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1100 Sq. Ft. Modern Prefab Home in Napa, CA


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I had to show you this modern prefab home designed by Stillwater Dwellings even though it’s hardly ‘small’ to people like you and me and definitely not ‘tiny’.

At 1100 sq. ft., it’s plenty spacious for most of us. But maybe if you’re raising a family, planning to, or just living with others this amount of space might be just right. You might need less, you might even need more; only you know. Either way I thought it was well done and worth looking at and gathering inspiration from.

What I love about this one is that unlike many of today’s houses, it doesn’t have two living rooms and a whole lot of other unused/wasted space.

Inside there are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a large kitchen. The entry way is spacious- with a closet- which helps keep everyone’s shoes and coats at bay. Please enjoy the tour below and let me know your thoughts in the comments if you’d like to.

Want more kind of like this? Join our FREE Small House Newsletter!

1100 Sq. Ft. Two Bedroom One Bathroom Modern Prefab Home

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Images © Stillwater Dwellings

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Images © Stillwater Dwellings

In the floor plan pictured above you might notice there’s an extra space in the 2nd bedroom that can be used as either another private bathroom or maybe a dedicated office/study space.

Update: That’s actually the utility room with washer/dryer and water heater. Duh! Thanks, Christina!

Learn more about this prefab home in Napa, California at Stillwater Dwellings. It’s called the sd121 floor plan.

The company also has some other (smaller) floor plan designs you might want to take a look at:

If you enjoyed this 2/1 prefab modern small house you’ll absolutely LOVE our free daily tiny house newsletter with even more. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links.

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 50 comments… add one }
  • alice h
    September 29, 2014, 4:43 pm

    Nice looking design but if you really want decent covered outdoor space in a rainy area those high roofs that slant back towards the house aren’t a very good choice. If rain just falls straight down gently it works but with even a slight breeze whipping rain in all directions you’re a bit too exposed. There’s probably a formula out there for how much protection you lose for every foot of added height. If you do build something like this it’s good to have it so the prevailing wind comes from the back of the house.

  • Lise
    September 29, 2014, 7:58 pm

    I’m looking at this and thinking there’s something not right. Why? Cause we have a nice “large” 1300 sq ft 1970’s Traditional Ranch Style home (rectangle, long house) that is 3 bedrooms, 2 bath AND a HUGE family room the same size as the 2 car garage (in addition to a living room, dining room, long hallway and kitchen). Are they really sure it’s 1100 sq ft? If so, there’s a lot of wasted space by a couple feet in each room. I know we are able to fit a king size bed in each of our 3 bdrms.

    • Deborah Dixon
      September 8, 2019, 9:03 pm

      Would love to see a sketch of your home….

  • JAMES MULVIHILL
    December 25, 2014, 12:55 pm

    ALEX,what you started is so mind blowing,once I saw this site I WAS SO CAPTIVE BY YOU AND YOUR GREAT CONCEPT OF LIVING.I CAN’T HELP BUT TO SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE,HATS OFF MY MAN,YOUR THE BEST,CAN’T WAIT TO BUY MY OWN,JIM MULVIHILL

    • Alex
      December 26, 2014, 11:27 am

      Wow, thanks James, that means a lot! And huge thanks to everyone out there helping to share these ideas with us too. Wouldn’t be possible without all of us.

    • Angela
      April 13, 2017, 1:58 am

      I feel the same! Thanks so much for fuelling the dreams!

      • sharon
        April 13, 2017, 7:51 am

        Ditto. I have been thinking about going tiny. I live in an apartment and it takes 50% of my income. It’s great to have some expert advice without someone trying scam or con. My problem is finding land and a honest contractor. Thanks again.

  • Dottie Peacock
    December 28, 2014, 11:33 am

    I am so very glad I signed up for the Tiny House Newsletter. So much easier to find what I need rather than searching websites. I have retired and want to downsize possibly to build 2 tiny houses one for me and one to rent.

    Thanks so much for the newsletter.

    • Alex
      December 28, 2014, 6:18 pm

      Thanks Dottie I’m so happy you’re enjoying it! Welcome 🙂

      • Bill Brock
        January 23, 2020, 5:24 pm

        How do I find out more about these tiny homes? 910-639-1148

  • al
    December 28, 2014, 2:57 pm

    I love the look of this 1100 Sq ft one. I think I would use that extra space as a big closet or 2nd bathroom. I love the overhangs too, but probably not much protection from rain. But, when it rains, I don’t want to be out in it anyway.
    The big wall of glass would be great in our field, facing out at the ocean a mile away. I will check out the small designs too. Too bad it is in CA, as we live in southern Maine, 80 miles from Boston, MA.

