Designing a home under 1,700 square feet that still delivers three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and comfortable living spaces requires careful planning on every level. The 1,680 sq. ft. two-story Craftsman plan meets this challenge by stacking the bedrooms on the second floor and keeping the main level open for family activities. The exterior uses green siding with white trim, stone porch columns, and gabled roofs to achieve the Craftsman character without adding square footage. This country-style home design strategy proves that smaller homes can still feel spacious when every square foot serves a purpose.
Symmetrical Facade and Craftsman Exterior Details
The front elevation follows a symmetrical arrangement with the entry door centered between two windows on the main floor and three windows evenly spaced on the second floor. This balanced composition is a hallmark of Craftsman design and gives the home a grounded, stable appearance even at a compact scale. The gabled roof above the front porch reinforces the vertical symmetry and draws the eye to the entry.
Stone Columns and Front Porch Design
Stone-clad columns support the front porch roof, adding visual weight and texture to what would otherwise be a flat facade. These columns typically measure 12 by 12 inches with a stone veneer applied over a pressure-treated wood or steel core. The stone wraps around a minimum of three sides of each column, leaving the inward face open for attachment to the porch framing. Builders can use manufactured stone veneer at $8 to $15 per square foot installed, or natural stone at $20 to $40 per square foot for a more authentic look.
Color Choices for the Exterior
The green exterior color with white trim creates a distinctive look that sets this home apart from the gray and beige tones common in production neighborhoods. Green siding paired with white corner boards, window casings, and porch railings produces a clean contrast. The combination works with darker roof colors, such as charcoal or black asphalt shingles, to anchor the overall palette. Dark green and white is a historically accurate Craftsman color scheme that dates back to the early 1900s when builders used earthy tones to blend homes into their natural surroundings. The country-style ranch approach applies similar earthy color palettes to achieve a grounded exterior appearance.
| Exterior Element | Color | Material Options |
|---|---|---|
| Siding | Sage or forest green | Fiber cement, LP smartside, vinyl |
| Trim | White | PVC, primed wood, aluminum |
| Porch columns | Stone veneer (gray/brown) | Manufactured or natural stone |
| Roof | Charcoal or black | Architectural asphalt shingles |
| Front door | Dark stained or painted | Solid wood or fiberglass |
Spacious Family Room Anchors the Main Floor
The first floor layout centers around a family room that sits immediately past the entry foyer. This room spans the depth of the house, allowing natural light from both front and rear windows. In a 1,680 sq. ft. home, the family room must serve as the primary gathering space without feeling cramped. The open connection to the kitchen helps, since sightlines extend through the entire width of the main level.
Open Flow from Entry to Living Space
Visitors step from the front porch directly into the family room without passing through a separate foyer. This direct entry saves the 30 to 50 square feet that a formal foyer would consume. The trade-off is that the family room must accommodate some entry traffic, which designers address by keeping the path from the front door to the stairs clear of furniture. A console table or bench along the entry wall provides a drop zone for keys and bags without blocking the flow.
- Family room dimensions: approximately 15 ft x 18 ft (270 sq. ft.)
- Clear path from front door to stairs: minimum 36 inches wide
- Window placement: one front-facing and one rear-facing for cross light
- Ceiling height: 9 ft on main floor to improve perceived spaciousness
- Flooring: hardwood or LVP for durability through the entry path
U-Shaped Kitchen Layout and Rear Deck Access
The kitchen uses a U-shaped configuration with counters on three sides. This layout is efficient for smaller homes because it concentrates all storage, prep, and cooking surfaces within a compact footprint. The U-shape creates a natural work zone that does not require an island, saving the 40 to 60 square feet that an island would occupy. The kitchen opens to the rear deck through a door positioned at the end of one counter run.
Work Triangle in a Compact Kitchen
In a U-shaped kitchen, the work triangle distances are shorter than in L-shaped or galley kitchens. The sink sits at the base of the U, the stove on one side leg, and the refrigerator on the opposite leg. Typical distances fall within these ranges:
| Work Triangle Segment | Distance | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Sink to refrigerator | 4 – 6 ft | Quick access for ingredients |
| Sink to stove | 3 – 5 ft | Short transfer from prep to cook |
| Stove to refrigerator | 5 – 8 ft | Clear path, no crossing traffic |
| Counter depth (each leg) | 24 – 25 in. | Standard cabinet depth |
| Base cabinet width (per leg) | 8 – 12 ft | Combined 24+ ft of storage |
The U-shape also provides space for a half bathroom on the main floor, which the plan locates near the foyer for guest access without crossing through the kitchen. This half bath placement is a practical choice for small homes where every fixture location must be intentional. The country-style Craftsman open floor plan uses the same U-shaped kitchen arrangement to maximize counter space within a compact footprint.
