Plan 100368GHR prompts the kind of question a small investor asks when getting serious about scaling a portfolio: "Three doors on one slab, no garage, Scandinavian skin. Does the math work in this market, or is it just the renderings that sell it?" It is the right way to ask it. A stacked triplex looks deceptively simple on paper (two ground-floor one-bedroom units set back to back with a side stair to the upper floor, one three-bedroom unit stacked on top), but the plan asks more of the lot, the code analysis, and the rent comp work than most investors anticipate when they fall for the modern Nordic facade. So this review is half answer to that question, half public record of where we think Plan 100368GHR earns its keep and where it does not.
This review comes from The Layered Homes editorial team. We don't sell house plans, we don't represent Architectural Designs, and the "Buy This Plan" link in this review is an affiliate link: if you buy the plan through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, which never changes what the review says. What we do is read multi-family plans against the numbers that decide whether a compact triplex or duplex earns its pro-forma. Plan 100368GHR sits in a category that is still uncommon among stock plans: a contemporary stacked triplex with deliberate Scandinavian massing, designed for narrow urban infill lots where the zoning allows three doors but not three driveways, and where the curb appeal has to do work that a brick four-square cannot.
The short verdict: this is a thoughtful triplex plan with one structural compromise that every prospective buyer needs to underwrite honestly before signing the construction contract. The split between two efficient ground-floor one-bedroom units and a generous three-bedroom upper unit is the right call for a mixed-tenant building, the modern Scandinavian exterior is genuinely well composed and will photograph well in listings, and the in-unit laundry on every floor is a meaningful quality-of-life upgrade over the older triplex stock most renters in this size range are comparing against. The unresolved problem, and it is a real one, is the complete absence of any covered or even dedicated parking on the floor plans. In most Southeast markets that will pull down the achievable rent on the upper unit, and it is the single line item most likely to put your refinance appraisal below your build cost.
By The Layered Homes editorial team
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What's in this review
- Floor Plan: Stacked Triplex Layout & Three-Door Unit Mix
- Exterior: Modern Scandinavian Massing & Material Composition
- Interior: Volume, Kitchens, and Finish Strategy by Unit
- What Works Well in This Triplex Plan
- Points to Consider Before You Commit
- Pro Tips for Building This Triplex
- Regional Build Cost in 7 Southeast Multi-Family Markets
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources & References
- Plan 100368GHR Works Once Parking Is Solved
Floor Plan: Stacked Triplex Layout & Three-Door Unit Mix
Main Level: Two Mirrored One-Bedroom Units (Unit A & Unit B) + Shared Stair Hall
Second Floor: Three-Bedroom Unit C (full upper level)
The plan is configured as a stacked triplex on a single foundation: two essentially identical one-bedroom flats occupy the main level, set back to back across a shared party wall, while an enclosed stair along the left side wall serves as the only access route to the third unit upstairs. The entire second floor is one three-bedroom unit. So you are underwriting three doors and three rent rolls, but only one set of foundations, one roof system, one site servicing trench, and one set of building-permit fees. That cost compression is the entire economic argument for a triplex over three detached cottages, and Plan 100368GHR concentrates that compression about as efficiently as a 2,452 sq ft envelope allows.
Each ground-floor unit (Unit A on one side, Unit B mirrored on the other) is a true one-bedroom flat in roughly the 600-650 square foot range. It is small but functional, with a clear side-by-side zoning that puts the 11'10" x 12'0" great room and 11'10" x 9'1" kitchen along one side, the 11'0" x 12'1" bedroom and full bath along the other, and a washer-dryer closet beside the bath. Each unit has its own exterior door, the front flat off the small front porch and the rear flat through the back wall of its great room, so neither tenant ever has to use the stair to reach their own door. That detail matters: shared interior corridors are a common source of friction in two-story duplex and triplex stock, and this plan eliminates the problem on the ground floor entirely.