  • Brenda Russell
    December 29, 2014, 6:06 am

    Nice basic house. On the other hand, it is my very firm opinion that, small house or not, a bathroom for each bedroom – plus a half bath if a one-bedroom – is necessary. I will not permit guests to traipse through my bedroom to get to the only bath in the house, and I want that private master bath! When my three boys were small and we had only one bath, even with warning (I’m taking a bath – use the toilet now or find a tree) it was a hassle. And by the way, I am decidedly NOT a fan of the currently-popular Jack-and-Jill bathrooms. When you’re in a hurry, the other door is always open – or becomes so the minute you want total privacy. Been there, done that – as you can probably tell! 😉

    • Patricia Schneider
      September 13, 2015, 6:59 pm

      Brenda: The bathroom door is in the hallway, not the bedroom. So no one would be going into either of the bedrooms.

  • Cahow
    December 29, 2014, 10:20 am

    Even though this is an old blog posting, it’s new to me; I somehow missed this one in Alex’s weekly postings.

    I read through all the comments before I thought of adding my .02 cents worth. I’m truly shocked that NO ONE mentioned the abysmal misuse of that White Elephant “entryway”…for lovers of Tiny Homes, that has to be the BIGGEST waste of space I’ve seen in a Small Home! Many people have commented about the lack of privacy regarding the ONE bathroom being wedged into a bedroom and the problems that would solve and I agree wholeheartedly! There is absolutely NOTHING WORSE than being a woman with a full bladder (bursting at the seams) and someone is taking the Worlds’ Longest Shower! Grrrrrr!

    So, this is how I would customize this home to my and perhaps other people’s needs:

    1) Square off the house! You could save several $1,000’s of dollars of labor and material by getting rid of those silly “bump ins” for both the entryway and the dining room! Cutting all those angles when you can have a straight run of board feet makes far more sense. So, the home would become a big rectangle.

    2) With the Wall O’ Glass for the kitchen/living room, make THAT area the dedicated entry into the house. Our “back door” in our old townhouse was a patio door that led into the garden and access to the garage; we used it a million times a day to come and go; you can do the same thing with this house.

    3) Turn the now repurposed entry way into the New & Improved Bathroom! Have your tub/shower, toilet and sink in there so that anyone and everyone can use it!

    4) In many European cities and some very old U.S. cities, “sleeping rooms” always had a toilet and sink in each room, with a shower shared by many. Using that same concept, EACH of the bedrooms can now have a toilet & a sink in EACH room where the tub is now sucking up space in the one bedroom. By pushing the sink/toilet into the back wall and adding a pocket door, you now have EXTRA closet space in front of the loo! Essentially, you have a Walk In Closet that you then use the aisle to gain access to your private lavatory. This now gives the house THREE FUNCTIONAL BATHROOMS instead of a miserable ONE bathroom! And who doesn’t appreciate their own private space to mess up or keep clean without their partner crabbing on them for their mess? 😉 The use of pocket doors to gain access to this multi-functional space reduces the amount of square footage sucked up by door egress.

    5) Now, because both the new bathroom (former entry) and dining room have been pushed out to the surrounding walls, you can configure the entry to the bedrooms differently. Again, I’d use pocket doors to go into the bedrooms, so that provides an ENTIRE WALL of closet space for both bedrooms, where previously, each bedroom had a miniscule closet jammed into the corner of the room. By going Ceiling to Floor/Wall to Wall, you can add an upright washer and dryer to one of the bedrooms and still have a boatload of storage for clothing, etc.

    So, there you have it. With a simple recalculation of the same footprint, you go from ONE toilet and sink to THREE toilets and sinks plus a dedicated tub/shower. You also increase the storage space in each bedroom by at least 100% by creating additional walk in closet space and an entire wall of closet space. This is a beautiful design and I love the use of all the windows; we don’t need extra walls for stuff since we de-cluttered our lives almost 20 years ago. 😀

