No Small Plans: 10 A-Frame Floor Plans That Deserve an A Plus

This is No Small Plans, a series where we highlight some of Dwell’s best floor plans for real, practical inspiration.

It’s never easy to pinpoint the origins of an enduring architectural type. With storied examples being found as far apart as Wales and Japan, the A-Frame is no exception; Far easier is it to trace its modern-day rediscovery. In 1934, Austrian-American architect Rudolph Schindler built what is considered to be the first A-frame in the U.S., but it wasn’t until after the post-WWII economic boom that it was cemented in the American imagination with the woodsy vacation home. It fell out of fashion in the early ‘80s only to experience a slow revival after the 2008 recession as an economic, minimalist housing alternative—a trend accelerated by the cabin craze during the pandemic. We’ve collected the floor plans from some of our favorite renovations and riffs on the "all roof, no wall" home to get a better look at the A-frame’s latest comeback.

Hilltop A-Frame by Jacqueline Blum

In 1955, a high school woodworking teacher enlisted his friends and family to build an A-frame in California’s San Bernardino Mountains, something Jacqueline Blum and her husband found out from a letter sent to them after they bought the home almost 70 years later. "We didn't want to completely create a blank slate," says Blum. "We want it to feel like it has this rich history." True to their intent, the couple did not alter the structure, walls, or plumbing. Most of their budget went to either sprucing up what was already there—like the wide plank wood floors—or working around it when updating the home’s wiring.

The House on Pine Mountain by Alta Projects

Aria Massoudifar and Sam Salehyan’s biggest challenge in renovating their 1973 A-frame was making the home feel both contemporary—a style Massoudifar says is rare in Yosemite—and storied. "We wanted to create the feeling of generational warmth in the home—that this place had been one family’s summer escape for decades," says Tito Pedraza of Alta Projects, the L.A.-based studio entrusted with the renovation. The group struck the balance by pairing finds from local mills, estate sales, Goodwill, and Etsy with new furniture and finishes.