The shared stairwell is positioned on the left side of the structure, accessed from its own exterior door in the left side wall. That stair carries every Unit C tenant, every Unit C visitor, every grocery run, every piece of furniture, and every utility tradesperson up to the second-floor flat. There is no second exit shown on the plans for the upper unit beyond a window egress in each bedroom, so verify with your local building official whether your jurisdiction requires a second means of egress (an exterior stair to a rear deck, for example) for an R-2 occupancy in your specific code edition. IRC R311 and IBC 1006 both treat second-egress requirements differently for multi-family stacks than for single-family homes.
Unit C, the upper three-bedroom, is where the plan spends most of its 1,200-plus square feet of upper-level space, and the layout shows real care. Entry is into a small foyer that opens directly into the combined great room, dining, and kitchen volume. The kitchen is centered on a generous island roughly 4x7 feet, which is the right call for the unit's scale: it doubles as casual dining, prep counter, and the social anchor of the open plan. The primary suite (16'10" x 16'0") takes the front end of the floor with its own en-suite bath (double vanity and a separate shower stall on the drawings), while the two secondary bedrooms (10'3" x 11'9" and 10'3" x 11'7") line up along the right side wall and share a full hall bath with a tub. A washer-dryer closet sits beside the top of the stair, next to the primary bedroom door.
The bedroom arrangement in Unit C is compact rather than split. The primary suite takes the front end of the floor, but Bedroom 2 sits directly beside it, separated by one wall and part of the primary closet, so an insulated partition there is what lets a couple in the primary sleep undisturbed while a kid finishes homework next door, or lets a long-term tenant rent out a spare bedroom on a roommate basis without acoustic conflict. For a three-bedroom upper-floor unit that will likely rent to either a small family or a roommate trio, that sound detail is worth more than any finish upgrade you can specify.
Exterior: Modern Scandinavian Massing & Material Composition
The exterior is the strongest single argument for buying this plan over a generic builder triplex. The composition reads as confident contemporary Scandinavian: a smooth white field across the flat-roofed central block, balanced against warm, light-toned vertical board cladding on the prominent forward-facing gable and on the narrow stair tower at the left corner. That two-material strategy is the textbook Nordic move (see Sweden's Tham & Videgård work or any of the Norwegian cabin-house crossover firms in the past decade): a quiet field of one finish, broken at one focal location by a warmer accent that gives the building its identity from the street.
For the white siding we would specify James Hardie HardiePlank in Arctic White (their PPG-formulated factory finish carries a 15-year color warranty over the 30-year substrate warranty), Allura fiber cement in similar profile for the value engineered alternative, or LP SmartSide ExpertFinish in Bright White if you need the woodier substrate texture without the price step-up of true cedar. All three handle Charleston's 95% summer humidity and salt-laden air far better than painted real wood will after year five.
For the warm wood gable accent, the right specification depends on your appetite for maintenance. The honest premium answer is Kebony Character cladding (modified Norwegian softwood with a documented 30-year above-grade service life) or Accoya in a vertical board profile with end-grain sealer at every cut. Both will weather to a uniform silver-gray within 18-24 months in coastal Carolina exposure unless you maintain a UV-stabilized oil finish on a 24-month cycle. The realistic value-engineered alternative is Boral TruExterior poly-ash trim in their wood-grain profile, factory-stained in a cedar tone. It does not weather to silver, it holds its applied color for 12-15 years, and it costs roughly 35-50% less installed than true Kebony. In a triplex where you are managing tenant-perceived quality against the build budget, the Boral path is defensible.
The roofline juxtaposition (a sharp triangular gable on the front-facing wing crossed against a flat-roofed block to one side) is the second key Scandinavian gesture, and it does real work for this plan. The flat block is what allows the plan to fit a stacked triplex into a footprint that reads as a single-family scale from the street. Without that flat-roofed mass, you would need a much steeper second gable to enclose the upper unit, and the building would start to look like a small apartment block. The gable-plus-flat composition keeps the building reading as a thoughtful modern home in the streetscape, not as multi-family stock.
