DIY a modern A-frame house with $2K blueprints

A-frame houses offer photogenic appeal and a timeless style that seems perfect for our Instagram-addicted world. An architectural icon from 1950 to about 1975, the A-frame has been reworked for our modern sensibilities, clad in hipster fireplaces and sleek furniture. But their triangle-shaped lines, modest proportions, tall windows, and inviting decks make the structures a fitting anecdote to the soulless McMansions that pass for some vacation getaways.

The latest A-frame to catch our eye is called Ayfraym. Designed by Everywhere Inc., a brand that also had plans for a now-stalled line of tiny houses, Ayfraym provides blueprints and material specifications to build A-frame style homes for $1,950. That price includes the printed construction plans, digital plans on a flash drive, and a door knob, hammer, hat, and mug with the company logo.

The design features a 1,574-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home that can sleep eight thanks to a bunk room in the third bedroom. Renderings show an airy, open floor plan with three large walkout cedar decks, large custom windows, and vaulted ceilings with rustic wood beams.

Once you purchase the plans, buyers can hire Everywhere Co. to build the house for them, hire their own builder or contractor, or DIY the house. Complete building costs range from $252,000 to $277,000 depending on where you build—and of course these prices don’t include the land.

And while Everywhere Co. doesn’t have a built A-frame to display yet, the appetite for A-frame kit homes is definitely there. Estonia-based Avrame has launched a U.S. operation with products—and a name—that look similar to Ayfraym, and prefab and kit homes are a hot commodity. Need more proof? A backyard guesthouse for sale on Amazon went viral and quickly sold out.