800 Sq Ft House Plans: Layouts, Costs, and Our Top Picks

"800 sq ft house plans" is one of the most specific, most decisive searches on Home Plan DIY. Anyone typing an exact square footage into Google already knows roughly what they can afford and what lot they are working with. So here is a straight answer: what actually fits in 800 sq ft, what it costs, and the plans in our catalog built at exactly this size.

What Fits in 800 Sq Ft

800 sq ft is enough for a real, full-time home, not a tiny house compromise. Most of our 800 sq ft plans include 2 bedrooms, 1 to 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a combined living and dining area. The layouts that work best at this size keep hallways to a minimum and let the kitchen, living, and dining areas share one open room instead of splitting them into separate boxes.

What Does an 800 Sq Ft House Cost to Build?

Most owner-builders working from our plans see costs between $130 and $220 per heated square foot, depending on region, finish level, and whether you are hiring out labor or doing some of it yourself. That puts a typical 800 sq ft build somewhere around $104,000 to $176,000 before land, permits, and site work. Because the footprint is compact, materials and framing time are both lower than a larger home, which is a big part of why this size is popular with first-time owner-builders.

Our Top 800 Sq Ft House Plans

Our Modern Cottage House Plan, 2 Bed, 2 Bath, 800 Sq Ft is a clean, single-story layout with an open kitchen and living area, built specifically at this size rather than rounded to it. If you want a slightly different roofline and layout at the same footprint, our 2-Bedroom Modern Cottage, 800 Sq Ft is a second strong option, same square footage, different floor plan flow.

What to Check Before You Buy

• Confirm your local minimum lot coverage and setback rules allow an 800 sq ft footprint on your lot.
• Check whether your municipality has a minimum dwelling size requirement, some do, especially for full-time residences rather than ADUs.
• Decide on 1 vs 2 bathrooms early. It is a small footprint change but a meaningful cost and plumbing-layout difference.

You can see the full range of nearby sizes in our Tiny House Plans (Under 800 Sq Ft) and 800 to 1200 Sq Ft Plans collections. Every plan ships instantly as a print-ready PDF plus editable CAD files.