{"id":13238,"date":"2024-01-10T15:55:34","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T15:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=13238"},"modified":"2024-01-10T16:10:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T16:10:48","slug":"plans-and-blueprints-for-round-houses-and-octagon-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/plans-and-blueprints-for-round-houses-and-octagon-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Plans and Blueprints for Round Houses and Octagon Houses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some round houses are actually round, but most of them are made from panels, so they are actually octagon, nine sided nonagon (or enneagon), 10-sided decagon or any other polygon shape.<\/p>\n

There are some advantages to houses with more than four sides. They stand up to straight line wind better. An octagon encloses nearly 20% more space than a square with the same perimeter.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rondesics Rondette Prefabricated Homes are assembled from 8 to 12 wall panels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rondesics Rondette Round Houses<\/h2>\n

I posted about a Round House<\/a> that is for rent near me. I guessed it might be a Deltec Home, but someone sent me a photo of Rondesics Rondettes. They were already here earlier than Deltec Homes. The guys who started Deltec homes got the idea from Rondesics.<\/p>\n

\n

“My brother Wayne and I had noted another local company called Rondesics that built a round house,” Robert recalled. The brothers purchased the designs and Robert started tinkering.<\/p>\n

“The design of the house had some flaws we thought we could solve. We re-engineered the roof system and hence Deltec was born,” Robert Kinser recalled.<\/p>\n

How Asheville cornered the market on round houses
\nDale Neal, Asheville Citizen Times<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
Rondesics Rondette Prefabricated Home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These photos were in the Vacation Homes issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine of April 1969.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rondesics Rondette Prefabricated Home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Attractive from any angle, models in the Rondette series of prefabricated homes have from 8 to 12 wall panels that go up in a hurry to enclose a maximum of floor area with a minimum of wall materials.<\/p>\n

Vacation Homes issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine of April 1969<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
Rondesics A-9
One-Bedroom Rondette
425 square feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This one bedroom efficiency model has 425 square feet of living space. It cost $3840, in 1969. Can you imagine?<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rondesics A-13
Three-Bedroom Rondette
900 square feet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This three bedroom house kit was 900 square feet for only $6702. Just wow!<\/p>\n

Minimum wage was $1.30 an hour in 1969, so apples to oranges… adjusted for inflation, the small kit would be $32,104.23 and the 3-bedroom kit would be $56,031.92 now. That would be a bargain. Especially since the Rondesics kits were complete with everything; pre-cut rafters, roof sheathing, fixtures and fittings, interior trim, interior partitions, even appliances. These are the kits my Dad was assembling in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

\"\"
1430 square foot Octagon House Plan
House Plans by Designers West<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Designers West Octagon House Plans<\/h2>\n

This house plan is available on eBay right now. It builds a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house octagon-shaped house.<\/p>\n

\"\"
1430 square foot Octagon House Plan
House Plans by Designerswest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The plans included all of the schedules you need to pull permits and build.<\/p>\n

Octagon House Plans on eBay ><\/a><\/p>\n

Historic Round Houses<\/h2>\n

Round and octagonal houses aren’t new at all, of course. Some of the earliest houses archeologists have found were round.<\/p>\n

