Could you post the plan you are considering?

HEllo
I do not have a plan in hand but I would like to build a an interior courtyard plan house-

something similar to this -
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&hs=8J6&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jyQBUrHVMY_o9gTE3YDoCg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1680&bih=987&q=open%20interior%20courtyard%20plans%20house#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=t2guhKnZhx62KM%3A%3BY5TMWZFFWi1lpM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwellshoodinteriors.co.za%252Fimages%252FCourtyard%252520house%252520plans.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fhomesplas.com%252Finterior-courtyard-home-plans%252F%3B300%3B271

Hope this helps

Thanks
Asha

I think this is the plan to which you are referring?

I can't read dimensions due to the small graphic and it doesn't show elements like a kitchen or bathrooms (or closets), so I'm not sure where those are intended to be. If the room to the right of the study and the one above the master are both bedrooms, then you'd have to walk outside from either one to get to any other room, like the kitchen or a bathroom. I've stayed in vacation homes like that in the tropics, but I don't think you'd want that in year round in VA. If you have young kids, you'd have to walk outside to get to their rooms if they needed you in the middle of the night.

I'm not sure where the garage is meant to be, but it looks like getting into the house (e.g. with bags of groceries) is all through the front and then walking through the open living or the courtyard to get to wherever the kitchen is.

I think a challenge with courtyard plans is that they either have a lot of space devoted to interior hallways or most of the rooms are only connected through outdoor access, which I don't think you'd want on a chilly, rainy day. There might be a perfect courtyard plan out there for you, but I'm not sure this is it.

The North American versions of plans of this sort that I've seen (and it's not many: a few houses built in the 1960s, mostly) have had an interior hallway that ran around the perimeter of the courtyard. They usually had part of the interior courtyard enclosed under roof or glassed in. One house had no windows on the exterior perimeter except in the back.

The potential problems I see with courtyard plans in some areas are that the footprint ends up being large because of enclosed "yard" space in the middle which could affect building on some types of lots, and maintenance of the courtyard unless it is all paved.

I know people whose Groups of townhouses enclose what is essentially an outdoor court and they have to bring lawn mowers and gardening things and such Through the inside of the house. I would want a utility hall that cut directly from the court to the exterior if I planned such a house.

Atrium or courtyard houses are a common housing type in mild to warm climate zones. They are not so common in colder climate zones. One reason is that atrium houses have such an enlarged exterior skin area which must be enclosed and insulated.

There are many successful examples of atrium and courtyard houses in the U.S., but they are not nearly so common as are other types of housing in the U.S., such as outward looking, rectangular "tract" houses.

Atrium or courtyard houses tend to be inward looking and are ideal for small urban lots where privacy is an important criterion. They may not be as appropriate for large sized parcels of land and acreages, where privacy is less of an issue and exterior views and family activities may be more common.

That said, atrium houses offer a very special and unique style of living.

Thus, so much depends on the type of land and setting as to whether this type of home is most appropriate. Why are you thinking of this type and where are you considering building?

Good luck with your project.