For the dark window frames, the plan asks for variation in size and orientation, including a distinct horizontal stack of three small windows high in the front gable, which lights the Unit C primary bedroom at the front of the upper floor. That fenestration variety is what separates a contemporary plan from a forgettable one, and it is worth holding the line on during value engineering. Specify Marvin's aluminum-clad casement and direct-glaze units in an Ebony exterior with a white interior, Andersen 100 Series in Black for the value alternative, or Pella Lifestyle vinyl in Black if your construction loan is tight. Verify the NFRC ratings against your IECC 2024 climate zone requirement (Zone 3 for most of coastal Carolina, Zone 4 for the upstate and Atlanta metro) before finalizing the order.
The slim flat canopy that runs under the gable, across the front door and the living-room window beside it, is an under-appreciated element. It shelters the front entry during typical Carolina afternoon rain and gives the facade a clean horizontal datum line that anchors the dark window frames above. The other two entries, the rear flat's back door and the stair door in the left side wall, deserve the same kind of shelter so the three doors feel like one family rather than afterthoughts. Specify the canopy as a torch-down or fully-adhered TPO single-ply membrane on tapered ISO insulation with a hidden internal scupper to a downspout integrated into the wall. A visible scupper or exposed gutter on a small canopy like this kills the contemporary line every time.
Interior: Volume, Kitchens, and Finish Strategy by Unit
The plans do not include interior renderings, so the interior conversation is necessarily about the things you can read from the floor plans themselves: ceiling heights, kitchen footprints, light access, and the finish decisions that will determine whether each of the three units rents at the top of its market band or stalls at the median.
For the two ground-floor one-bedroom units (A and B), the open great-room-and-kitchen combination is functioning at the lower limit of what a one-bedroom flat can reasonably contain: roughly 250 square feet of combined living, dining, and kitchen space (an 11'10" x 12'0" great room plus an 11'10" x 9'1" kitchen). In a unit this compact, the visual decisions become acoustic and finish-specification decisions. Hold the ceiling at 9 feet rather than the IRC-minimum 7'6". The cost difference is roughly $4-6 per square foot of unit footprint and the rental perception of a 9-foot ceiling in a small flat is dramatic. Specify continuous luxury vinyl plank flooring (COREtec Pro Plus or Shaw Floorté Pro at the value end, or the Karndean Korlok line if you can stretch the budget) across the entire unit, including the kitchen. Breaking the floor at the kitchen perimeter visually shrinks the room and is unnecessary in a unit this size.
The ground-floor unit kitchens read as galley or single-wall layouts on the plan; specify them with a single 30-inch slide-in range, a 33-inch deep undercount sink, a 24-inch counter-depth dishwasher, and an 18-inch wide trash pull-out cabinet rather than the standard 30-inch base. That detail alone gives you a usable 36-inch landing zone next to the range, which is what daily cooks actually need. Counters in quartz at the high end (Cambria Brittanicca Warm or Caesarstone London Grey) or solid-surface acrylic (Wilsonart or Corian) at the value end will both outlast laminate by 10-plus years in a rental, which matters when you are amortizing finishes against a long hold.
For Unit C upstairs, the kitchen island deserves serious attention because it is the single most photographed feature of any open-plan unit. At roughly 4x7 feet you have room for a true working island: undermount prep sink at one end, 30-inch waterfall drop at the seating end, and a 36-inch overhead pendant cluster (specify three matching pendants at 14-16 inches diameter, hung at 32-36 inches above the counter). The Cedar & Moss Alto pendants in matte black or the Schoolhouse Isaac in brushed brass are the right scale; avoid oversized industrial pendants that will read as visually heavy in a 1,200 sq ft unit.