\"\"
McElroy Octagon House in San Francisco, California
Photo by Jared Zimmerman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the mid 1800s, eight-sided Octagon Houses had a wave of popularity. The McElroy Octagon House was constructed around 1860. It was built of concrete. The walls had a deep “V” groove applied to make it look like brick or dressed stone.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A Home for All or The Gravel Wall and Octagon Mode of Building New, Cheap, Convenient, Superior and Adapted to Rich and Poor
by Fowler, Orson Squire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A book recommending octagon houses was a best seller. The writer, Orson Squire Fowler, wasn’t a trained architect. He was a professional phrenologist, you know, the guys that measure head size, shape and bumps. Around the time phrenology was falling out of popularity, he started promoting concrete octagon house construction. He was also an animal rights activist, promoted vegetarian eating and abstinence from alcohol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some round houses are actually round, but most of them are made from panels, so they are actually octagon, nine sided nonagon (or enneagon), 10-sided decagon or any other polygon shape. There are some advantages to houses with more than four sides. They stand up …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13236,"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":[30,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-house-plans","category-other-small-houses"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/featured-octagon_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16695,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/inkwell-or-inkbottle-octagon-house-lake-landing-engelhard-north-carolina\/","url_meta":{"origin":13238,"position":0},"title":"Inkwell or Inkbottle Octagon House, Lake Landing, Engelhard, North Carolina","author":"Carla","date":"January 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"8-sided houses have been built for centuries, but there was a wide-spread movement in the 1850s.\u00a0 Orson S. Fowler wrote The Octagon House: A Home for All in 1848. Fowler was not a professional architect. He was a phrenologist (he measured skull bumps for mental traits, yeah, really), educator and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/inspiration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Octagon House Lake Landing, Engelhard, North Carolina","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/featured-lake_landing_octagon_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\/2026\/01\/featured-lake_landing_octagon_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/featured-lake_landing_octagon_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/featured-lake_landing_octagon_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13140,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/what-does-a-round-house-look-like-inside\/","url_meta":{"origin":13238,"position":1},"title":"What Does a Round House Look Like Inside?","author":"Carla","date":"January 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When we were deciding what to build, my husband really wanted a round house. Deltec Homes is near us, so we see a lot of round homes. My dad built \"rondettes\" at Connestee Falls near Brevard, NC back in the '70s. I couldn't even imagine living in a round house.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/featured-round_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\/2024\/01\/featured-round_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/featured-round_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/featured-round_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16643,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/modern-hogan-log-kits-and-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":13238,"position":2},"title":"Modern Hogan Log Kits and Plans","author":"Carla","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Hogans are the round or multi-sided structures traditional to the Navajo people. The design has changed significantly over the years. Traditional hogans are built of juniper or pine logs. They are covered with mud, earth, and stone to make them water tight and insulated. They are naturally cool in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/featured-modern_hogans.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\/2026\/01\/featured-modern_hogans.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/featured-modern_hogans.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/featured-modern_hogans.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16754,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/round-house-kits-from-37960-00-delivery-included\/","url_meta":{"origin":13238,"position":3},"title":"Round House Kits from $37,960.00, Delivery Included","author":"Carla","date":"February 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Marion is a Polygon House Kit by CBI Kit Homes listed on eBay. The kit builds a 1-story, 1,050 square foot roundish small house. For a limited time it also includes materials to build a 200 square foot sundeck. The price includes delivery to anywhere in the continental United\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Small House Kits"","block_context":{"text":"Small House Kits","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/small-house-kits\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/featured-CBI-Marion.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\/2026\/02\/featured-CBI-Marion.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/featured-CBI-Marion.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/featured-CBI-Marion.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10961,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/shotgun-houses-and-modern-front-loaded-homes-with-a-lengthwise-floor-plan\/","url_meta":{"origin":13238,"position":4},"title":"Shotgun Houses and Modern Front Loaded Homes with a Lengthwise Floor Plan","author":"Carla","date":"October 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"What are front-loaded homes? They are narrow houses with the front on the narrow end. Many tiny houses are front-load. Often they have a front porch. The photo at the top of this page, the birthplace of Elvis Presley, is a front-loaded house with a front porch. What is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/featured-Shotgun_Houses.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\/2022\/10\/featured-Shotgun_Houses.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/featured-Shotgun_Houses.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/featured-Shotgun_Houses.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4224,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/classic-design-for-a-low-budget-a-frame\/","url_meta":{"origin":13238,"position":5},"title":"Classic Design for a Low-Budget A-Frame","author":"Carla","date":"July 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in the late '60s, the American Plywood Association put out a series of books with plans for small houses. Great Ideas for Second Homes: A Portfolio of 20 Distinguished New Designs in Plywood Paperback by American Plywood Association 1969 The book has been out of print for a long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Classic Design for a Low-Budget A-Frame \u2013 Project Small House","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/featured_image-classic-design-for-a-low-budget-a-frame.jpg?fit=1034%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/featured_image-classic-design-for-a-low-budget-a-frame.jpg?fit=1034%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/featured_image-classic-design-for-a-low-budget-a-frame.jpg?fit=1034%2C535&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/featured_image-classic-design-for-a-low-budget-a-frame.jpg?fit=1034%2C535&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13238","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=13238"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13249,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13238\/revisions\/13249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}