An architect- and design-led journal of compact, modern homes
Hundreds of compact plans walked through and rooms reimagined — written by its two founders, architect Soren Whitlock and interior & renovation designer Elliot Calloway, working across Portland, Seattle, Bend, Eugene, Tacoma, Bellingham, Boise, Boulder, Bozeman, and Salt Lake City. Real plans, real rooms, honest reviews — past the styling pass and into the structural story.
What You’ll Find Here
Compact Plan Reviews
Architectural Designs marketplace walkthroughs of plans under 2,200 sqft — circulation, daylight, structure, mechanical, and who each design is really for, by an architect who reads compact plans for a living.
ADU + Small-Lot Design
Detached units, garage conversions, and infill cottages — drawn for cities where lot size and code shape every decision before you reach the floor plan. Portland-specific where useful, transferable everywhere.
Room Guides
Living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, baths, home offices, mudrooms — design principles for compact spaces, paired with brand-level product comparisons. Marvin vs Andersen, Ikea Pax vs California Closets, the actual trade-offs.
Right-Sizing Renovations
Real before-and-after projects framed as right-sizing studies — what was removed, what was condensed, and what the home gained by getting smaller in the right places.
New on Home Plans Ideas
Right-Sizing Studies
Renovation studies framed around right-sizing — every project lists what moved structurally, what was condensed, and the three or four decisions that made the home live larger than it measures.
Compact Plan Reviews
Floor-plan reviews of compact (under-2,200 sqft) listings from the Architectural Designs marketplace. I do not design or sell stock plans — I read them, note the trade-offs, and link out if you decide to buy one.
Notes from the Boards
Long-form essays on compact living, modern minimalism done warmly, ADU strategy, and the quiet ways smaller, more intentional homes shape a slower kind of daily life.
Why This Site Exists
It started with a Bellevue client who used half her house
Home Plans Ideas began as a set of private notes I kept after the first client conversation that rewired the way I look at homes. The project was a 4,200-square-foot custom build in Bellevue, Washington — lovely clients, generous lot, deep budget. About a year after they moved in, the wife told me, kindly, that they only really used about half of it. The formal dining room was a holding zone for boxes. The bonus room above the garage was where laundry baskets went to wait. That conversation taught me what a plan actually does for the people who live in it.
By 2021 I had pivoted my practice almost entirely to compact homes, ADUs, and modern under-2,200 sqft plans. Around the same time, I began writing the long emails I kept sending clients shopping the Architectural Designs marketplace — layout reviews, daylight notes, what to actually look at when a stock plan claims to be “efficient.” By 2023 those emails had become a template. By 2025 the template had become this site.
Hundreds of compact plans later, those notes have become 200+ articles covering plans I have walked through, rooms I have designed, and right-sizing renovations I have seen up close. The site is a working architect’s notebook, not a brand — I am one architect, not a firm, and I write for everyone trying to understand their own home before they commit to building it: one plan, one room, one honest decision at a time.
What you will not find here: stock-photo staging, sponsored posts dressed up as editorial, vague “top tips” that were never tested in a real project, or affiliate-driven hype. What you will find: specifics — the plan number, the room in square feet, the brand and spec line, the structural trade-off — because that is the only kind of design writing I would trust from the reader’s side of the desk.
- Every plan review cites the specific Architectural Designs listing and walks through circulation, structure, daylight, and fit
- Product comparisons name the brand, the tier, and what I would actually spec on a real Portland or Seattle project
- Right-Sizing Studies focus on what moved structurally, not just what got repainted
- Affiliate links appear only on House Plans reviews, are labeled, and do not change the review either way
Four Pillars I Work From
Right-Sized, Not Down-Sized
Compact is a design choice, not a compromise. A well-drawn 1,800 sqft plan outlives a poorly-drawn 3,500 sqft plan by years of comfort. I review every plan against that standard.
Modern Without Cold
Clean lines, honest materials, generous daylight — but warmth in the wood, the textiles, the way a room receives you. Modern is not a glass box. Done right, it is the most welcoming style there is.
Every Square Foot Earns It
No formal dining rooms used twice a year. No guest suites that house guests for a weekend a year and laundry the other fifty-one. If a room cannot defend its footprint, the plan needs to keep working.
Plan Beats Style
Circulation, daylight, and program first. Finishes second. A great plan with mediocre finishes lives beautifully; a styled plan with bad bones never recovers, no matter the kitchen budget.
Editorial Standards
Real Project Experience
Every plan review, product note, and right-sizing breakdown is tied to a real project I have worked on or walked through — noted with the city and approximate year so the context is clear.
Honest Product Notes
When a Lutron Caséta system holds up after five years and a budget alternative falls apart, I say so. Brand comparisons with receipts, not hype — what I would actually spec on a real Portland or Seattle project.
PNW + West Coast Grounding
I work across Portland, Seattle, Bend, Eugene, Tacoma, Bellingham, Boise, Boulder, Bozeman, and Salt Lake City — every guide notes which climate, code, and construction culture the advice applies to.
Clear Affiliate Policy
Affiliate links appear only on House Plans reviews, are labeled, and pay a small commission on Architectural Designs purchases — the review reads the same whether you click or not.
Get in Touch
Home Plans Ideas is a one-architect publication, and reader email genuinely shapes what gets reviewed next. Whether you are weighing two compact plans, planning an ADU, or just spotted something worth correcting, the inbox is open and read personally.
General & Editorial
Story ideas, plan-review requests, corrections, press, and partnership questions — write to contact@homeplansideas.com.
Reader Support
Trouble with a link, a page that will not load, or a question about using the site? Reach support@homeplansideas.com and you will hear back.
Privacy & Data
Data requests, cookie questions, or anything covered by our Privacy Policy go to privacy@homeplansideas.com.
The Founders
To reach Soren Whitlock directly about a house plan you are considering, email SorenWhitlock@homeplansideas.com. For interiors, renovations or design studies, co-founder Elliot Calloway is reachable at ElliotCalloway@homeplansideas.com.
You can also use the contact form. Messages are usually answered within two to three business days.