We call this design “Homage”. It has two full bathrooms and up to three bedrooms, with an accessible ground floor for wheelchair users and folks with mobility challenges, all in 1480 square feet, plus 80 square feet of covered porch. The ground floor has an entry vestibule, accessible kitchen, eating space, sitting space, laundry area, accessible bathroom and a bedroom. The upper floor is flexible: it has a full bathroom and can have two small bedrooms, a larger bedroom with office/study, or other configurations. The home has thick walls and roofs for ample insulation, and generous south-facing windows for passive-solar heating. It’s designed to be comfortable, healthy, efficient, durable, and adaptable.

There’s something timeless and comforting about sheltering roofs that “cascade” from a high point to broad eaves near the ground. This kind of building form is especially useful when need a ground floor that’s larger than the upper floors. One reason folks may want a home with a larger ground floor is to provide one-floor living, for aging in place and mobility challenges. An upper floor, flexible in layout, can provide quarters for children, relatives, guests, or a caretaker. Or a flexible upper floor could be a home office, studio, occasional guest space, and so on.