Second Floor Layout with Three Bedrooms
All three bedrooms sit on the second floor, a two-story arrangement that separates sleeping areas from the main floor living spaces. This vertical zoning keeps noise from the family room and kitchen from reaching the bedrooms during evening hours. The stairwell acts as a sound buffer, and the hallway at the top of the stairs distributes access to each bedroom.
Bathroom Allocation on the Upper Level
The second floor includes two bathrooms: a full bath accessible from the hallway and a primary en suite bath connected to the master bedroom. This allocation gives the master bedroom private bathroom access while letting the two secondary bedrooms share the hall bath. The hall bath includes a tub-shower combination, vanity, and toilet in a standard 5 by 8 foot layout.
| Second Floor Space | Approximate Size | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Master bedroom | 13 ft x 15 ft | En suite bath, closet |
| Bedroom 2 | 11 ft x 12 ft | Closet, hall bath access |
| Bedroom 3 | 11 ft x 12 ft | Closet, hall bath access |
| Master bathroom | 5 ft x 8 ft | Shower, vanity, toilet |
| Hall bathroom | 5 ft x 8 ft | Tub-shower, vanity, toilet |
| Upper hallway | 3 ft x 15 ft | Circulation, linen closet |
Closet and Storage Planning
Compact homes require efficient closet design. Each secondary bedroom in this plan includes a reach-in closet approximately 4 to 6 feet wide with a 24-inch depth. Adding a double rod configuration doubles the hanging space for shorter garments like shirts and pants. The linen closet in the upper hallway provides additional storage for towels, bedding, and toiletries that would otherwise crowd bedroom closets. The symmetrical country-style Craftsman plan applies the same reach-in closet approach in its secondary bedrooms to maximize usable storage without expanding the floor footprint.
Maximizing Square Footage in a 1,680 Sq. Ft. Home
At 1,680 square feet, this home competes with apartment-style living while delivering the privacy and ownership benefits of a single-family house. The two-story configuration is essential for fitting three bedrooms into this square footage, since a single-story plan at the same size would require sacrificing either bedroom count or common area space.
Square Footage Allocation by Zone
Breaking down how the square footage is distributed reveals the design priorities:
- Main floor common areas (family room, kitchen, dining, half bath, entry): ~750 sq. ft.
- Second floor bedrooms and hallways: ~750 sq. ft.
- Second floor bathrooms: ~80 sq. ft.
- Stairwell area (counted on both floors): ~100 sq. ft.
- Porches and deck (unconditioned): ~200 sq. ft. not included in total
This allocation leaves roughly 44 percent of the conditioned space for common areas and 56 percent for private spaces. The balance works for families who spend their waking hours on the main floor and use the second floor primarily for sleeping and dressing. The rear deck adds outdoor living space that does not increase the conditioned square footage or property tax assessment. Contemporary barn-style home designs use the same principle of maximizing indoor-outdoor connection to make smaller floor plans feel larger.
Construction Cost Considerations
Building a two-story home at 1,680 sq. ft. costs less per square foot than a single-story home of the same area. The foundation and roof cover roughly half the area, reducing concrete, lumber, and labor costs. Estimated construction costs at national averages break down this way:
| Cost Category | Single-Story (1,680 sq. ft.) | Two-Story (1,680 sq. ft.) | Savings with Two-Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | $16,800 – $25,200 | $8,500 – $12,800 | $8,300 – $12,400 |
| Roof structure | $8,500 – $14,000 | $4,500 – $7,500 | $4,000 – $6,500 |
| Floor joists | $3,000 – $5,000 | $5,000 – $8,000 | -$2,000 – -$3,000 |
| Exterior siding | $7,500 – $12,000 | $9,000 – $14,500 | -$1,500 – -$2,500 |
| Total structural savings | – | – | $8,800 – $13,400 |
The savings from a smaller foundation and roof offset the added cost of floor joists and additional siding on the second story. For a family building on a modest budget, these savings can fund higher-quality finishes or upgraded mechanical systems. The 1,680 sq. ft. size also keeps annual property taxes and utility costs lower than larger homes. Ranch-style hill country home plans follow a similar philosophy of matching the floor plan size to the actual household needs rather than building extra space that goes unused.