Hi, there!

Most folks who seek historically-inspired homes benefit from working with a residential architect who specializes in these lovely houses. The details really make or break 'em, you know? :-)

If you decide to go the architect route, bring a general contractor in for a few of the meetings, to keep things on budget. A good team is worth its weight in gold.

As to costs, those vary wildly depending on where you're located, but expect anything with nice detail -- that really pays homage to your style -- to require more funds.

Queen Annes are gorgeous. Please keep us updated! :-)

There are a number of sellers of home plans online. I suggest you do a search for "home plans" or even "queen anne home plans". You can specify the square footage, number of bedrooms and baths, and the style of home you want. Obviously a larger square footage means a larger price tag, and each bath adds to plumbing costs. If you can manage with a 2000 sq ft home with 2.5 baths, your building costs will be less. Some of these sellers will give you an estimate of building costs for where you live, but estimates are not the same as bids. Ultimately, you need to contract with a local builder before you know how much it's going to cost. Doing some work yourself can cut costs, but sometimes a pro is absolutely worth the money. Using less expensive interior materials is another way to cut costs.

A less complex and highly detailed style of home would be more economical to build. Have you considered urban homesteading an existing Queen Anne structure on the fringes of gentrification? If you are handy enough to build, you are handy enough to restore a true original. There are many locations where acquisition costs are incredibly inexpensive.

A typical Queen Anne style house is large, highly decorated and involves a tower/turret so if you really want that style on such a tight budget you will need to study the style extensively in order to develop a scaled down version but 4 bedrooms will make it difficult.

The architectural styles you should study are: the American Queen Anne; the Queen Anne Cottage, and the Shingle Style. Of these styles, the Shingle Style is the most adaptable and easiest to scale down and simplify.

If you plan to do a lot of the work yourself you will need unusually good carpentry skills. I suspect it will be a design challenge so difficult it would be worthwhile to hire an architect.

Queen Anne, or Neo-Victorian (contemporary Victorian) houses have never been so popular or on trend that to demand a high quantity of online stock plans. It's more of a niche for people that really love the style. I'm not trying to dissuade you from building one, just explaining why you have found that your choices are limited. That combined with as RES has said that historic Queen Anne houses were built for the wealthy and fairly large so the stock plans inspired by them are large too. All of that means that you will either have to expand your search or to get the unique house that you are describing, likely have it designed from scratch.

You can also purchase reprinted books Victorian House plans from the late 19th century, of which there are several to choose from. Some of these included scaled down plans for modest houses for the "common man". The plans would then have to be modified to work for modern living, such as kitchens and number of bathrooms, but it would give you a start.

I may be going about this the wrong way, which is why I'm here looking for advice from any that have been through this. We purchased plans in 2014, owned property, had a builder lined up, had foundation blueprints designed, and then the 2015 oil strike hit and stopped everything. In retrospect, it was a good thing because the property we were going to build on isn't as attractive as it was originally. ( family property, long story). Anyway, we pulled out the old plans and realized some of the areas are smaller than we thought. Plus, one of fears is as we get older, we won't be able to access the upstairs and need some kind of bedroom with a private bath downstairs. it could be done, but again, I'm getting advice/ opinions to make a better decision. Thanks for all the replies

If you want a Queen Anne, why did you buy plans for an expensive Something Else? Kindly put, it's a builder NeoEclectic. It is not anywhere close to being in the same neighborhood as a Queen Anne. https://www.google.com/amp/mcmansionhell.com/post/151896249151/the-10-circles-of-mcmansionhell-the-mcmansion/amp

That IS backwards.

Also, if you are on a budget, why have you picked one of the most expensive and highly detailed home styles to want to build? You put yourself over the budget on the front end without even trying.

Too many things do not add up at all here.

What is your priority? Your modest budget? Or a complex new home build that blows your budget? The two wants are incompatible.

Have you you looked at old houses that people want torn down? Moving one to a foundation on your lot might be within your budget.

Do a visual search for Queen Anne Bungalow. You'll get lots of 1 story and 1 1/2 story homes with a Queen Anne feel. The problem with building a true Queen Anne and not that thing you are calling Queen Anne is the details are what makes it and it's the details that cost.

If you put a bedroom downstairs you'll probably find you have a story and a half house which isn't suited to the Queen Anne style.

The design you posted is more of a "Free Classic" version of the Queen Anne style as shown below:

Res 3D, a Queen Anne is the dream, but a free style is probably more in line with reality. What I want inside is a more open floor plan and I'm afraid this layout will be more sectional. I need to get with another builder and see what they think about which walls can move, etc.