    • Rob
      January 18, 2015, 7:59 am

      So first I want to thank Alex for creating an awesome forum for creative people to share their ideas. I spent the last two days reading the posts and now I have tons of new ideas for the cabin I have been planning to build. Thank You!
      Now about this small home by Stillwater Designs, I love the clean modern look and while the materiels used in construction are not cheap, it sure does look good. I agree with Cahow that the entry in the middle is a waste, especially when there are TWO patio doors. Why are there two patio doors next to each other? Also, I can’t tell from the plans if there is a sliding wood panel to cover them but there must be, right? If there’s not then what stops thieves from walking right in. Personally I don’t like all the floor to ceiling glass. I would leave the narrow windows along the ceiling for ventilation and use a good solid wood for the walls. I need my wall space for storage and as Virginia pointed out at the beginning of this thread it would provide much better insulation. My cabin is going to be in the deep woods where it gets mighty cold at times, and there are some really big bears wandering around. The three windows in the bedroom have to go as well. I would never be able to sleep with all that glass in the bedroom. Having said that, the thing that I find funny is how so many people commented on needing more bathroom facilities. Only in America do people attach so much stigma to the bathroom. I have shared a small apartment with five other people (two guys, four gals) for years and one bathroom is plenty. There is no reason you can’t use the toilet if someone is in the shower. It’s only a bodily function after all, nothing to be ashamed of lol. Put opaque glass around the shower if it really bothers you I guess…. Peace, Rob

      • Chel
        September 14, 2015, 9:31 am

        Good point about bathrooms Rob. One normal bathroom and one separate toilet with tiny basin to wash hands is plenty. Doesn’t take much to plan showers and let everyone take a turn to clean teeth in the morning. The extra toilet is useful when teenagers and guests are around. Beyond that. Extra bathrooms mean extra cleaning to me. Life is too short.

    • Eric
      December 29, 2015, 3:11 pm

      Cahow, perhaps you miss the point of the bump in/bump out? One, it breaks up the boxy look thereby giving it a somewhat architectural look. Why an entranceway like that? Many reasons… try climates where snow comes in feet deep. What better than a mud room entrance eh? Maybe this entrance was designed for a mobility impaired person who need more room to maneuver, whether by device such as a wheelchair or similar, or maybe due to a physical condition they “actually” need more space to take outdoor wear off…

      I agree with you however on the toilet bathroom combos though. Separate toilet with its own handbasin is superior. My place is only half superior… washhand basin is in the bathroom right next door. Thanks 1970’s builders, thanks… not!

      But then again, maybe this place is perfect? If it suits the owners to the ground, then it simply is perfect for them. For you? Obviously not. Same for some who have agreed with your comments (which btw I love, you give many, many different perspectives etc. that we often haven’t even thought of, so many thanks for all of those… and some people need to stop being so prickly about someone else having an opinion. Opinions are just like you know what! Everyone has one).

  • Jeremy
    December 30, 2014, 12:39 pm

    I’m going to agree with Cahow on the entrance way. The first thing I thought of when I looked at the floor plan was “why is there a wall right when you walk in”? I would much prefer if it was all open (just me though).

    In regards to the bathroom, well my wife and I have been living with one bathroom for years, and it’s never been an issue for us. Having 2 would be nice, but it’s not the end of the world with 1 as I see it.

    Overall really nice house, andthat floor tile in the bathroom…..damn that’s fine!

  • Michael
    September 13, 2015, 12:48 am

    Alex, Is there a place I could rent or lease a tiny home with wheels and set on my property/ backyard?

  • Pat LaCerva
    September 13, 2015, 12:57 pm

    Alex, where do you find all this wonderful stuff for us (your following)? You must really view this as a labor of love! I like your inclusion of floor plans when you can and also your willingness to include 800 to 1100 sq ft houses now and then since some of us who own land are bound by county codes regarding size. I LOVE your Newsletter! Interesting, helpful ideas–particularly on the utilization of space.
    Thank you, Alex!
    Pat

    • Alex
      September 13, 2015, 5:08 pm

      Thanks, Pat! I appreciate that! I absolutely love what I get to do and feel blessed getting to do it. Hope you have a wonderful day!

  • Andrea Jasso
    September 13, 2015, 10:47 pm

    I actually think this is a very well designed tiny house. Many tiny houses are designed with an open plan to make it feel open and bigger, however, if there is no flow, it can feel like just a big room. If you are able to break it up, keep the flow right and add special niches, you can create a very comfortable place to live….especially if there is two or more of you…..everyone needs some privacy or quite time.

