Single-Story Houses｜Custom Home Examples by Architectural Offices21Picks Author: Qurasuki Editorial Department

In a single-story home (hiraya), spaces required for living consolidate onto a single floor, where distances between rooms and connections to gardens emerge as key characteristics of the residence. Configurations where private rooms and wet areas run continuously around a living room core—rather than relying solely on corridor connections—create spaces sensing family presence. Horizontal expanses born from the absence of stairs and experiences of gardens and surrounding scenery from low viewpoints are expressions unique to hiraya homes. Eaves, terraces, and garden relationships gently link interiors and exteriors. We introduce custom-built examples by architectural firms to explore how single-story homes are expressed architecturally in real residences.

A Small House Composed of Three Connected Boxes (Large, Medium, Small) | Tsuzura House Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

A compact residence for a single occupant sited on a generous suburban plot. Primary functions—sleeping, dining, and working—are consolidated within a large open-plan space that is subtly subdivided by curtains to create flexible separations and efficient domestic circulation. Support functions—wet areas, storage, and a guest room—are articulated as a series of interlocking volumes of varying scale. The building is positioned centrally on the site to maintain a buffer from the surrounding context. Designed with high levels of airtightness and thermal insulation, the project proposes a new approach to suburban living.

Louver Hirotaka Sato Architects

Located in the hilly terrain of Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, this weekend house overlooks both the sea and the mountains. The building is set perpendicular to the axis extending from the sea toward the mountains, capturing views in both directions while gently connecting the interior and exterior through a semi-outdoor buffer zone. Operable louvers function as devices that adjust sunlight and views while freely modulating the sense of distance from nature. The changing interplay of light and shadow within the house creates the leisurely atmosphere of a weekend retreat.

House in Rikuzentakata ARCHIXXX Satoru Shinno Architectural Design

This project involves rebuilding a home with an attached stationery store in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, which suffered extensive damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake. By carefully interpreting the local climate, natural environment, and regional customs, we sought to create a home where the family could live with peace of mind while restoring even a small part of the former landscape. Looking ahead to the possibility of operating a general-goods shop based on their hobbies after retirement, the design incorporates a large earthen-floored space and a distinctive curved roof. It is a home that carries on memories of the past while nurturing the life to come.

ELL — A Single-Storey House Adorned by White Spaces, Like a Museum YIA Ishiue Yoshihiro Architectural Design Office

Located in the rich natural environment of Saijō City, Ehime Prefecture, this single‑story residence has a ceiling height of 3,950 mm. Although the client originally requested a two‑storey house, we proposed a single‑storey dwelling that achieves the sense of openness of a double‑height atrium. High ceilings, southern daylighting, and a ventilation strategy using clerestory windows produce a spacious, comfortable living environment. Beyond an approach enveloped by the large roof are an entrance facing the courtyard and a space for displaying bicycles. A nure‑en (shallow covered veranda) gently links interior and exterior, bringing a generous spatial continuity to daily life. The home carefully shapes the sense of ease and expansiveness that its height provides.

moment *studioLOOP Architects

A single-story home for a family of five, set on a spacious 500-square-meter site. Taking advantage of the rural landscape to the north, abstract images reminiscent of a museum by the water or one set within a forest have been translated into the architecture and landscape design. The east–west volume temporarily blocks the view, creating an extraordinary experience as the reflecting pool and landscape unfold the moment the entrance door is opened. With the LDK at its center, the rooms are arranged around it, while deep eaves and exposed structural beams guide light and air, shaping a calm lifestyle in harmony with nature.

House in Tsujido Higashi Kaigan Tada Architectural Design Office

Located on a flag lot a five-minute walk from the beach in Shonan–Kugenuma, this residence is for a couple and one child. Although originally planned as a two‑storey house, it was proposed as a small single‑story dwelling to prioritize a lifestyle that comfortably connects with the abundant natural surroundings. On the south side, the living room is equipped with large operable timber doors to draw the southerly breeze into the interior. Particular attention was paid to materials—solid Japanese chestnut flooring and a bathroom clad in Towada stone—while finishes were kept restrained to balance costs. The home provides a variety of everyday places, including a raised tatami platform and underfloor storage.

