{"id":11629,"date":"2023-04-15T12:32:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T12:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=11629"},"modified":"2025-05-01T10:13:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T10:13:05","slug":"free-16x24-open-source-backyard-farmhouse-adu-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/free-16x24-open-source-backyard-farmhouse-adu-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Free 16\u00d724 Open Source Backyard Farmhouse ADU Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Free Open Source Backyard Farmhouse ADU Plans designed by Jay Osborne, www.freefarmhouse.com<\/a>, are available in three sizes and dozens of variations.<\/p>\n

\"\"
16×24 Backyard Farmhouse
646 Square Feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The smallest is 16\u00d724 with 646 square feet. It is designed to work within most local zoning restrictions for ADUs or Accessory Dwelling Units.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A size comparison: The Southern Farmhouse<\/a> next to the (smallest) Backyard Farmhouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Working with Zoning Rules<\/h2>\n

Many areas allow an Accessory Dwelling Unit behind a primary house. Different zoning allows for different sizes.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Downstairs
16×24 Backyard Farmhouse
646 Square Feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This little 16\u00d724 house, the smallest of the Backyard Farmhouse plans, will fit nearly anywhere. Check your zoning as you plan. If you have checked in the past, check again. Our zoning now allows a much larger ADU than it used to.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Upstairs
16×24 Backyard Farmhouse
646 Square Feet
Notice the Dormer to make the ceiling high enough in the stairwell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many areas only permit a second house on one lot if it is 800-square-feet or less. But, porches don’t count in the allowed size of an accessory house, at least where we live. Also, if the ceiling is lower than 5-feet, the square footage does not count as living space.\u00a0 So your 800-square-feet can actually have more usable floor area. This plan has some living area tucked under the roof where the ceiling is lower.<\/p>\n

Some walls are short– so you would be expected to put a piece of furniture against those walls.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
16×24 Backyard Farmhouse Plan
646 Square Feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some residential zoning areas have limits on building height, so the roof of the Backyard Farmhouse stays under 20-feet high.<\/p>\n

One of the main purposes of this design is to be short and compact. If the roof ridge is less than 20 feet high, this house can be put in more places. Many local regulations require houses to have a low profile (sometimes ridiculously low).<\/p>\n

Along with building height maximums, I designed around ceiling height minimums. Many requirements help keep you from bumping your head against the ceiling. In other cases, it was difficult to maintain the necessary headroom (for instance, the dormer is needed at the staircase).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
A size comparison: The Southern Farmhouse<\/a> next to the (smallest) Backyard Farmhouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Build the Little House First<\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t have to have a house to build this house behind. Start by building this little farmhouse, then add the larger house as your family and\/or finances grow.<\/p>\n

\"\"
16×24 Backyard Farmhouse
646 Square Feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Historically in the South, a \u201clittle house\u201d was built first, then the larger family home. Later, as children grew up and got married, they lived in the \u201clittle house\u201d until they built a home of their own. When I was 10-years-old, our house burned down and a family friend let us live in their \u201clittle house\u201d until we got a house dried in enough to live in as we finished it.<\/p>\n

This little house is designed to look like a farmhouse in miniature. By keeping the footprint small, it keeps the costs as low as possible.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You could also use this design for a vacation house.<\/p>\n

\"\"
16×24 Backyard Farmhouse with 10×24 Bedroom Suite Rear Addition\u00a0 and Basement
First Floor Plan
889 square feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are options to add on. This shows the Backyard Farmhouse with a Bedroom Suite on the ground floor. A bedroom and bathroom on the first floor is practical if you want to use this as a granny flat.<\/p>\n

\"\"
First Floor Bedroom Suite
16×24 Backyard Farmhouse with Rear Addition and a different stairs configuration
870 Square Feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This version of the plan has a different configuration to the stairs and living room. With the stairs turned this direction there is a more open floor plan.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Backyard Farmhouse with Basement and Front Porch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any of the Backyard Farmhouse plans can be built on a slab, a crawlspace and footers, or with a basement garage. A basement garage is especially suitable if you are building on a slope.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Backyard Farmhouse with Basement Garage 24×22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a variation of the basement garage plan if the doors can be on the back of the Farmhouse.<\/p>\n