Cabinetry across all three units should match, not because tenants will compare, but because your contractor can buy a single specification at a single price and your future maintenance reorders will be simpler. Specify Cardinal Cabinets in their Shaker White at the value engineered specification, KraftMaid Vantage Shaker White at the mid-tier, or one of the Semihandmade Ikea Sektion overlay door programs in Cove (a soft warm white) if you want a contemporary slab door that holds up in rentals. Avoid full-overlay matte finishes in tenant units: they show every fingerprint and require a different cleaning product than standard semi-gloss.
For wall paint, the right Scandinavian-coded interior color is a warm white with a measurable yellow undertone rather than a cool blue-white. Sherwin-Williams SW 7012 Creamy or SW 7008 Alabaster in eggshell finish on walls, with SW 7008 in semi-gloss on trim and doors. Both photograph well under both natural and warm LED lighting, and both forgive the inevitable scuffs and touch-ups that rental units accumulate over a five-year hold. Avoid pure brilliant whites (Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, SW Pure White) in north-facing rooms. They read cold and sterile, which works against the warm Scandinavian aesthetic the exterior is asking the interior to deliver on.
What Works Well in This Triplex Plan
The economic case comes first, and it is a strong one. A stacked triplex puts three doors on one foundation, so site work, foundation, roof system and permit fees are spread across three rent rolls. That is the whole argument for this building over three detached cottages, and the only reason to take on the complexity of a multi-family code review. The unit mix spreads risk as well: two one-bedroom flats, the highest demand band in most college and entry-professional markets, plus one three-bedroom flat, the highest demand band in family and roommate markets, means a vacancy in any single unit does not collapse the building's cash flow.
Construction is simpler than the unit count suggests. Unit A and Unit B are mirrored, identical layouts, which means one set of cabinet specifications, one plumbing rough-in detail and one electrical takeoff sheet, and that repetition saves labor compared with non-mirrored multi-family plans. The compact two-story stacked footprint also fits urban infill parcels where a side-by-side duplex of equal square footage would fail setback requirements, which opens up small lots that would otherwise sit stranded.
Day-to-day living is well handled. Every unit has direct exterior entry: the front flat opens off the front porch, the rear flat has its own back door, and the upper unit enters through its own stair door in the side wall, so there is no interior corridor friction and no shared mailboxes in a hallway. Each of the three units also gets a dedicated laundry closet sized for a stacked or side-by-side full-size washer and dryer, a feature tenants weigh heavily against a shared basement laundry or a triplex with no laundry at all.
Unit C is the strongest of the three. Its layout, with the primary suite and its double-vanity bath at the front end and two secondary bedrooms sharing a hall bath along the side wall, works equally well for a small family or a roommate trio renting by the room, and the roughly 4x7-foot center island gives the three-bedroom flat a real social anchor. That lets it compete with single-family rentals in the same school zone rather than only with apartment stock.
The exterior helps leasing too. A smooth white field with a warm wood-tone gable accent, the pairing of gable and flat roof, and dark-framed windows in varying sizes form a coherent modern Scandinavian composition that photographs well, a real listing-photo advantage over generic builder triplex stock.
Points to Consider Before You Commit
Parking is the largest problem with this plan, because the floor plans show none at all: no garage, no carport, not even a striped pad. In Charleston, Greenville, Wilmington and most Southeast markets, an apartment with no off-street parking typically rents at a discount to comparable stock with at least one assigned space, and an upper-floor three-bedroom without a garage caps its rent below most competing single-family rentals in the same school zone. Verify that the lot can take a striped pad or detached carport for at least three vehicles, and underwrite the rent comp at the no-garage band, not the with-garage band.
Zoning comes next. A three-unit stacked building needs R-2 zoning, or whatever your municipality calls multi-family of three or more units. Many Southeast jurisdictions have R-1 or R-1A zoning that explicitly prohibits more than two units per parcel, and even where R-2 exists it is often clustered in defined corridors that may not include the lot you have under contract. Confirm zoning, parking minimums and lot coverage limits with the municipality in writing before you spend a dollar on permitted plans.