House with a Light Well Yu Architectural Design Studio

This is a small single‑story house with a total floor area of 17 tsubo, located in a residential neighborhood of Ichikawa City. Facing challenging daylighting conditions caused by surrounding taller houses, the design places a double‑height “light well” at the center of the home to deliver natural light to every corner of the interior. Light entering through clerestory windows brings brightness and a sense of spaciousness, creating a compact yet expansive living environment. The exterior employs yakisugi charred‑cedar cladding and a gabled roof, producing an impressive presence that calmly harmonizes with the streetscape. The residence carefully draws out the richness unique to a small single‑story house.

nestle: single-storey house in Ishioka e do design architects

This single‑storey dwelling was built on a lot adjacent to the wife’s family home, designed for the family and their dog. The couple, who relocated from Shonan, chose to live near the sea when remote work became an opportunity. Seeking an environment for the husband who enjoys surfing and for their dog to run freely in the garden, they created a new place to live. Centered on an LDK (living–dining–kitchen) that opens onto a south‑facing wood deck, the layout is organized like an open‑plan, one‑room arrangement in which the various spaces are gently connected. It is a "nestle" home where the family naturally comes together and cultivates tranquil time.

House in Komoro KASA ARCHITECTS

This single-story residence in Komoro City, Nagano Prefecture, is occupied by a couple and their two children. Taking advantage of site conditions with views of Mount Asama to the north and the Yatsugatake range to the south, the design is a simple dwelling with a mono-pitched roof that opens broadly to the south. To mitigate strong northerly winds in winter, north-facing openings are minimized, while the layout facilitates comfortable cross-ventilation from seasonal breezes. Deep eaves temper the summer sun, and the low, elongated horizontal lines impart a calm, composed presence.

A Courtyard Where the Wind Flows Through Mitsuhiro Kojima Architects

A single-story residence in which a couple, their two children, and their dog live. With the theme “a home where the family can share time together,” the plan adopts a layout centered on a courtyard. While creating an environment where the dog can move about freely, the design achieves an integrated space in which family members can sense one another’s presence. Light reflected off the white walls and the introduced greenery brightly enliven the courtyard, creating a comfortable environment with breezes passing through. The house gently connects to the surrounding nature and neighborhood, and carefully nurtures the richness of daily life—such as meals on the terrace and time spent with the dog.

A Small Single-Story House on a Sloped Site 12mm Architects

This is a small, single-story house of 12 tsubo built on a sloping site adjacent to a mixed woodland in Moriyama Ward, Nagoya. The square building, gently placed on the mid-slope of a site with level changes, was planned under the theme "enveloping a sense of largeness within a small footprint." The interior is an open-plan, one-room layout with minimal partitions—a highly flexible space that carefully incorporates daily life, hobbies, and cherished furniture. Large openings face the woodland, allowing occupants to experience light and breeze shifting through the trees and the seasonal changes. It is a rich residence quietly connected to nature.

House in Ōhora Kota Goto Architectural Studio

A residence situated on a high point within a newly developed housing area. The project was prompted by the client’s desire to brew coffee and entertain guests in a museum-like environment. To capture panoramic mountain views to the north and south, the design organizes a tall, tubular primary volume and introduces changes in floor level to expand sightlines and generate spatial variation. The entry is enlivened by a top light whose illumination alters the space’s expression, and the wet areas are finished in white to evoke a sense of the extraordinary. The house offers a place to welcome guests while savoring quiet moments and abundant nature.

