1940s house plans: These vintage starter home designs were small but beautiful

1940s house plans met the post-war moment

America’s post-war housing boom was no small thing — millions of new homes were built in the decade following the end of World War II.

Many 1940s homes were small starter homes that were inexpensive, practical, and could be constructed quickly. To that end, there were lots of catalogs produced offering floor plans for sale, and many companies got into the prefabricated (“prefab”) home business to meet the increased demand.

These designs were a reflection of a world changing rapidly after the hardships of the war years. Families desired simplicity and comfort, but they didn’t want to sacrifice the charm. Enter the iconic 1940s house plans: the darling of practicality and style.

These homes might have sported less square footage than their modern counterparts, but they made up for it with ingenious layouts that optimized every inch for living space. From compact yet spacious Cape Cods to the low-slung, functional charm of the Ranch style, 1940s architecture styles blended functionality and fashion like a well-mixed martini.

Here, see a collection of little suburban 1940s houses — most of them under 1000 square feet.

1-story western-style small starter home (1948)

Horizontal frame siding, brick, and shiplap all contribute to the interesting appearance of this one-story Western-type home.

The blue roof and yellow entrance door very effectively set off the ever-popular white exterior. The picture window and the two side windows in the large living room provide plenty of sunlight and ventilation.

In Plan 1, without basem*nt, the garage is somewhat longer than in Plan 2, allowing additional storage space without increasing overall dimensions.

1-story small 1940s floor plan (1948)

There is a lot of living comfort in this well planned small home. The exterior is unusually attractive — the interior arrangement both practical and convenient. The large view window and porch are pleasing features.

The Ball garden-view starter home (1949)

We call it a “garden” view home because the living room is at the rear and overlooks the garden. The old and the new are admirably combined in this modern adaptation of a conventionally planned home.

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The Beck post-WWII starter home blueprint (1949)

The unusual arrangement and design of this modern brick veneer home makes it equally attractive from the wide or the narrow dimension, and it can be faced either way on the lot.

The large living room, the efficient kitchen with its dining space and other innovations make it seem to be a larger home than it actually is. The plan provides for a full basem*nt.

1940s floorplan: The Barden vintage starter home (1949)

The large T-shaped living room with its natural fireplace and picture window would certainly seem to hold little in common with the parlor of its colonial forebear.

Efficient planning has successfully combined an exterior which is basically Colonial and a floor plan that brings the owner every modern convenience.The dining space in the living room makes a dining room unnecessary, and gives this four-room house the efficiency of five rooms.

The Bosworth ’40s small home design (1949)

THE modern pleasing hip roof is featured in this bungalow design and another very attractive and eye compelling item is the massive chimney.

1940s floor plans: The Benton plan (1949)

1940s house plans: New England Colonial design home

New England-style vintage home

1940s house styles: Old-fashioned home design with siding

Rustic English bungalow design

Vintage American-style home

Vintage English-type brick design

Barden 4-room home

Barth 4-room home with attached garage

Beck home plan with brick veneer exterior

Bingham 4-room home design

Blake 4-room house plan with garden view

1940s house plan for five rooms with one story

Oakton vintage 4-room house plan

Olton home design with porches

Osborn Colonial bungalow 40s house floorplan

Oxford home with attic space

Palos small property concepts

Platt home design for a narrow lot

Old 1940s small house plan with four rooms

Tiny 3 room home – 589 square feet

Vintage 1940s four room 1 story home

4 room home with 850 square feet

1050 square foot small home

Bluff 4 room small home plan

Braun small 3-room home design

Charming Pitman 6-room home from the 1940s

Parker small Colonial home plan

Piper home with entry porch

Romantic ranch home design

Small 1 story home with 4 rooms

Bosworth Western bungalow design

Charming English cottage design

Colonial one-story home

Design for a home haven

Early American traditional home (1944)

Modern home with unusual windows

Oberly garden-style home

Pearce 4-room home

Small 1940s Colonial home

True vintage 40s ranch home

Cape Cod home with a bay window

Vintage 1940s house with four rooms and one story

The Pinson design house plan from the 1940s

Tiny modern-style 1940s home

Home with a terrace and snack bar

800 square foot 1 story home

Benton bungalow floor plan for a 1940s house

Four room one story home from the 40s

Western-style home with outdoor ‘living room’

This western-type of home departs from conventional adherence to style into a great freedom of design. It is a rambling, informal, yet conservative type.

The plan indicates sensible construction, and the exterior design reflects the functional plan. A really unusual feature is the Outdoor Living Room at the rear of the house, accessible from both kitchen and main rooms. Thus, it may be used in many ways — as an outdoor porch, a play space for the children or an outdoor dining room.

One should not overlook the grill built into the main chimney and serving this outdoor recreation spot. Large windows in the main living room exemplify the use of large glass surfaces so much in demand.

Comfortable rambling ranch home

1940s small home with 978 square feet

One-story western-type home blueprint from the 1940s

Horizontal frame siding, brick, and shiplap all contribute to the interesting appearance of this one-story Western-type home. The blue roof and yellow entrance door very effectively set off the ever-popular white exterior. The picture window and the two side windows in the large living room provide plenty of sunlight and ventilation.

1200 square foot Colonial-style home – 1940s house plans

Small 5-room home floor plan

Small compact home design

Little vintage home with a Colonial design

1940s small white painted brick home

Adaptation of English style home design

Cape Cod Colonial brick home design from the 1940s

Charming stone and English stucco style home

Distinctive small old-fashioned style home plan

In the rivalry for distinctive homes, unique effects can always be had by some very simple applications of details to a design which ordinarily would appear quite conventional. Striking designs which can be worked out at a minimum of cost are indeed popular and also rare, but in this plan, a few simple tricks give it distinction above the average of this type.

Covering a comparatively small area, but adhering to the popular demand for a large living room with fireplace, the plan was laid out very skillfully utilizing every inch of space. With two bedrooms and bath occupying the side wing, a central dining room and a well-planned kitchen with breakfast nook, you have a home that will give complete satisfaction.

1940s house plans: These vintage starter home designs were small but beautiful - Click Americana (2024)