Not every character home needs four bedrooms. Heritage Homes' compact range covers cottages, pioneer-style homes and small one and two-bedroom designs — the same period proportions and detailing on a footprint that suits a minor dwelling, a bach, a downsize or a second home on a rural block.
These are often the most interesting plans in the range, because a small character home has nowhere to hide: the proportions have to be right, and when they are, the result reads far better than a larger plain house.
Cottage, pioneer and small home plans
| Size | Plans | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Three-bedroom cottages | The Appleby, The Ivy, The Rose, The Sunnyside | Full small homes — cottage proportions, family layout |
| Two bedrooms | The Woodlands (cottage), The Riverton and The Waipu (pioneer), The Otama | Compact homes, second dwellings and rural or coastal builds |
| One bedroom | The Bellvue Studio, The Boathouse / The Waiheke, The Ahipara, The Tongaporutu | Studios, baches, guest accommodation and bunkrooms |
Plan availability and specifications can change — the current plan range on the Heritage Homes site is the reference.
What people build these for
- A minor dwelling or second home. On a section that allows one, a compact character home is a far better neighbour to the main house than a modern unit — and it reads as intentional rather than added.
- A bach or holiday home. The one and two-bedroom plans suit coastal and rural sites, where a verandah earns its keep. On a coastal section, check the exposure zone early — it changes the specification, as covered in building on the Hibiscus Coast.
- Downsizing. Two-bedroom cottages and villas keep the character and the garden without the floor area, the heating bill or the cleaning.
- Guest, family or worker accommodation. Studios and bunkrooms on rural blocks, lifestyle properties and larger sections.
Because these plans are small, proportion does nearly all the work — stud height, window shape and verandah depth. The detail that matters most is set out in character home features that matter most.
Narrowing the compact plans
The full plan range filters by style, size, bedrooms, bathrooms and verandah — and for compact homes the size and bedroom filters are the fastest route:
- Filter to one and two bedrooms to see the studio, bach and minor-dwelling end of the range in one view.
- Use the under-100m² band if a district plan floor-area limit or a covenant is driving the brief.
- Check the cottage and pioneer styles separately — they are different design languages at a similar size.
Modifying a compact plan
Heritage Homes builds plans as drawn, modifies them, or designs fully custom homes. Small plans have the least room to move: adding floor area to a compact design quickly changes what it is, and the proportions that make a small character home work are easily lost. More often the useful changes are internal — layout, joinery and where the verandah sits.
On a second dwelling the district plan may cap floor area anyway, which makes plan choice more important than plan modification — see building a character home on a budget and how long it takes to build.
Frequently asked questions
What small character home plans does Heritage Homes offer?
The compact range covers three-bedroom cottages (The Appleby, The Ivy, The Rose, The Sunnyside), two-bedroom plans including The Woodlands and the pioneer-style Riverton and Waipu, and one-bedroom designs such as The Bellvue Studio, The Boathouse, The Ahipara and The Tongaporutu.
Can you build a character home as a minor dwelling?
Yes, where the section and the district plan allow a second dwelling. A compact cottage or two-bedroom villa carries the same proportions and detailing as a full-size character home, which generally sits better alongside an existing house than a modern unit. Whether a minor dwelling is permitted depends on your council's rules for that site.
What is a pioneer-style home?
It is the simpler, earlier end of New Zealand's period housing — plainer than a villa, with straightforward gabled forms and modest detailing, reflecting early settler cottages rather than the ornate boom-era villa. The Riverton and The Waipu are the pioneer plans in the Heritage Homes range.
Are small character homes cheaper per square metre?
Not necessarily. Kitchens, bathrooms and services cost much the same regardless of floor area, so they represent a larger share of a small build — which can push the per-square-metre rate up even though the total is lower. The total cost is what matters when comparing a small plan with a larger one.
Can a small home plan be used as a bach?
Yes, and the one and two-bedroom plans are well suited to it. On coastal sites the main thing to plan for is exposure: under NZS 3604, land within 500 m of the sea sits in corrosion zone D, which requires type 304 stainless steel structural fixings and higher cladding durability. It changes the specification, not the design.
Talk to us about a plan for your section
Prefer to talk? Call Heritage Homes on 0508 40 30 20 or email sales@hhomes.nz.