  • kristina nadreau
    September 29, 2015, 12:35 pm

    thank you for this which really set the wheels turning for me. I went to the web site and checked out the smaller sizes. The 585 sq ft looks nearly perfect for my next project. I do want an extra half bath. I LOVE an entry space and do not consider it wasted space. for me I would use part of it for an elevator since I wish to build my next house on pilings 8-10 feet high, so I can catch the sea breezes and improve my view/vista. I live in the subtropics of Central America, so my needs are different than those who live where it snows. I need the long, narrow shotgun style so that both sides of a room will have windows to catch the breeze. Electricity for A/C is expensive. I suggest that those who wish to criticize, first check out the web site options, consider that location will dictate configuration to conserve utility costs and of course personal needs and tastes also influence housing decisions. I loved their web site and different configurations for different wants and needs.

  • Shana
    December 28, 2015, 1:57 pm

    I would make the dining room the bath/utility room. Then you could have walk in closets/storage space in the bedrooms.

  • Herb Olson
    December 28, 2015, 2:05 pm

    I really like this design and have been considering Pan Abodes 1008 sg. ft. version(Horizon series). I like that Pan Abode can come as a kit so that I can build it myself and make it more affordable. I love all the glass as here in the NW we want all the light we can get in the winter. As I move into retirement downsizing is key. I will still need a garage or at least a small workshop and a place for my bikes, ski gear, backpacking equipment and spare sailing gear.
    I would live to move the master behind the kitchen to share the glass wall and view and put the garage where one of the bedrooms is positioned. The issue here is finding afforadable land that is no too far out in the boonies.

  • Catherine
    December 28, 2015, 2:58 pm

    Just a passing positive comment; I love the windows that meet at the corner of the room(s). Opens up the space SO much!

    • Alex
      December 30, 2015, 1:45 pm

      Thanks, Catherine!

  • Erica
    December 29, 2015, 9:08 am

    Just to add my two cents, I think the kitchen lacks a pantry/storage closet. I would need to use a stepstool to get to the top cabinets and where do the dry goods get stored? That said, I do like the openness of the kitchen.

    People keep complaining about the bathroom being in a bedroom. It’s not. It’s next to one of the bedrooms.

    I like having a window in the bedroom, but the clerestory windows up top have no covering. I sleep better in a darkened room, and those windows would bring in too much light. I know, this could be adjusted in the build, but those are my thoughts.

  • Bill Skaff
    December 29, 2015, 11:52 am

    Beautiful design. Great finishes. Over $300.00 per sq. foot. Not including the land and site prep. Ultimately over $400.00 per sq. foot for land and home.

  • Dick
    July 27, 2016, 9:58 pm

    First, the links for the miniONE and miniTWO plans no longer work. I’ve been to the site and I don’t think those plans are being offered now.

    I really like this house. It would work well for a small family. Cahow, I have to disagree with you about the entry–that bump-in keeps the owner from being soaked when fumbling for keys in a rainstorm; that’s how the house I grew up in was set up.

    As to the bathroom, I just do not like the idea of the main/only bathroom being right by the front door. A powder room, yes, but not the bathroom everyone uses. With my luck, here I come dripping out of the bathroom, and a visitor has just come in the front door! Maybe switch the utility room with the bathroom?

    And for the entry, bump the dining room out the couple of feet to the rest of the back wall, move the table back that two feet, and knock the wall out between the entry and the dining room. If there were more room, I’d switch the dining and living rooms, but I don’t think that would work out well with this particular plan.

    • Dick
      April 12, 2017, 10:59 pm

      I’ll correct the above comment. Yes, those links I referred to still don’t work, but you can go to their homepage, click on “our homes” and find all of their floor plans, including some as large as 4k sf! Even if, like me, you’d never want a house that big (wouldn’t know what to do with the space!), the plans are worth viewing.

  • louise
    April 12, 2017, 2:41 pm

    I do love this house. Two bedrooms are nice and do not make you feel deprived or hemmed in. But I found that sometimes two people have to go to the bathroom at the same time and it can be urgent. Also if you have guests who are visiting, your own bathroom is a little private. Maybe you do not have time to clean it or you don’t want people snooping among either your medicines or others personal items. I will always prefer if possible a little powder room in addition to a regular bathroom. This is a wonderful house. I will put it on my wish list.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 13, 2017, 7:26 am

      Two bathrooms is certainly nice when one can fit them 🙂

  • Laura Wilson
    April 12, 2017, 9:47 pm

    Absolutely lovely but would probably go a little smaller as I plan on living as a single person and if that changes it would make a fantastic cottage.I give it a thumbs up !