\"\"
16\u00d716 Tiny Farmhouse – 497 Square Feet<\/a>
Backyard Farmhouses in three sizes; 16\u00d724 with 646 square feet<\/a>, a little larger 16\u00d728 with 749 square feet<\/a>, and the largest 16\u00d732 with 857 square feet<\/a>, all with potential for rear or side additions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As these plans are completed, they will be available to download free on www.freefarmhouse.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

*All quotes unless otherwise stated are from the designer Jay Osborne cited from instagram.com\/freefarmhouse\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Free Open Source Backyard Farmhouse ADU Plans designed by Jay Osborne, www.freefarmhouse.com, are available in three sizes and dozens of variations. The smallest is 16\u00d724 with 646 square feet. It is designed to work within most local zoning restrictions for ADUs or Accessory Dwelling Units. …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[85,30,26],"tags":[52,29],"class_list":["post-11629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adus","category-house-plans","category-other-small-houses","tag-addition","tag-small-house"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-smallest.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11620,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/the-backyard-farmhouse-free-open-source-adu-plans-in-three-sizes\/","url_meta":{"origin":11629,"position":0},"title":"The Backyard Farmhouse \u2013 Free Open Source ADU Plans in Three Sizes","author":"Carla","date":"April 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jay Osborne, www.freefarmhouse.com, has designed an ADU Small Farmhouse with three sizes and dozens of variations. The three sizes start at 16x24 with 646 square feet, a little larger 16x28 with 749 square feet, and the largest 16x32 with 857 square feet, all with potential for rear or side additions.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Backyard Farmhouse \u2013 Free Open Source ADU Plans in Three Sizes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouses.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouses.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouses.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouses.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11598,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/tiny-farmhouse-plans-from-free-farmhouse\/","url_meta":{"origin":11629,"position":1},"title":"Tiny Farmhouse Plans from Free Farmhouse","author":"Carla","date":"April 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jay Osborne, www.freefarmhouse.com, has designed a Tiny Farmhouse that is easy to build onto later. It is less than 500 square feet to be finished quickly and inexpensively. Then add on as you can afford to. With only one bedroom, and less than 500 square feet, this design is great\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tiny Farmhouse","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-tiny_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-tiny_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-tiny_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-tiny_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11642,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/free-749-square-feet-backyard-farmhouse-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":11629,"position":2},"title":"Free 16×28 749 Square Feet Backyard Farmhouse Plans","author":"Carla","date":"April 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"You can download free building plans for a traditional style 16x28 2-bedroom farmhouse with 749 square feet, sized right to be an accessory house. Jay Osborne, www.freefarmhouse.com, has designed a Tiny Farmhouse, under 500 square feet and an ADU Small Farmhouse in three sizes and dozens of variations. The three\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Backyard Farmhouse 16x28 with 749 square feet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-mid.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-mid.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-mid.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-mid.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11646,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/free-2-story-house-plans-for-16x32-backyard-farmhouse\/","url_meta":{"origin":11629,"position":3},"title":"Free 2-Story House Plans for 16×32 Backyard Farmhouse","author":"Carla","date":"April 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the largest of the free open source Backyard Farmhouse plans Jay Osborne, www.freefarmhouse.com, designed. It is still small, 857 square feet. It is 16 feet deep, like the other variations. Compare the plans to see how much difference the additional width can make. The roof line is low.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Backyard Farmhouse 16x32 with 857 square feet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-largest.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-largest.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-largest.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-largest.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12981,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/small-backyard-farmhouses-book-with-open-source-house-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":11629,"position":4},"title":"Small Backyard Farmhouses Book with Open Source House Plans","author":"Carla","date":"December 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been sharing the free house plans for Jay Osborne's small farmhouses as the designs have evolved. Now, the book is available. It includes the basic plans. More details are available free. They are designed to be easy to modify. Each can be as small as 650 sq ft and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-book.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-book.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-book.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-book.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11634,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/free-open-source-granny-flat-house-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":11629,"position":5},"title":"Free Open Source Granny Flat House Plans","author":"Carla","date":"April 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jay Osborne's Free Backyard Farmhouse ADU Plans are practical, compact and efficient with all the character of a restored farmhouse home. This variation has a ground floor bedroom and bathroom. The first floor bedroom can be built at the same time as the rest of the small house or added\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-addition.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-addition.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-addition.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/featured-backyard_farmhouse-addition.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11629"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11727,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11629\/revisions\/11727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}