I totally get picking a style -- just being drawn to it -- and then learning that those lovely details that make the house awesome are heartbreakingly difficult to bring to fruition. From budget, to finding skilled folks (in both design and manufacturing/building), to maintenance.... It's rotten. :-(

I have half a dozen "favorite" styles, all sharing a single element (casement windows). My plan is to ask my architect, "Here are my favorites; which one is most feasible, not only money-wise, but actually-building-it-correctly-wise?" lol

If it means anything -- coming from a total stranger on the internet, lol -- I think Shingle is an awesome style, with great charm and attainability. It's Queen Anne's sweet, introverted little sister, who's welcoming and down to earth. Can't go wrong with a Shingle!

I thought you needed servant's quarters and a larder to be a Queen Anne design?? I may be getting my styles mixed up.

I think the plan posted above is a good reason why Queen Annes aren't built much anymore.

I thought you needed servant's quarters and a larder to be a Queen Anne design??

My servant's quarters are labeled, "Kids' Bedrooms."

If you've got kids I would think the servants quarters would be labeled "Master Bedroom"

If you've got kids I would think the servants quarters would be labeled "Master Bedroom"

lol

I thought about that!

But....

I pay 'em $0.50 to unload the dishwasher, $0.25 to vacuum 2 rooms, and $1.00 to clean the playroom solo.

*whip crack*

;-)

Well...if this is going to be your long-term retirement home, my suggestion is to forget stairs and a second floor. You'll be doing your spouse and yourself a great service to have everything you need for day to day living on the first level.

Ask me how I know.

Goodbye Queen Anne. Hello comfort and convenience.

GreenDesigns I've literally spent my entire afternoon on that site. I'd completely forgotten about it, and had lots to catch up on! My brain hurts... ;)

You cannot move forward with that home plan and have a home that works for Aging in Place. You can’t use that plan at all. Find a good architect who can create something that works for the rest of your life. Then build a fanciful Queen Anne shed/man cave in the back yard. But take care of your needs in your residence first.

As a CAPS Kitchen and Bath Designer, the first thing that I suggest is to take advantage of all of the free information out there. The AARP has a ton of it. Start there. Then keep going.

https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/aarp-home-fit-guide-aging-in-place.html

Consider broadening your horizons a bit for styles that have a similar charm but might be better suited to single or 1-1/2 story houses. Put together a visual collection of houses you and your wife like and see if you can find a common thread, then work with THAT.

Virgil, didn't we have conversation once on one of these threads about Folk Victorians and their relative adaptability?

Yes, Holly we probably did.

My suggestion to the OP is that for retirees and aging in place, function is a significant criterion, perhaps greater than preconceived aesthetics and architectural styles.

A Queen Anne or derivative might be appropriate and work well for someone in their 30s-40s, but once retirement comes it's time to consider mobility and health as significant criteria for a house design for the next 20-30 years or so.

I disagree that a Queen Anne has to have two stories. I've seen plenty of old Queen Anne homes in rural towns that are single story. In cities it's only the larger houses that manage to survive Below is a drawing that shows typical Queen Anne details on the left. On the right is my simple conversion that deletes the second story.

Perhaps you should consider replacing those old plans with a downsized version that would put one bedroom on the ground floor.

Have you considered a modern farmhouse? (Poor Humor)

There are plenty of Queen Anne bungalows as mindshift alluded to.

Mindshift, how would you get into the tower in the one story design? And where would the 4 bedrooms go? I'm curious to see a photo of an original Queen Anne bungalow/cottage with a tower and hip roof.

This is what is normally considered a one story Queen Anne bungalow/cottage:

A one-story Queen Anne or Queen Anne cottage with a two-story tower...?

You've got to be kidding.

This thread started because the OP had a preconceived attraction to a particular architectural style--Queen Anne.

But...the OP is considering aging in place and the need for a first level bedroom and bath.

These two aren't really compatible with one another in the true sense of a Queen Anne style architecture.

Thus...something in the OP's needs vs. wants list has to be modified. Only the OP knows which is more important to them: an architectural style or the needs for aging in place.

