Studios & offices · Hill Country
The Hill Country Studio: 12 x 16 Backyard Office and Studio Plan
The Hill Country Studio is a 192 sq ft backyard office and studio plan: one insulated, air-conditioned room with windows on three sides, a stone wainscot and a covered entry, on a 12 x 16 ft slab.
- 192sq ft
- —bedrooms
- 0baths
- 1level
- 16' x 12'footprint
Inside The Hill Country Studio plan set
Preview each drawing before you buy. The full set adds every dimension, the door, window, panel and fixture schedules, framing details and the Texas code notes on each sheet.
| Room | Size | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Office | 16'-0" x 12'-0" | 192 sq ft |
- 100Aelectrical service
- 4circuits on the panel schedule
- 2ceiling fans
- 0.5 tonheat pump, 1 head
- 0plumbing fixtures
- 0 DFUdrainage fixture units
- building drain
- Tanklesselectric water heater
Loading 3D model…
Drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom. The download includes this model as an OBJ file for SketchUp, Blender or Revit.
Sheets in the drawing set
- A0.0 Cover Sheet & Project Data
- A1.0 Floor Plan & Schedules
- A2.0 Exterior Elevations
- A3.0 Building Section & Assemblies
- S1.0 Foundation Plan
- S2.0 Roof Framing Plan & Headers
- E1.0 Electrical Plan & Panel Schedule
- P1.0 Plumbing Plan & Fixture Schedule
- G1.0 Materials List
- G2.0 Cost Estimate
Files in your download (952 KB zip)
- README.txt3 KB
- The-Hill-Country-Studio-Construction-Drawings-24x36.pdf115 KB
- The-Hill-Country-Studio-CAD-Drawings.dxf68 KB
- The-Hill-Country-Studio-Materials-List.csv6 KB
- The-Hill-Country-Studio-Cost-Estimate.csv1 KB
- 3D-Model/The-Hill-Country-Studio.obj83 KB
- 3D-Model/The-Hill-Country-Studio.mtl1 KB
- Images/ (11 PNG renders and drawings)937 KB
Floor plan highlights
- A covered entry opens into one 12 x 16 ft room.
- Windows on three sides give daylight for work or art.
- A small ductless heat pump keeps it comfortable in August.
- With no plumbing it is the cheapest building in the catalog to permit and build.
Key features
- One open room for an office, art studio or gym
- Windows on three sides
- Stone wainscot and metal roof to match a Hill Country house
- Insulated and conditioned with a small mini-split
- No plumbing: simpler permit and lower cost
Texas tip: Some Texas cities exempt small accessory buildings from a permit and others do not; ask before you pour the slab.
Plan specifications
| Total living area | 192 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Bedrooms | No bedroom |
| Bathrooms | No bath |
| Levels | Single level |
| Footprint | 16' x 12' |
| Overall height | 12' 6" |
| Ceiling height | 9' flat |
| Roof | 6:12 gable, standing-seam metal |
| Exterior walls | 2x6 wood framing, board-and-batten siding with stone wainscot |
| Foundation | Stiffened slab-on-grade for expansive clay (verify with a geotechnical report) |
| Electrical | 100A, 120/240V single phase, 4 circuits |
| Heating & cooling | Ductless heat pump, 6,000 BTU |
| Windows / doors | 6 windows (SHGC 0.25 max.), 1 doors |
| Files included | PDF drawing set, DXF (CAD), CSV, OBJ (3D), PNG |
Design-build in Texas
Have Cowboy Tiny Homes build it
We build our plans across San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and rural Texas: site visit, permit drawings sealed by a Texas engineer where required, the slab designed from your geotechnical report, and construction by one team.
Build it with us: if Cowboy Tiny Homes builds this home for you under a contract signed within 12 months of your purchase, we credit the full plan price toward the build.
- Free consult We look at your land, budget and timeline.
- Site & feasibility Zoning, utilities, soils and, on the coast, windstorm rules.
- Permit set We adapt this plan to your lot and get it engineered.
- Build One crew from slab to move-in.
What will The Hill Country Studio cost to build in Texas?
Built from this plan's own 75-line materials takeoff plus labor by trade, then adjusted for each Texas market. Pick your area and finish level.
Excludes land, utility connections, driveway, the geotechnical report and engineering. Coastal sites add windstorm upgrades. A planning estimate, not a bid.
