Tiny Cabin Plans: 12x18, 16x24 and 16x32 Gable Cabins

Plans for three gable-roof tiny cabins: a 12 x 18 ft with an open ceiling (no loft), and a 16 x 24 ft and a 16 x 32 ft with a sleeping loft, a fixed loft ladder and a loft egress window. Each is an open floor plan with the bath and kitchen at the back, a living area in front and a free-standing entry landing. Easy to follow and thorough, with dimensioned drawings, cut and shopping lists for each size and CAD files. The PDF opens with a permit drawing set you can adapt for your permit application.

Easy to follow, nothing left out

Every cut has a letter (A, B, C), and every step shows which lettered parts and which screws go together, so you build it like flat-pack furniture, one step at a time.

You also get dimensioned drawings, a materials and shopping list, a cost spreadsheet and CAD files, so the plans answer the questions that come up while you build.

Permit drawing set included

Permit drawing set included, ready to adapt for your permit application; some building departments require stamped drawings. The PDF opens with a permit drawing set: a site plan template, foundation plan, framing plan, elevations, section, typical details, a code reference table, a load and span basis sheet and a materials schedule. These are generic DIY plans with no engineer's or architect's stamp, and the code table is a reference, not a guarantee that your office will accept them. Have a licensed engineer or your local building department review the drawings for your site before you build or apply.

CAD files included

A SketchUp-ready 3D model (.dae, every board a named part) plus DXF drawings for AutoCAD, LibreCAD or FreeCAD, so you can change a size, add your lot lines or hand the drawings to a drafter.

What you build

Plans for a 12 x 18, 16 x 24 or 16 x 32 ft gable-roof tiny cabin (the two larger ones with a sleeping loft), an open floor plan and a free-standing entry landing with steps.

Fit check: footprints of 12 x 18, 16 x 24 and 16 x 32 ft plus 12 in roof tails and an entry landing; about 16 ft 10 in to the top of the roof on the 12 x 18 and 18 ft 10 in on the other two; floor about 2 ft above grade. Many places cap the height and area of a detached accessory building and a cabin with a bed in it is not an exempt shed, so ask your planning and building offices first. A pier-and-beam foundation (15, 18 or 24 concrete piers below your frost line carrying three built-up 2x10 beams), 2x8 floor joists under a 3/4 in plywood floor, 2x6 walls 16 in on center with a header over every opening, a wet wall for the bath and kitchen plumbing (bearing under the loft on the two lofted sizes), and a 12:12 gable roof of 2x8 rafters at 16 in with a tie beside every pair. On the 16 x 24 and 16 x 32 the sleeping loft covers the back 8 ft with a 36 in guard, a ladder at 75 degrees and an egress window; the 12 x 18 has no loft and uses its two side windows as egress windows. The front has a 36 in entry door and a landing with three-riser steps, T1-11 siding and a shingle roof. Fixture and appliance locations are drawn; the plumbing, gas and electrical design is left to licensed trades. About 200, 290 and 350 hours with two helpers for the three sizes, plus the trades and inspections.

What you get

• The plan PDF: dimensioned drawings, lettered parts and numbered steps with one drawing each, hardware and shopping lists
• Cut list and shopping list with sheet counts
• The permit drawing set at the front of the PDF, ready to adapt for your permit application (some building departments require stamped drawings)
• CAD files: SketchUp-ready 3D model (.dae) and DXF drawings
• An editable materials cost spreadsheet (.xlsx) that works in Excel, Google Sheets and Apple Numbers, with a step-by-step guide to opening it in Google Sheets
• The worksheets again as printable web pages (ZIP), so you can reprint single pages any time

Related on ShedSizer

• All build plans
• Shed size calculator
• Shed foundation calculator
• Shed permits and setbacks