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 13, 2017, 7:16 am

      Yes I think it might be a little bigger than needed for one person, but two, three — even a family! — could fit 🙂

  • Angela
    April 13, 2017, 1:56 am

    Thanks for showing us homes that aren’t technically tiny sometimes. It gives a few more ideas for possibilities that can be incorporated into our own plans..and it can get a little samey seeing so many basically identical THOWs over and over. Thanks!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 13, 2017, 7:10 am

      So glad you appreciate it Angela! It’s good for me to know as I search for new content 🙂

  • sara
    April 13, 2017, 2:23 am

    I like this a lot. Very clean.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 13, 2017, 7:10 am

      Me too!

  • Joseph
    April 13, 2017, 6:02 am

    Gorgeous!

  • Kelly
    April 13, 2017, 2:24 pm

    I love it. Love the dedicated foyer. Perfect place for shedding wet coats and shoes as well as keeping cold winds contained from blasting through the house when the front door is opened.The size would be perfect for me, too. Most tiny houses do not have the floor space I would require to accommodate my two large dogs. It is about 800 sq. ft. smaller than my current home and it would be the perfect transitional space before moving to something even smaller.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 14, 2017, 4:26 am

      I’m so glad you could see yourself in it 🙂 I do think it’d be a great place to pare down to 🙂

  • Erica
    April 14, 2017, 7:06 am

    I’m trying to stop getting notifications of comments on this thread, but can’t find a way. Help??

    • Alex
      April 14, 2017, 2:48 pm

      Hi Erica, at the bottom of the email notifications you should see a unsubscribe link so you can stop getting the notifications for comments on this post! Sorry I couldn’t do it for you!

      • Erica
        April 14, 2017, 3:54 pm

        Thanks, Alex, I missed that! Must have looked at it and seen something else, lol.

        BTW, I enjoy your posts, I just didn’t want comments on this one any longer.

        • Alex
          April 14, 2017, 5:28 pm

          Thanks Erica! 🙂

  • Rusty
    July 24, 2018, 6:14 pm

    I love this small home. Practical and livable. The extra small room I would turn into a laundry/mud room with a door to the outside. No tub, just walk in shower. No closet in entry, but a clothes tree.

  • Teresa
    November 1, 2020, 9:51 pm

    How much does this cost?

  • Laila
    October 20, 2023, 3:30 pm

    Just a general question about home insurance for these pre-fab homes. I was told that insurance companies don’t insure homes that are not built on site. Are there specific insurance companies that the tiny home community is/has been using? I really like this home, good size, but as with others, I would find a way to add a two-piece powder room.

    • James D.
      October 20, 2023, 6:04 pm

      Pre-fab/modular homes are treated the same as site built houses, there’s no difference other than being built in a factory before being placed on the property. So there isn’t an issue to get them insured. They’re just not to be confused with mobile homes/Manufactured Houses, as they, specifically, fall under different regulations that would prevent them from falling under the same insurance, etc.

      Issue with tiny houses is just whether or not they can fall under local rules or not. If on wheels, then they’re usually treated as non-permanent structures and will often fall under the same regulations as vehicles unless there are specific local exceptions. Since, there are places that will treat them the same as residential homes but that’s still rare and not widespread.

      While tiny homes on foundations may have to be either a secondary structure, such as an ADU, or may not be considered a residency. Since, most places place limits on how small a residential home can be for at least primary usage but, again, there are places that isn’t the case and tiny homes would be treated the same as all other residential homes where those exceptions apply.

      It’s just where tiny homes do not meet the local requirements that then they are treated differently and it’s for those places that alternative insurance options can be required…

      Mobile Homes, Manufactured Houses, RV’s, Tiny Houses can fall under different requirements but generally, if it’s not considered a permanent structure that it falls under the rules that RV’s follow that apply also to insurance, warranty, etc. So RV’ insurance, etc. are the usual options in that case but there are a growing number of insurance providers willing to offer more coverage options for tiny home owners. The availability may just vary depending on where in the country the home is placed.

      Along with exceptions like old homes may be considered tiny by modern standards but most homes built before the 1950’s were under 900 Sq Ft and those still around may have been grandfathered in to still be allowed in areas where larger homes have long since become the norm.

      This can also overlap with other types of buildings as there are other categories of structures like Co-ops and apartment complexes where each residence can be individually owned and there are developments moving towards modular structures where each unit can not only be individually owned by moved separately from the rest to actually be able to move to another location.

      Locally built is also changing because of new technology like 3D printing that is being applied to construction. Something that can require updates to local building codes as they aren’t covered in older versions of the building codes but the IRC version that includes them is available for adoption already. Along with alternative construction like Cob Homes.

      So everything is still evolving and you may just have to wait a bit before something previously denied becomes accepted or an alternative solution becomes available…

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