A shotgun house is a long, narrow home design where each room is arranged in a straight line from the front door to the back door, with no hallways. This creates a direct “shot” view through the entire house and allows for efficient ventilation. Shotgun houses are typically one story, built on a narrow lot, and known for their simple, affordable, and space-efficient layout.
Shotgun house plans represent an unusual yet practical house style.
These exceptionally narrow house plan designs emerged in the South and became the go-to solution for cramped city lots. Some say a shotgun house gets its name because supposedly you could blast a shotgun through the front door and it'd go straight through every room and out the back without hitting anything.
Shotgun homes are typically 12-20 feet wide but extend significantly back – sometimes 60-80 feet or more. It's like someone took a regular house and squished it sideways. These house plan designs completely ignore standard layouts by lining up rooms like train cars.
A shotgun house is a traditional architectural style defined by its slim, rectangular footprint and straight-through floor plan. All rooms are connected in sequence — living room, bedrooms, and kitchen — without hallways separating them. When the front and back doors are open, you can often see directly through the house, a feature that historically helped with natural airflow and cooling.
Narrow width, typically 12–20 feet
One-story layout built on long, narrow lots
No hallways, maximizing usable space
Rooms arranged in a single line
Front and rear doors aligned for ventilation
Simple, efficient construction, traditionally affordable to build
Today, shotgun homes appeal to homeowners who appreciate:
Efficient square footage
Lower construction costs
Historic architectural charm
Urban infill building on tight lots
Sustainable living with minimal wasted space
Old-school shotgun house plans feature a very narrow layout with rooms that line up in a straight line.
You walk in the front door, hit the living room, then maybe a bedroom or two, and boom – kitchen at the back. Most shotgun homes clock in around 600-1200 sq ft, which sounds tiny but works better than you'd think.
The whole style is about going up instead of out, with high ceilings that trick you into thinking the house is way bigger.
Every shotgun worth its salt has a front porch where people hang out and know their neighbors – crazy concept, right?
New shotgun house plans take the traditional narrow house idea and address what was previously broken. Today's shotgun house plan designs place baths where they make sense (not randomly in the middle), redo kitchens so they're actually usable, and arrange rooms so you don't feel like you're living in a bowling alley.
Modern versions often cheat the width a little or include some dormer windows to increase the square footage.
Shotgun house plans are ideal for those skinny urban lots where traditional house styles simply won't fit. The design utilizes every inch of space while providing you with all the living areas you need.
Plus, shotgun homes have great natural airflow – open the front and back doors, and you've got a wind tunnel that keeps things cool.
The narrow house plan thing also means you're practically sitting on your neighbors' laps on the porch, which sounds awful but actually creates pretty tight communities. Shotgun neighborhoods tend to have an old-school vibe, where people look out for one another.
Shotgun house plans aren't just one thing. Double shotgun plans combine two units under one roof – an instant duplex for rental income or to accommodate awkward family situations. Camelback versions add a second story chunk at the back, which is a pretty slick way to sneak in more space.
Some shotgun house plans break the rules with side hallways or room layouts that deviate from the traditional single-file design. These tweaks maintain the skinny profile while adding some sanity for people who don't want to walk through the bedroom to get to the bathroom.
Modern shotgun house plans must comply with today's building codes and meet people's expectations for bathrooms, wiring, and HVAC systems. New shotgun designs usually include central air, decent kitchens, and enough bathrooms so everyone isn't fighting over one tiny room.
Shotgun house plan designs are well-suited for urban infill, where developers need to fit housing onto irregularly shaped lots. They're cheaper than regular house styles and keep neighborhoods looking interesting, rather than cookie-cutter boring.
At Archival Designs, we offer shotgun house plans that respect the original style without requiring you to live like it's 1890. Whether you want authentic shotgun vibes or something updated for normal humans, we can design the perfect narrow house that doesn't feel like a hallway with rooms.
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