Sounds interesting to me! Good for you for looking at the cost issues. Crunch the numbers and talk to a real estate agent. How long do you plan to stay there and when you sell, will that be a residence that people will want to buy? Also, who will your buyer be in the future? Get at least a few opinions and do some research at the library. (I'm old school!)

''Upscale'' and small is never as affordable as you think it will be. It will actually cost more per square foot for a small house than a larger one. There is a certain amount of infrastructure that goes into a home, no matter the size. You'll have kitchens and baths, even if they are smaller, and those are the most expensive spaces.

IF zoning allows such a structure, it will need to be an all cash build. Banks base their construction loans off of the appraised value of a finished structure, and that is based mainly off of square footage, location, and finish level. What you propose won't appraise for what it costs to build.

Thanks very much, this is the kind of info I need to hear. Zoning probably does allow this structure - rural Maine zoning is flexible - and we're prepared to do an all-cash build and much finish work ourselves. I plan to hold the property indefinitely so re-sale value isn't primary, though I don't want to be stupid. Thanks again for writing.

If you can get it zoned, have the cash to do it, and that's what you want, go for it. I can appreciate your desire to not have more to care for than you can reasonably do--that's just common sense which is a very rare commodity these days.

The building as you describe it sounds like a wonderful vacation and/or retirement home to me, perfectly accommodating your interests and lifestyle. If resale is any consideration at all, you might explore siting the garage/apartment such that a "main house" could be built later by a future owner.

My brother just built a 950 square foot cabin. It is absolutely adorable but ended up being very expensive. Its log though so siding may be cheaper. He only gets there a couple weeks a year but those few weeks are heaven on earth!

It doesn't sound crazy to me. Our "summer home" is on a great property and while I love it, i have also come to long for a smaller place that requires much less effort to keep and maintain. With careful planning you can keep costs under control. Aim for low maintenance materials on the building.

machapman1, you read my mind exactly about siting the garage/apt building so it can morph into a 'true house' if desired! I'll build in all the flexibility I can. It seems to me a fine line between "small house with garage" vs. "garage with living area," and I don't see why I can't build the latter but in future, tip the balance to the former (or let the next owner do that).

We love our motorhome and it provides everything we need except shop/work space, out-of-season storage, and an actual room for music practice. We have thought seriously about getting a nice little piece of land for retirement and building a large garage and shop, with a tiny apartment and motorhome garage and connections. We ended up with a very different house-sharing arrangement that is working pretty well for now, but no motorhomes are allowed here, so it is in storage, and this discussion has revived that dream in my mind.