One bedroom · 728 sq ft · porch to the garden
The Garden Casita: ADU and Guest House Plans
A one-bedroom guest house for the back of a typical Florida lot. It has a real kitchen, a full bath, a stacked washer and dryer, and a front porch that faces the garden and the main house. Use it for family, guests or a home office. Shown in Key West Cottage, Modern Florida and Spanish Mission.
One Plan, Three Styles
Key West Cottage
Key West Cottage
Key West Cottage
White lap siding, a silver standing-seam roof, pastel shutters and a picket-rail porch.
Modern Florida
Key West Cottage
Key West Cottage
A thin low-slope roof, white stucco, warm wood cladding and black-framed windows.
Spanish Mission
Key West Cottage
Key West Cottage elevations
Cream stucco, a clay barrel-tile roof and an arched porch on thick stucco piers.
Key West Cottage elevations
Key West Cottage elevations
Key West Cottage elevations
Front and rear elevations, drawn to the floor plan dimensions.
Modern Florida elevations
Key West Cottage elevations
Spanish Mission elevations
Front and rear elevations, drawn to the floor plan dimensions.
Spanish Mission elevations
Key West Cottage elevations
Spanish Mission elevations
Front and rear elevations, drawn to the floor plan dimensions.
The Plan
The plan at a glance
- Living (A/C) 728 sq ft · 1 bedroom · 1 full bath · kitchen with island · stacked laundry
- Front porch 26′ × 7′ (182 sq ft) · 910 sq ft under roof · 26′ × 35′ with the porch
- Drawn behind a main house on a 75′ × 125′ lot, with typical setbacks shown
Plan features
Great room. Kitchen along the side wall with an island and a table for four, open to a 15′ × 15′ living area. Windows on three sides.
Bedroom. 15′ × 13′, room for a queen bed, a reach-in closet and a reading chair.
Bath and laundry. A full bath with a walk-in shower, and a stacked washer and dryer off the small hall.
Porch. A full-width covered porch faces the garden and the main house, two steps up from the path.
On the lot. The casita sits in the rear yard with a stepping-stone path from the driveway and room left for a garden or a pool.
The three styles
Key West Cottage. Lap siding, a metal hip roof, louvered shutters and a picket-rail porch.
Modern Florida. A thin low-slope roof with a wood soffit, stucco, wood cladding at the entry and a slatted privacy screen.
Spanish Mission. Cream stucco, clay barrel tile, rafter tails and three arches across the porch.
What is included when we design it for your lot
- The casita is fitted to your survey, setbacks, flood zone and the main house.
- Floor plan, elevations and the site plan.
- The engineered structure: foundation, walls, roof framing and the wind uplift path, with window and door pressures.
- One coordinated set for permit. Remote: we work from your survey and photos.
- Scope: interior design, site/civil and MEP are by others.
Where we design homes
- Pinellas: St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Dunedin, Clearwater and the beach towns
- Space Coast: Melbourne, Palm Bay, Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach and the beaches
- Treasure Coast: Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach
- North Palm Beach County: Jupiter, Tequesta, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach
Questions
Can I build an ADU or guest house on my lot in Florida?
Often, yes, but the rules are local. Your city or county decides whether an accessory dwelling is allowed, how big it may be, where it can sit, how much parking it needs and whether it may be rented. We check the rules for your lot before design starts.
How big can a backyard ADU be?
Size limits are set locally, often as a maximum square footage or a share of the main house. This concept is 728 sq ft of living space, a size that fits many rear yards. We size the plan to your lot’s limits.
Can the casita have a full kitchen?
The concept shows a full kitchen with an island. Some cities limit kitchens in guest houses that are not permitted as separate dwellings, so we confirm what your city allows.
Is the casita engineered for wind and flood?
Yes. It is designed for your lot’s wind speed and exposure, and its floor is set for the flood zone, like any house we design.
Related: All Florida house plans · Custom home design · The Courtyard Estate, with its own guest casita · Additions and remodels
Concept design, not for construction. Plans and images are for illustration. Every home is designed and engineered for its own lot, flood zone and wind exposure; the builder confirms field conditions.