The Hill Country Studio materials list
Every plan set includes a 75-line takeoff with quantities, units and prices, ready to send to a lumberyard for a quote. The summary by category:
| Category | Lines | Includes | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site & foundation | 9 | Excavation, grading and haul-off; Ready-mix concrete, 3,000 psi; Forms, stakes and pump/finishing supplies… | $4,938 |
| Framing & sheathing | 11 | Pre-engineered roof trusses, 6:12, 12 ft span, @ 24 in. o.c.; 2x6 studs, 9 ft , exterior walls @ 16 in. o.c.; Porch: 6x6 PT posts, beams, joists and roof framing… | $5,083 |
| Roofing | 7 | Standing-seam / exposed-fastener metal roofing panels with trim; Gutters 5 in. K-style with downspouts; Ice & water shield at eaves and valleys, 2 square roll… | $3,274 |
| Windows & doors | 3 | Vinyl single-hung / slider window, low-E, U-0.30 / SHGC 0.25 max., 3'0" x 4'0"; Exterior prehung door 36 x 80 in., fiberglass, half-lite, with lockset & deadbolt; Window & door flashing tape, sill pans and low-expansion foam | $3,499 |
| Exterior finish | 6 | Stone veneer wainscot, 3 ft high, all sides, with lath, scratch coat and weep screed; Exterior siding siding; Soffit & fascia, vented… | $4,704 |
| Insulation | 3 | Wall insulation R-21 batts or mineral wool; Attic insulation R-38 blown cellulose / fiberglass; Attic baffles and air sealing kit | $758 |
| Drywall & paint | 4 | Drywall 1/2 in. drywall, 4 x 8; Interior primer + 2 coats paint; Joint compound, tape, corner bead and screws… | $1,000 |
| Flooring & trim | 3 | Luxury vinyl plank flooring, waterproof, 20 mil; Door & window casing / stool; Baseboard, primed MDF 3-1/4 in. | $952 |
| Cabinets & counters | 2 | Wall cabinets 30-36 in.; Cabinet hardware, fillers and toe kick | $300 |
| Electrical | 17 | Meter base, service entrance cable, ground rods & bonding; Ceiling fan with LED light kit, 52 in., Energy Star, on fan-rated box; Load center 100A main breaker, 20 spaces… | $2,093 |
| Plumbing | 4 | Main shutoff, expansion tank, pressure-reducing valve; DWV fittings, cleanouts, primer & cement; Frost-free hose bibbs… | $422 |
| HVAC & ventilation | 3 | Ductless mini-split heat pump, 6,000 BTU, single zone, inverter, with line set; Condenser pad / wall bracket, condensate pump and disconnect whip; Exhaust duct, caps and dryer vent kit | $2,085 |
| Fasteners & misc. | 3 | Temporary power, portable toilet and tool rental; Dumpster / waste haul-off; Framing nails, structural screws, connectors, construction adhesive | $1,556 |
| Total materials | 75 | $30,664 |
Built for Texas
Permits for a backyard studio in Texas
Accessory buildings without a kitchen are usually simpler to permit than a dwelling, and some Texas cities exempt small buildings altogether. Rules on size, height and setbacks still apply, and adding a bathroom or sleeping area can change how the city classifies it. Ask your building department first. See the Texas tiny house laws guide.
Permits, stamps and engineering
The drawing set is organized the way Texas building departments expect: a cover sheet with code, load and climate notes, plans, elevations, a section, the slab, framing, electrical and plumbing. These are planning drawings, not stamped construction documents. Many cities, lenders and insurers will ask for a Texas-licensed engineer's or architect's seal, a site plan and energy-code forms, so plan for that review before you build.
- Cooling-first designDrawn for IECC climate zones 2 and 3: radiant-barrier roof deck, R-38 attic, R-21 walls, windows with SHGC 0.25 or less, 18 in. overhangs, shaded porches, ceiling fans and ductless heat pumps sized room by room.
- Expansive clay soilsThe slab is drawn as a stiffened slab-on-grade with 12 x 24 in. grade beams for moderate soils. Get a geotechnical report for your lot; a Texas-licensed engineer finalizes the slab (or a post-tensioned design) from it.
- WindFramed for 115 mph design wind (inland Texas, Exposure B) with a continuous load path. Houston-area and Gulf Coast sites need an engineer's wind upgrade, and sites in the TDI catastrophe area need Texas Department of Insurance windstorm certification.
- TermitesTexas is a very heavy termite area: the plans call for soil treatment or a barrier, treated sill plates and siding kept 6 in. above grade.
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The Hill Country Studio FAQs
What comes with The Hill Country Studio plan set?
One zip file with a 10-sheet construction drawing set (24 x 36 in. PDF: cover with Texas code notes, floor plan, elevations, section, foundation, roof framing, electrical, plumbing, materials list and cost estimate), a DXF CAD file, the materials list and cost estimate as spreadsheets (CSV), a 3D model (OBJ) and PNG images.
Will Cowboy Tiny Homes build The Hill Country Studio for me?
Yes. We build our plans across Texas. Build it with us: if Cowboy Tiny Homes builds this home for you under a contract signed within 12 months of your purchase, we credit the full plan price toward the build. Ask for a build quote.
How do I get the files after I pay?
Right away. After checkout you land on a download page, and we email the same link. It works for a year and up to 25 downloads, and you can get a fresh link at Find my plan download.
Are these plans stamped or permit-ready in Texas?
No. They are planning and permit-development drawings, not stamped documents. Texas cities that require a permit review plans under the IRC with their own amendments, and many want a Texas-licensed engineer's seal, especially on the slab and on coastal wind design. We can arrange that, or your own engineer or architect can review and stamp the set.
Does The Hill Country Studio work on the Gulf Coast?
With an upgrade. The plans assume 115 mph inland design wind. Houston-area and coastal sites need engineered wind design, impact-rated or protected windows, and, inside the Texas Department of Insurance catastrophe area, TDI windstorm certification (WPI-8).
Can The Hill Country Studio be modified?
Yes. We can flip the layout, change room sizes, swap the slab for pier-and-beam, or add a porch. Ask for a modification quote.
What does the license allow?
Your purchase includes a license to build one home from the plan. You can print and share the drawings with your builder, lender and permit office for that build. See the terms of sale.
Build The Hill Country Studio in Texas
Talk with Cowboy Tiny Homes about building this plan on your land, or tailoring it to fit. Free consultation.