Mother in Law Cottage Floor Plans: Quaint Abode With a Dash of Green

Last updated on March 23, 2026 · ⓘ How we make our floor plans

Quaint Abode With a Dash of Green Floor Plan

This design is a compact two-story cottage with modern farmhouse notes. It has a tight footprint, a simple massing, and a very efficient layout.

The facade is clean and crisp. A covered front porch gives the entry a friendly face. Square posts, curved brackets, tall windows, and shutters add a bit of charm without making a scene. The exterior appears to use board-and-batten siding with trim accents. The roof is a steep gable with standing-seam metal panels, paired with a lower metal porch roof.

These floor plans are draft layouts prepared for review and planning. They are also available for download as a printable PDF, which is handy for notes, markups, and the occasional dramatic point at the kitchen.

Total area: 504 sq ft
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Floors: 2

Main Floor

The main floor measures 21 feet by 15 feet, for about 315 square feet. The layout is open and direct. The living room and kitchen share the main space, while the bathroom and stair are grouped to one side. Small plan. Smart attitude.

Living Room: The central gathering space at the front half of the floor.
Kitchen: Located at the rear right, with compact counters and a peninsula-style work surface.
Bathroom: Set at the rear left, fitted with a shower, toilet, and sink.
Stair: Placed beside the bathroom, leading up to the second floor.

Upper Floor

The upper floor measures 21 feet by 9 feet, for about 189 square feet. This level is simple and private. It is arranged as a loft-like sleeping floor with the closet near the stair landing. No wasted maze. Just useful space.

Bedroom: The main room on this level, spanning most of the floor.
Closet: Positioned near the stairs for practical storage.
Stair Landing: Compact access point connecting the two floors.

View more designs like this

Grey Siding with Black Shutters

house siding color grey with black shutters

Now the facade wears cool grey board-and-batten siding with black shutters, trading its softer look for a crisp, tuxedo vibe.

The white trim, columns, and railings pop harder, while the dark door and shutters team up like window bodyguards. Slim clerestory panes read brighter against the new palette, tightening the cottage’s face.

The color shift sharpens every line: gable edges, corner boards, and those jaunty porch brackets. The standing-seam roof now harmonizes with the grey cladding, like siblings finally agreeing on music.

Shadow lines deepen, proportions feel taller, and the front porch suddenly looks gallery-ready instead of garden-shy.

Urbane Bronze Siding with Yellow Shutters

house siding color urbane bronze with yellow shutters

Urbane bronze board-and-batten siding now wraps the cottage, while new yellow shutters snap onto the windows—espresso with a lemon twist.

The darker body makes the white trim, arched porch brackets, and railings read crisper, and the slim clerestory transoms suddenly sparkle. Against the cool standing-seam roof, the front elevation gains depth, the vertical lines feeling taller and more tailored.

Those sunny shutters corral the composition: flanking the tall front windows and the side gable openings, they pull the eye to the symmetry around the centered entry.

Black sconces pop harder on the dark siding, and the columns appear more sculpted, like they started lifting. Net effect: modern-cottage confidence with a wink.

Red Siding with White Shutters

house siding color red with white shutters

Now the facade wears barn-red board-and-batten siding, trading its quieter coat for a bolder suit. Fresh white shutters snap onto the tall windows, syncing with the porch rails, trim, and chunky posts so the vertical rhythm and little bracket cutouts read louder and cleaner.

That red backdrop punches up the white cornice bands and arched porch braces, spotlighting the centered door and the slim transom row like stage lighting. The cool gray standing-seam roof tempers the heat, while the black sconces and tidy balusters pop crisply—small house, big entrance energy.

Black Siding with White Shutters

house siding color black with white shutters

The siding flips to inky black, turning the board-and-batten into bold vertical pinstripes. Fresh white shutters snap onto the tall windows, brightening the entry and tightening the porch’s symmetry.

Gray posts, rails, and arched brackets now pop crisply against the dark field.

With the black backdrop, the slim transom windows and side gable window read sharper, and the standing-seam metal roof looks sleeker by contrast. The shutters act like cheerful exclamation points, framing each sash. Same compact bones, new swagger.

Table of Contents