This Colorado Cottage is Only 450 Square Feet

A Unique Cottage Design Amidst Nature

There is so much to love about this amazing small cottage plan where you'll find this cottage designed by TKP Architects flanked by massive granite boulders. To integrate the structure further, the exterior features a rock veneer tapering toward the ground. The entire flagstone patio, accented with natural granite, maintains a consistent design aesthetic blending interior and exterior. As conservators of a mile-high-plus property just outside Denver, a couple treasures their three-acre domain set amidst massive granite outcroppings and stands of pine and spruce. The surroundings invite exploration, and along the trek, one very visible element couldn't be ignored and that is the crumbling remnants of a small outbuilding. The couple enjoy mountain living and wanted to share it with their guests. To accommodate the owner's interest in goldsmithing, they needed a studio on the property. To accommodate both, the goal was to remodel the outbuilding, that sits on a grassy slope towards what is now a storybook cottage.

The Challenges of Construction

The original handcrafted structure, circa 1930, was beyond salvaging. The structure had to be demolished before they could begin, because the county considered the outbuilding a nonconforming structure, the new design couldn't exceed the exterior dimensions already in place, including its height. That gave the architects just 450 square feet to work with. They weren't going to be able to build up, so they determined they would have to dig down. The contractor from Old Greenwich Builders sunk the footings into the hillside slope, graded to accommodate maximum light. Only then could they build the exterior walls. They had to chisel out at least four feet of solid rock, something none of the crew had done before.

Integrating Natural Elements

Because the small cottage plans homeowners didn't want to rob the existing property of its natural beauty, numerous individual boulders were brought in from out of state during the six-month construction period. Each boulder had to be strategically placed which proved to be a daunting task when using a crane. The effort was well worth it. Nestled into the landscape, the charming small cottage plan dwelling now appears to emerge out of the surrounding rock outcropping. The tiny cottage boasts a natural slate roof, copper flashing, and stone veneer. The exterior looks like it's been in this environment for a century. Though the small cottage is new, it borrows an aesthetic from historic U.S. National Park buildings the owners visited during a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Historic Design Elements Inside

In keeping with the historic nature of the tiny cottage property, the interior design elements also pay homage to the past. Considering timber-framed ceiling trusses were used extensively in the park buildings, it was a logical design element that they decided to incorporate into the structure. Ironically, they happened to find an old Civil War ammunition factory in Louisiana where they secured a cache of antique long-leaf yellow pine wood for the truss system spanning the ceiling and the wide-plank flooring. The sturdy, natural-colored beams coupled with the moss-stone fireplace (a rescue from the original structure) contribute to a sense of muscular architecture.