Low Country House Plans

Low Country House Plans recall traditional southern architectural characteristics found in the lands close to sea level along the southeastern coastline. Expansive covered porches, screened porches and attic dormers providing “rooms in the roof” are elements of the lowcountry style. Additionally, porches are an effective way to provide shade thereby lowering power consumption while also creating relaxing outdoor areas. To maximize the use of attic space, dormers and “rooms in the roof” are used to create distinctive designs while embracing the low country style.

Low country house plan architecture is characteristically drawn from architectural elements of the South Carolina and Georgia lowcountry. Lowcountry style home architecture developed in the late 1700s and is still constructed today as the most efficient design for the hot subtropical climate of the southeast United States.

Lowcountry buildings have historically been constructed of timber and set on pilings or had a raised first floor. The raised first floor was a response to the often swampy environment, high water tables, and tropical cyclone flooding. The underfloor space is often screened with lattice and used for storage or a carport. Lowcountry homes typically have broad hipped roofs that extend over deep and large covered front porches accented by columns or pillars, that allow a shady sitting area and are often used as another living space. Large windows are used to allow warm inside air to escape in the cooler evening. Some modern Lowcountry homes feature a central open breezeway through the entire house allowing a cooling breeze to move through the building (Wikipedia).

The low country style house plans offered by Southern Cottages are informal, imaginative, “summer” cottage plans with the warmth of the wood shingle cladding which helps to blend in with their surrounding natural environment. Our low country house plans offer many features including covered porches, wraparound porches, roof decks, widows walk or windowed Cupola, eyebrow entry porch, cascading roofs, dormers, rooms in the roof, rooftop observation decks and other special features.

Another important consideration for your low country style house plan design is that of “weatherproofing” your house. Special care must be given to the detail and installation of house wraps, flashings, weep planes, dewpoint in walls and breathability of the overall wall and roof structure. Porches and overhangs can be an important part of this weatherproofing. Plans and specifications for low country house plans, provided by Southern Cottages, describe how all these materials are to be installed to protect against moisture intrusion.