The small one-bedroom flats serve a particular tenant pool. At roughly 600-650 sq ft, the ground-floor units sit well below the 750-900 sq ft median for new-construction one-bedroom rentals in most Southeast markets. They will rent, but to more transient tenants such as early-career professionals, graduate students and recent relocations, which means higher turnover, more frequent unit turns and more cumulative wear on finishes than a slightly larger one-bedroom would see.
The single stair is both a livability and a code issue. Every grocery run, furniture move, move-in and move-out, appliance delivery and tradesperson visit for Unit C uses the same flight, so specify a width above the IRC R311.7 minimum (38-42 inches clear is far more livable than the 36-inch minimum), an open or skylit landing and a railing you would be happy to walk past as the owner. Because that stair serves the only second-floor dwelling in an R-2 building, it typically needs a 1-hour fire-rated enclosure (IBC 1019) or sprinklers throughout under the IBC 903 thresholds. Sprinklers run roughly $4-7 per square foot installed in light-frame construction, while a 1-hour enclosure adds drywall layers, fire-rated doors and hardware that compound through the build. Get a code analysis from your local plan reviewer before pricing either path.
Acoustics between floors will make or break tenant retention. A standard 2x10 wood-framed floor assembly delivers an STC of roughly 35-40, well below the IBC 1207 minimum of 50 STC and 50 IIC between dwelling units. The assembly has to be engineered: resilient channel or RSIC clips on the ceiling side, mineral wool batts in the joist cavity, a gypsum-concrete topping such as Maxxon Gyp-Crete or USG Levelrock at a minimum 1.5-inch depth, and floating LVT or carpet over acoustic underlayment in Unit C. Leave out any one of these and the ground-floor tenants will hear every footstep upstairs, and the turnover rate will show it.
Dining space is thin. All three units depend on island seating (Unit C) or a small flexible zone beside the kitchen (Units A and B), which works for one or two people but limits tenants who want to host more than three or four guests. In Unit C, see whether an extra 6-8 square feet at the great room edge can be captured for a true 4-person table.
Utilities and insurance carry their own costs. Three independent leases need three separately metered electrical services, or one service with sub-meters and a written cost-recovery clause in every lease, plus three water meters or sub-meters and three gas hook-ups if you specify gas. Sub-metering is the cheaper capital path but brings ongoing landlord billing work; separate meters cost roughly $3,500-6,000 each to set up but remove the billing headaches. Insurance is also priced on a different schedule from a house: typically $1.50-2.40 per $1,000 of replacement cost annually for landlord-occupied or absentee-owner triplex stock, against $0.70-1.20 for owner-occupied single-family in the same market. Get a binding quote before you finalize construction loan terms, since lenders increasingly require evidence of bindable coverage at closing.
Pro Tips for Building This Triplex
Start with the numbers that can sink the deal. Before signing the construction contract, pull at least eight comparable one-bedroom and three-bedroom rentals in your submarket that have no off-street parking, and build the pro-forma on those rents rather than the with-garage averages. If the math fails at the no-parking comp, buy an adjacent lot for a parking pad, redesign around a detached carport or walk away. Get zoning in writing as well. Planning departments give different answers depending on who picks up the phone, and a formal zoning verification letter, sometimes called a letter of zoning compliance, costs $50-300 in most Southeast jurisdictions and protects you when a different reviewer reads the same code another way mid-permit.
Order a separate FEMA flood determination for the parcel even if you believe it sits outside a flood zone. The 2022 and later FEMA flood insurance rate maps moved many parcels in coastal Carolina and the Lowcountry into AE or VE zones that were not previously flood-affected. An AE designation requires flood insurance and may require raising the lowest finished floor, and both costs compound in a slab-on-grade triplex.
