Grandpa’s Cabin is a 396 square foot backyard cottage designed by Sidekick Homes, a division of Kephart Living. The design fits a bedroom, full bathroom, kitchen, and living area into a compact single-story footprint suitable for use as an ADU, guest house, or in-law suite.
Grandpa’s Cabin Exterior
Floor Plan
The floor plan shows an efficient layout with the bedroom positioned for privacy and an open living/kitchen area for daily activities.
Design Details
- Model: Grandpa’s Cabin
- Designer: Sidekick Homes / Kephart Living
- Size: 396 sq ft
- Stories: Single-story
- Bedrooms: 1
- Bathrooms: 1 full
- Kitchen: Full kitchen included
- Type: Backyard cottage / ADU
- Foundation: Permanent foundation
- Best For: Guest house, in-law suite, rental ADU, downsizing
Lessons from Backyard Cottage Design
- Under 400 Sq Ft Can Include Everything: Full bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living space fit in a compact footprint
- Single-Story Suits Aging in Place: No stairs makes this design accessible for seniors or those with mobility concerns
- Matching Architecture Helps Permitting: Designs that complement the main house face less neighborhood resistance
- ADU Designs Meet Building Codes: Purpose-built backyard cottages include proper egress, utilities, and structural requirements
- Convertible Furniture Adds Flexibility: Murphy beds or slide-away beds can free up daytime floor space
About Sidekick Homes
Sidekick Homes offers multiple small house designs under 600 square feet intended as backyard cottages. Their plans are designed to meet current housing standards and can be customized to include garages or basements. Various architectural styles help match existing homes.
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Alex
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It would feel like a mansion to me, it’s even 108 sq. ft. bigger than mine and even a sofa bed would be an improvement over a recliner and a sleeping bag. Oh well, working on it.
Davidrc, your home didn’t set you back 70 grand, did it??? You can buy a lot of mattress for that amount of money.
This is a really nice little cabin and appeared to have a lot of potential but when I looked at the layout, what was the designer thinking? The utility room is quite nice but an extremely poor use of space. No bedroom, but a whole room is dedicated to a side-by-side washer dryer? And the rest of that room is dedication to a tankless water heater and furnace? For a 300-ish square foot home! Those square feet could be so much better used.
I agree. That was my first thought too. Installing an apartment sized stackable or a washer/dryer combo unit makes a lot more sense. Place it in the bathroom and allow yourself more living space in the Ell. (Or a sleeping nook.)
Randy, yeah, that doesn’t make much sense!
I would think that some addional labeling for “storage” in that washer/dryer room may have been left off. Keep up the good work!
Good point, thanks Mark!
I like this, but would modify the utility room to make it a bedroom ~ with stacking washer/dryer in the closet stretched across one wall. Heating can be provided easily enough with in-floor heating and small wall radiators (sculptural ones of course!), the on-demand water heater can go in the bathroom, and there would be no need for a furnace ~ ta-da ~ room for a bed! The other thing I would do is build it on a nice, water-tight basement with a “trap-door” entry to it……. twice the space and room for seasonal storage! Love the way it looks – it would fit right in a rural or beach area! ` a safe and “tiny spaces” new year to all……. ~Kat
Great ideas Kat glad you shared your thoughts. I like the rural beach setting, too.
Love the outside, don’t lke the inside layout, and the cost…..WOW!!!! EXPENSIVE!
Glad you liked the outside. Interior could use some of Kat’s tips or anyone’s own customization. Pricey.. yes! Lol. Lots of natural wood though 🙂
I love it! I agree the floor plan could use a little more creativity, Kat, loved your ideas! I also admit it’s a little too pricey for me to even dream of ever affording, but I’m assuming you could use this as an “idea” or “model” and either diy or hire it done much cheaper! Happy Holidays to all! 🙂
very good
Improvements can be made. Give Granpa a stackable w/d and move it to the side. Put the hw where the dryers at to give him some storage space. OR put the w/d between the F and hw, make the shower into a bathtub move the wall back a few inches, so that Grandpa can soak in some nice hot water to help his aches and pains. Next give Grandpa a smaller bed, a comfortable recliner, and a tv and maybe I’ come and visit you.
Some may be forgetting the idea of this house and the ones made by this company is all universal design. Many people have a limitation, like being in a wheelchair, or weak with poor arm reach. They couldn’t do basement, or loft, or even reach a stackable washer dryer, and a shower is much safer then any type of tub.
More space is needed for turning if a wheelchair is involved, so any enclosed room has to have basically a 5 foot circle of clear floor space. I agree with that in mind the utility room and closets are not a very good use of space in this design. The idea of universal design is that even if a chair isn’t needed now it may be in 1 to 20 years as we age, or disabilities progress, (or someone breaks a leg badly.)
Many of us are so lucky to not give a thought about going up or down stairs, or even reaching into upper kitchen cabinets! Prayers you never have to learn what its like the hard way!
I love the idea, and love the thought for it to be universal design but agree the price seems way out of line for what your getting. Especially since those with limitations are also the most likely to really need very affordable housing.
There aren’t ceiling rails for a lift, the softer final flooring to help prevent injury in a fall, or video system at floor level for monitoring falls yet maintaining privacy. The things other very high cost universal design/ADA “cabins/granny flats/mother in law apartments” incorporate are all missing (or just not listed, their website wont work for me).
I have done a floor plan to have all universal design, 1.5 bath, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, washer and dryer, 14×13 living area all in our attached garage. The garage is only about 23x 26.5. Plus what made the plan really difficult is both commodes needed to be in a specific location, basically rest rooms with commodes back to back in order to attach to our existing septic system. We need to keep costs as affordable as possible! We are moving my mother and aunt to our place. (The 1.5 bath is necessary, not a luxury.) One walks with a cane or walker after a bad fall. It is very scary to see her on even a couple steps, as she maneuvers into her current house. Plus she can only sponge bath as she can’t get into their tub and doesn’t want help.
I love doing floor plans and making every inch count! We hope to have it all completed by spring if not sooner. We will be doing all the work ourself with as many reclaimed parts as possible.
The photos on tinyhouse have really helped me get ideas of storage and how the building materials and colors make such a huge impact on how attractive the place looks. Large indoor space itself isn’t beautiful at all when you have to work yourself to the bone, or stress over how to make ends meet, besides the environmental impact.
I hope to be able to add to the photo collection here on tinyhouse of an ADA, small house, with 2 bedrooms, done on a very tight budget. Sorry so long!
Well….this will get me another attack from Monica, whoever she is……but this type of listing is far from the concept most tiny house followers have of tiny house living. Mortgage free, not when you are spending $300,000. It is suppose to be about simplifying.
Well….this will get me another attack from Monica, whoever she is……but this type of listing is far from the concept most tiny house followers have of tiny house living. Mortgage free, not when you are spending $300,000. It is suppose to be about simplifying.
You can design any arrange you want…..if you want high end accessories go for it……if you need handicap accessible put it in…..there are no limits to what you can do or afford……it is all possible.
I think this tiny house craze is just a fad. I cant see someone living for years in a 100-250 sq ft “home” for any number of years. I am a something of a minimalist myself yet I do love my books and cats. I need room for them and myself. I don’t have a lot of “stuff” other then my books. But I do need room to move about and not feel like I’m inside a shoebox, especialy in the winter. The perfect size home for me would be 500-600 sq ft. with a nice porch in front.
absolutely love this program, hope it will continue to give me the hope I need to to save for a tiny house one day.