, kitchen, wall detail, and detached garage as applicable. More than one of the printed sheet may be in each file. For instance, the fp1elect and fp1framing will also be in the fp1 file, but these are recommended to be printed separately as shown in the PDF files that come with the CAD Files.
- More questions? Have the design professional contact us.
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Mirror Reverse
Similar to the Mirror Reverse feature for each house plan, mirror reversing Construction Prints and CAD Files flips the house plan on the north-south axis. However, the Mirror Reverse custom service also reverses the text and numbers so that they are no longer backwards. The drawings will be "right reading". It takes some time to check for overlapping text and numbers, but it is a worthwhile service considering the errors that can be made by the builders and their subs if they otherwise tried to reverse the home during construction.
In rectangular plans designed with one long wall designed to face south, the south and north sides will still face the same compass direction, but the east and west walls are reversed. In angled plans designed to sit at a 45 degree angle to south, the mirror line is from the northern-most corner to the southern-most corner which is a diagonal line across the house. What was the northwest wall would then become the northeast wall, and what was the southwest wall would then become the southeast wall.
Instances of when reversing might help include when the home owners want the entry on the east rather than the west. Or maybe a bedroom on the west is desired instead of the east-facing bedroom if light is not wanted from the sunrise. There are hundreds of reasons for mirror reversing a house along the north-south axis. Sometimes the architect suggests it during the Review and Consulting phase of any custom services based on the home owners' site or other particulars.
A local design professional can also do the reversing with the CAD Files.
Mirror Reverse is a not available for the lower-priced Study Plans and Review Sets.
The Moorhaus Cottage 4 features the charm of a one and a half story home with its upper floor nooks and crannies. The dormers bring in light and add to the craftsman exterior details. The small, but welcoming east-facing front porch makes the garage doors less prominent. With full south windows on all three floors, south views and sunlight are had in most rooms. The central hearth wall adds character throughout the home.
A summer solstice note from Kathy: "Debbie, we're still loving
our house...just had 2 months in a row of electric bills under $40.
Thanks for the work you did to make our home bright and warm and
wonderful!"
First Floor
The entry foyer has space for an abundance of coats and boots as well as foyer tables. Since it is near by the family entry from the garage, the space serves both guests and family. Rounding the corner to main living area, is a desk nook for leaving keys and computers. The large thermal mass wall cover in stone, tile, brick or stucco with optional wood stove creates the focal point of the living area that is balanced with an expansive view to the south and the creative staircase on the north. The open loft above brings in extra light from above.
The kitchen features a pantry and breakfast bar. A nearby door opens to a screened porch off the dining making it convenient for outdoor dining and connection to the nearby deck.
The master bedroom shares the same expansive south view. The master bath opens to the laundry for a very convenient transportation of clothes.
Second Floor
The reading nook and study area in center of the second floor overlooks the great room. A bedroom on the south is near the bathroom (with its quaint scale) which in turn is near the cooler north room that can be an optional bedroom too. Add walls around the office and the upstairs will have three bedrooms.
Daylight Basement
Increase the number of bedrooms for a growing family further by using the spaces in the sunny, daylight basement. Or use the space for hobbies, exercise or an in-laws suite. The north wing houses the mechanical systems and root cellar, safe room, or storage.
Garage
The garage has space for two vehicles. Entering into the house is delightful since there is no passage through a mudroom, yet the laundry is nearby. The attic area above it is easily accessed by a full size door from the second floor north room.
Construction Info
Year-round comfort is aided by the south thermal mass wall that divides living from sleeping area on all 3 floors. The 9' high ceilings on the first floor and basement ceilings make the rooms feel larger. Upstairs ceilings are sloped for character and efficient use of space within the steep roof pitch. The walls are drawn at 6" and can be easily adapted to have a high level of insulation or to be thicker as is sometimes recommended in the Custom Energy Specs that are prepared based on the specific climate of each set of house plans.
Modification Ideas
Since adaptations may affect energy performance and structural integrity, they should only be undertaken with professional assistance.
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Make the master bedroom closet larger simply by extending the bump out
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Replace the daylight basement with a slab foundation to save on construction costs
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For drives that approach from the west, reverse the house so that the kitchen and screened porch are on the west and the master bedroom on the east for sunny wake ups
Construction Drawings
For this plan, the following are included with Construction Prints and CAD Files:
- Schematic Site Plan
- Daylight Basement Plan
- Floor Plans with Attached Garage
- Exterior Elevations
- Building Section
- Kitchen Elevations
- Typical Wall Detail
- Schematic Electrical Plans
- Schematic Framing Plans
Comments from the Home Owners
Kathy and Debbie (architect) hugged on their first face to face meeting (after the home was designed). They felt like old friends. Kathy commented on how much fun it had been working together over the phone and internet.
She had always dreamed of having a sun-inspired home and had been following Sun Plans for years. She was impressed that an architect who was good enough to have been published in Fine Homebuilding would be designing her home. With over 25 years of experience designing homes and most of those being passive solar, she felt very comfortable trusting her dream home design to Debbie.
Kathy was surprised to find out that Sun Plans has a very small staff, but was delighted since that means that the architect does the main design work on every home! It was a very good value to get architectural services far below the typical 10% that architects charge. The fees were only about 2% of construction costs.
Their Moorhaus Cottage 4's final blower door test at ACH 50 score was 1.41. The maximum target specified was 1.5 since they were not quite ambitious to go for the extreme Passivhaus level of air tightness. Their whole house energy bills averaged about $100/month for the first year which is very good for their moderate, climate zone 4 (of the International Residential Code 2015). The exterior walls are 2x6 studs and there is some exterior insulation, but not so much that it made the exterior siding difficult to install.
Jim is proud of the reclaimed hickory used for the floors. The use of wood floors throughout the house was one of their priorities so brick thermal mass walls were used for storing the extra sun that enters in winter. Kathy's favorite sun-inspired space is the east sun room since it is so sunny and you feel like you are outside! Although it is completely glassed on three sides and may be a bit cold on cloudy winter days, it stays cool in summer when the sliding glass doors are open.
Thanks Kathy and Jim for allowing Sun Plans to visit and take photos.
