Ask the Builder: FREE 2 Bedroom Ranch House Plan – Colonial 78.8
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A Compact 2 Bedroom Home with a Big Verandah
Welcome to another Ask the Builder Free House Plan from Australian Floor Plans.
This week's free design is the Colonial 78.8, a compact 2 bedroom ranch-style house plan featuring an open living area, kitchen, flexible study/sitting area and a large full-width verandah.
With just 51.8 m² / 557 sq ft of internal living area, this is a relatively small home. However, the generous verandah increases the total area to approximately 78.8 m² / 854 sq ft and provides a substantial outdoor living space.
If you're considering building a small home, downsizer, country cottage, guest house or secondary dwelling, this free concept plan could be a useful place to start.
And you can download the Colonial 78.8 concept plan FREE.
Introducing the Colonial 78.8
After more than 50 years in the building industry, I've seen plenty of homes that were larger than they really needed to be.
A good small house isn't simply a large house made smaller. Every part of the floor plan needs to work harder.
That's what makes the Colonial 78.8 interesting.
The design concentrates the enclosed floor area on the rooms you actually need while providing a large covered verandah that effectively extends the living space outdoors.
Colonial 78.8 House Plan Features
- 2 Bedrooms
- Flexible Study Nook / Sitting Area
- Open Living Room
- Kitchen
- 1 Bathroom
- Combined Bathroom & Laundry
- Built-In Robes
- Large Full-Width Verandah
- Compact Single-Storey Layout
- Ranch / Country-Inspired Design
- Metric & Imperial Dimensions
Small Home, Practical Floor Plan
The central section of the house combines the kitchen and living area, creating an open space rather than dividing an already compact home into several small rooms.
The main bedroom is positioned at one end of the house, while the second bedroom and bathroom/laundry are located toward the opposite end.
The additional sitting area beside Bedroom 1 provides some useful flexibility.
Depending on how you live, this area could become a small home office, study nook, reading area or simply another place to sit away from the main living room.
For a small house, having a second flexible area like this can make a considerable difference.
The Verandah Is a Major Part of the Design
One of my favourite features of this house is the large full-width verandah.
When designing a smaller home, I think outdoor living deserves just as much consideration as the rooms inside.
A generous verandah gives you space for an outdoor table, chairs, barbecue, plants or an outdoor lounge without having to increase the enclosed building area.
For an acreage, rural or lifestyle property, it also gives the home that relaxed Australian country and ranch-style appearance.
Open the house toward the verandah and suddenly a relatively small home can feel considerably larger.
Colonial 78.8 House Size
Overall Width: 10.8 m / 35'5"
Overall Length: 7.3 m / 23'11"
Living Area: 51.8 m² / approximately 557 sq ft
Total Area: 78.8 m² / approximately 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 Area: approximately 4.6 × 4.4 m / 14'5" × 15'3"
Who Could This House Plan Suit?
The Colonial 78.8 could provide a useful starting point for several different types of projects.
It may suit someone wanting to downsize, a couple building a smaller home on acreage, a guest cottage, secondary dwelling, holiday accommodation or anyone who simply doesn't want the expense and maintenance associated with a large house.
The straightforward rectangular layout may also be worth discussing with builders when you're looking for ways to keep a project relatively simple.
Remember, however, that actual construction costs depend heavily on your site, location, materials, engineering, finishes and local building requirements.
Why Start with a Free Concept House Plan?
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is spending thousands of dollars developing detailed plans before they have spoken seriously with builders about their budget.
A concept plan gives you something tangible to work with.
Print it out.
Show it to your family.
Take it to a builder.
Write notes all over it.
Ask what they think it might cost to build in your area.
You might discover that you want a larger second bedroom, a different kitchen, another bathroom or a smaller verandah.
It is much better to work through those decisions before investing in detailed construction drawings.
Download the Colonial 78.8 House Plan FREE
We've prepared a professional Colonial 78.8 Free House Plan PDF to help you start exploring the design.
The free download includes:
- House design and floor plan
- Main features
- Indicative room sizes
- Building areas
- Concept-plan information
- Construction-plan upgrade information
- Customisation options
- Information about the next stages of developing the design
Use it to start a conversation with your builder and explore whether this type of home could work for your project.
Important: This Is a Concept Design
The free Colonial 78.8 plan is supplied as a concept / preliminary house design only.
It is not a site-specific building approval, permit, engineering or construction package.
Before building, the design will generally need to be reviewed and adapted for the actual property and local requirements.
Depending on where you are building, this could include a site plan and survey, soil classification, footing and foundation design, structural engineering, wind classification, energy assessment, bushfire/BAL requirements, drainage, services, certification and other local approvals.
Do not commence construction using the free concept plan alone.
Want to Make Changes?
You don't have to build the Colonial 78.8 exactly as shown.
Perhaps you'd like to:
- Enlarge Bedroom 2
- Turn the sitting area into a dedicated home office
- Reconfigure the kitchen
- Change the bathroom and laundry
- Add another bathroom
- Change the windows or doors
- Alter the verandah
- Increase the overall size
- Create a completely different façade
Simply send us your hand-drawn sketch, notes or a marked-up copy of the floor plan.
We can use the Colonial 78.8 as the starting point and prepare a customised concept design around your ideas.
Ready to Take the Design Further?
If you've discussed the concept with your builder, worked through your changes and decided this is the home you'd like to build, you can then ask us about developing the design into a Full Construction Plan package.
Starting with the free concept allows you to explore the design and preliminary costs first and invest in detailed documentation when you're more confident about proceeding.
Ask the Builder
Have a question about this design or something you're considering for your own building project?
Send your question through to Ask the Builder.
I've spent more than 50 years in the building industry and have been involved in the construction of hundreds of homes. This section is about sharing practical building and house-design information that can help people make better-informed decisions before they build.