Tea House Yoshihiro Ito Architect & Associates

This residence is located in a residential neighborhood near a major road. A courtyard brings light and air deep into the house while incorporating the greenery of the park extending along the street frontage. The spaces are gently divided with the eye level of floor seating in mind, while carefully designing the sense of distance between people, the wind, and furniture and other objects. Rather than clearly separating the spaces with walls, the house gives architectural form to invisible “intervals”—light, air, and subtle presence—creating a quiet sense of connection.

Waterside House Mochizuki Architectural Atelier

This 28-tsubo single-story home overlooks a clear stream flowing through a rural mountain village. The house is arranged in a dogleg configuration along the curving river, creating a harmonious connection with its surroundings, where residents can listen to the murmuring stream and enjoy the cherry blossoms and fireflies in spring, as well as the autumn foliage. In response to the homeowners’ request, a library was incorporated into the living room. Within the gabled-roof space, a library area resembling another small house was created. The exterior expresses the traditional homes of the satoyama landscape as a contemporary residence.

House in Higashiura Kumi Inoue Architects

This residence is situated on a hill in Higashiura on Awaji Island. Positioned on a site overlooking Osaka Bay, it was conceived with a priority on health and comfort. Making the most of the easterly views, the rooms are arranged in a gentle staggered (stepped) configuration along the site’s elongated north–south axis, and a series of high‑ceiling volumes is linked beneath an expansive roof. Fresh air is drawn in from under the floor and circulated throughout the interior, creating a healthy living environment that is also attentive to the family’s physiological needs.

Iw House Yosuke Ichii Architects

A single-story home in a quiet residential neighborhood in the center of Minoh City. A radiator is placed at the center of a large, uninterrupted room without interior doors or partitions, using radiant heat to keep the entire house cool in summer and warm in winter. Heat-pump technology and exterior insulation were adopted to improve energy efficiency. Cross-ventilation through windows on opposite sides and daylight from skylights create a bright, open environment. Variations in finishes and floor levels, together with the island kitchen, add accents to the space and foster a warm lifestyle in which the family can sense one another's presence.

House in Katsuragi — Linked Square Roofs and Mount Nijō Tokuhiro Norimatsu Architect

This residence is sited on a generous lot with views of the beautiful ridgeline of Mt. Nijō. It was planned for occupants who, after living in high‑rise housing, sought a life closer to nature, and was carefully designed to establish a comfortable relationship with the landscape. Three square‑plan roofs that traverse the site diagonally generate expansive interior spaces and a variety of exterior spaces, fostering a rich engagement with nature. While protecting the dwelling from strong mountain winds, a glance upward reveals Mt. Nijō. It is a home where a sense of security and openness coexist serenely.

A Home in San’in Tetsuya Kimura Architects

This dignified single-story home stands on a site bordered by roads on two sides. Gardens are placed throughout the plan to provide ventilation and natural light, while arranging the rooms in a staggered configuration along the main garden creates expansive views and a rich, looping circulation route. The broad roof with its deep eaves generously envelops the interior, and light from the skylights is softly diffused through the shoji screens and walls. The careful layering of material textures and shadows creates a home whose character deepens with time.

House in Habikino Coo Planning

A single-storey timber house on a corner lot in Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture. The plan was revised to eliminate a second floor, utilizing the gable roof pitch to create sloped ceilings and an open spatial quality. The LDK is arranged in a staggered sequence around a courtyard, providing extended sightlines and diverse living zones. Private rooms are dispersed to maintain appropriate distances between family members. The interior is finished in a restrained black palette for a calm, hotel-like atmosphere.

Forest Living KICHI ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

“Forest Living” is a single-story residence situated within a dense forest. The exterior is clad in traditional Japanese yakisugi (charred cedar), whose subdued black finish naturally melds with the surrounding woodland landscape. The building is organized on a single level, with a plan that provides forest views from every room. By experiencing the expanse of greenery through the windows, occupants are afforded a quiet, tranquil mode of living.

Matsuyama–Edamatsu House Masahiko Sawamura Architect and Associates

A generous resort house that takes advantage of the site's changes in elevation.