In reality, it's the tower that's incompatible in this scenario. A "Queen Anne" looking custom design is certainly possible with a first level bedroom and bath. That assumes the OP has the budget for all of the materials and detailing which are characteristic of a Queen Anne, and that properly knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen can be found to build the design. This won't be vinyl siding and Hardiboard-like panels.

for all of the materials and detailing which are characteristic of a Queen Anne, and that properly knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen can be found to build the design

I think this is the rub for many classic architectural styles. They've fallen out of popularity, so there is no market for style-specific premade items. Therefore, everything is custom.

They were built in a time where everything WAS custom, and building crews really had no trouble at all handling odd angles, curves, arches, etc- because they did a A LOT.

They involve building materials or techniques that are no longer much in use, and therefore finding a craftsman capable can be very difficult.

If the OP is himself a master carpenter, he'd be capable of taking care of the widgy bits and extensive trimwork himself. If not, that's all going to be very costly. And, while there are vinyl versions of shakes and fishscale siding (some that actually aren't terrible looking) they often don't come in the colors one associates with the style. Ditto for trim and gingerbread. Which means that the OP also needs to keep in mind that building something that is in anyway authentic is also going to be pretty high on the upkeep scales.

A folk victorian, or "victorian inspired" sort of plan might fit better. And, truly, the original plan share is more "victorian inspired" than authentic Queen Anne. That sort of things is always a spectrum, and everybody has to decide where on that spectrum of authentic vs. "neo-Victorian" they're comfortable with.

@RES 3d Sketches, I simply lowered the roof of the original Queen Anne drawing to make the point that you can have all of the exterior details that say Queen Anne without needing a second story. Most single story Queen Anne homes, and especially bungalows, did not have towers. Of those that did the tower may have been accessed through attic space or it may have been purely decorative. In the photo below the homes are (clockwise from upper left) located in: Victoria, Canada; Glendale, CA; Salem, VA; and Glendale, CA.

I consider those examples to be 1 1/2 story houses not particularly worth emulating. Your definition would make my house 3 stories.

I recommend a different design. The angled walls make for an inefficient use of space. They add interest but at a cost, and more than monetarily.

Money, space, and a lifelong difficulty in arranging furniture in those rooms. Make a scale sketch of the rooms on graph paper, then cut out shapes the size of your intended furniture. See how it fits, keeping in mind the need to walk around it.

That is so NOT a 200K house either. You have to have 2020 prices in mind. Not 1980 prices. None of these complex shapes are going to be affordable for you on your very limited budget. You need to radically change your mind set for your project.

You seriously need an intervention.

Stop wasting time and money on plans that are both unaffordable and unsuited to your needs. You have a low budget. You are not getting the McMansion Pringles can. It wouldn't work for your real world needs even if space aliens suddenly transported one down and attached it to the single floor, grade level, squarish home that you need. It would just look like a Pringles can tumor attached to a trailer.

Even a trailer is 160K+ these days. https://www.claytonhomes.com/homes/27DSP45683AH 

Look at the odd storage spaces. The angles will make it hard to store items, or items will get squashed into an angle and be hard to access. In the upstairs bath, the linen closet wond hold more than toothpaste and wash clothes, towels won't go in a triangular space.

Trust me, as one who grew up in a house that, while it had some amazing and wonderful features I would emulate in my own custom home, it was designed as two Ys joined at the stem, making for some tricky closets. Fine for the vacuum, but lousy for other general storage.

The plan is possibly the strangest use of space I have ever seen. The angles and bays make for ridiculously hard furniture placement AND I suspect that the (misleading) dimensions are taken at the "longest straight line" paths in each room - which seriously overstates the useable space. With the door, closet and bathroom door in bedroom #2 - I'd challenge you to put anything larger than a dorm sized twin in there (especially since the windows appear to go almost to the floor negating even more wall space).

Everything is tight and at weird angles. Try using a walker, wheelchair or of of those hybrid wheeled walker things in that strange space - it would be very frustrating. Even if you were not mobility impaired at some point - you'd be cursing all the awkward turns.

Red 3d posted an adorable bungalow - possible buildable for a more reasonable budget, and more pleasing to the eye.

That home you posted in a low COLA area would be high six figures. In a more expensive area you're talking 7 figures. Why? All the interior and exterior angles.

I actually like the new plan you found and can understand why you find it appealing. The curb appeal is lovely. But no way are you building that house for $250k (and I live in a VERY low cost of living area). If it were me, I'd get rid of the two story family room and put the bonus room there instead. Also the entrance to the master bedroom is just weird.

People on these forums are not typically nice, but they are trying to help you end up with the most functional house possible within your parameters.