Adapted Starlet Cottage

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We were approached by someone in the historic Duckpond neighborhood in Gainesville looking to add an accessory cottage in her back yard. After some design iterations, we ended up building a 16’x20′ version of our Starlet cottage with elements that complemented her historic home. The design was approved by the Gainesville Preservation Board.

The cottage under construction in the Historic Shed shop

16’x20′ Cottage Floor Plan

The cottage shell installed on a concrete block pier foundation

The cottage was set on concrete block piers with lattice panels

A French door and arched gable window add extra light into the space

Interior framing

The cottage was insulated with batt insulation on the walls and spray foam on the ceiling and under the floor

The steep roof allowed a storage loft to be placed over the kitchen and bath area

The customer choose Ikea cabinets for the kitchen

The customer chose Ikea cabinets for the kitchen

A small corner sink fit in behind the washer/dryer closet

The loft is over 5′ at the peak and gets light through the gable window

The 5′-6″x5′-6″ bath has a shower, vanity and toilet, as well as a washer/dryer closet

A mini split AC system provides heat and cooling

A 2′ deep storage shelf was installed opposite the loft

A batten door leads to the bath

A gas tankless heater is located on the rear of the building

Posted on August 16, 2015 10:10 pm

Freida McMillan July 27, 2020 at 4:41 pm

I love this starlet cottage but would love to have it and the size of a 14.5 foot by 34.5 foot. I will be using it as a family accessory unit in St Johns County.

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1. hs-admin July 30, 2020 at 1:53 pm
  
  Thank you for your inquiry. We are limited to a wall length of 24′ for our designs. We have some creative options, particularly with our board and batten exterior finishes, but we’d need to talk about how you would prefer to design the unit.
  
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Tricia Lee July 13, 2016 at 11:09 pm

Love this loft idea. How much w no bathroom or kitchen? Maybe smaller?

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1. histshed July 14, 2016 at 1:50 pm
  
  Definitely can do.
  
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William Heitman September 1, 2015 at 2:39 pm

Love the cottage. What does a Cottage such as this one cost to build?

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1. histshed September 1, 2015 at 2:54 pm
  
  Expect to be in the $190-210 per sf range for something like this with a loft when you included electrical, plumbing, AC, etc. Without the loft and with a less steep roof, we can bring it down a bit lower. We can also provide just the building shell, and you can finish out the interior yourself, which saves on labor costs.
  
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Linda Casella August 31, 2015 at 1:29 pm

the only thing I would change is taking out the ladder and putting a spiral staircase right where the wall is between the kitchen and bathroom. Those of us that are older can’t do those ladders

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1. histshed September 1, 2015 at 6:33 am
  
  Any of our designs can be modified to suit your needs, including adding a spiral staircase.
  
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Sandy James August 31, 2015 at 9:58 am

We have been looking for plans for a 16×22 house for ever. Its a weird shape. We have a tiny cottage and are trying to figure how to make it live able. i love the kitchen. and then the open space gives you the ability to use it for living and a bedroom and living area. Thank You Thank You thank you.

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Gladys August 30, 2015 at 6:18 pm

Hi this is exactly what I’ve done with a Cook Shad. It turned out beautiful, the problem is that someone in my neighborhood called the County Code Enforcement, even though I live in an incorporated area of Central Florida. Now I am forced to apply for a residential permit that includes over $4500.00 in school impact fees, as well as a Certificate of Occupancy. This wouldn’t be a problem for me if I had the assurance that after applying for all these permits I would be allowed to keep my “Dwelling/Accessory” building in my land.
I was asked to find a license Engineer that can draw a set of blue prints and with that presented to the appropriate agency; if any of you know anyone who may have gone through the process and or may also know a good Engineer willing to draw a set of blueprints for my tiny house can you please have them contact me ASAP I would greatly appreciate it!

glasan@msn.com

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1. histshed August 31, 2015 at 10:18 am
  
  So sorry to hear. This is why we recommend designing small homes with the intention of meeting residential codes, even if it is shed sized. There are some exemptions that sheds have that differ from buildings designed to meet residential codes, which may or ma not be a problem for you. You can read about some of them here: https://historicshed.com/2013/02/can-i-turn-a-shed-into-a-tiny-house/
  
  I would begin by contacting the shed manufacturer and getting a copy of the approved construction drawings for your discussion with an engineer. All pre-manufactured buildings have drawings showing what code they comply with (we recently had a code edition change) and how they are constructed, even if a permit was not pulled for the installation. You can also look it up at: https://www.floridabuilding.org/mb/mb_default.aspx The engineer that signed off on the shed drawings may be willing to work with you on getting the structural signed off for residential code. This will help you with the structural aspects of your home.
  
  You will then need to make sure you have the proper insulation installed, meet egress requirements, comply with electrical and plumbing code, etc. for everything you did to finish out the shed. Hopefully you took lots of photos as you worked on it, and had plumbing and electric inspected. Otherwise you may have to rip things apart for inspection.
  
  Good luck!
  
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Melissa August 17, 2015 at 11:45 am

Even if not all of the materials used are not environmentally friendly, at least they will probably be used for many decades to come and hopefully, the tenants or residents will follow the trend of owning less. If they do so, they will not only save money, but make a smaller footprint on our environment. I think I’d enjoy living there.
Best wishes to the lucky residents. Kudos to the owners.

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Pat Dunham August 17, 2015 at 9:15 am

This is fabulous. It looks more than adequate to live comfortably in a small space that is large compared to some tiny homes.

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813.333.2249

Adapted Starlet Cottage

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