Specify the inter-unit floor-ceiling assembly to IBC 1207 from day one, and aim higher than code. Ask the structural engineer and architect for a tested assembly meeting STC 55 and IIC 55, 10 points above the minimum. The Maxxon Gyp-Crete 3.5 system over RSIC-1 clips and mineral wool, finished with floating engineered hardwood or LVT over 5mm acoustic underlayment, gets there for roughly $12-18 per square foot of upper-floor area. Rebuilding it after tenants complain costs far more, so document the party wall and floor-ceiling assemblies with photos at every construction phase. Noise complaints can turn into costly disputes in multi-family rentals, and the strongest answer is a timestamped photo log, kept in cloud storage indefinitely, showing exactly which sound-rated drywall, insulation density and resilient channel detail went in.
Give each unit its own mechanical systems. Insist on a 200-amp service per unit rather than one 200-amp service split three ways, because shared sub-panels invite capacity complaints when one tenant runs an EV charger, a window unit and an electric range at once. Three separate 200-amp services cost about $4,000-7,000 more at construction, and they end the tripped-breaker call that otherwise recurs forever. For heating and cooling, use mini-split heat pumps per unit: a dedicated Mitsubishi MSZ multi-zone system with one outdoor condenser and two or three indoor heads, or a Daikin Aurora in colder upstate markets. The upfront cost is comparable to three small ducted air handlers and the operating cost is materially lower, but the stronger argument is tenant control, since each unit pays its own electric bill and sets its own thermostat without cross-unit comfort complaints.
The small rough-in items pay back in fewer service calls. Put a hose bib and an exterior power outlet at every entry door so ground-floor tenants can wash bikes, water plants and pressure-wash their porch, and the upper tenant has the same at the stair entry. Three frost-free hose bibs (Woodford 17 series) and three weatherproof GFCI outlets cost less than $400 at rough-in. Pre-wire individual internet drops too: run separate Cat6, or Cat6a if you are planning ahead, from a central demarc closet to a labeled jack near each unit's router location. Tenants treat reliable internet as a utility, and the $300-500 rough-in cost across the building is a fraction of retrofitting cable later.
Regional Build Cost in 7 Southeast Multi-Family Markets
What it actually costs to build Plan 100368GHR (2,452 sq ft, 3 units, no garage)
Multi-family construction carries a 12-22% premium over single-family of equivalent square footage because of fire-rated party walls, acoustic floor assemblies, separate utility meters, larger water/sewer service, and the inspector visits that go with three certificates of occupancy instead of one. The numbers below assume a flat infill lot, standard Scandinavian exterior specification (HardiePlank field with Boral wood-look gable accent), STC 55-rated inter-unit assemblies, mini-split heat pumps per unit, and three 200-amp services. They do not include lot acquisition, off-site improvements, or the parking-lot/carport addition you should be budgeting separately.
Pricing for this triplex starts from the Charleston metro baseline, the peninsula plus Mt. Pleasant, at a 1.00x multiplier: about $330 per square foot, or $809,160 for the whole building. That rate already carries ASCE 7-22 Wind Zone II/III fastening upgrades, FEMA AE-zone elevation where the parcel needs it and the STC 55 floor assemblies, but it assumes the lot can legally hold three units, and large parts of the peninsula are zoned R-1 only. North Charleston and Goose Creek come in at 0.92x, roughly $304 per square foot and $745,408 in total, with the same wind requirements, cheaper land and more R-2 corridors, which gives them the strongest investor math in the metro.
Savannah, GA lands at 0.94x, about $310 per square foot and $761,720 overall. Georgia builds to the IRC and IBC with state amendments, so the code path looks familiar, though any historic-district overlay should be checked for how it treats a Scandinavian exterior before the lot is bought. Upstate in Greenville, SC the multiplier drops to 0.88x, roughly $290 per square foot and $711,080, with no coastal wind premium. The catch there is climate: IECC Zone 4 asks for higher wall and ceiling R-values than coastal Zone 3, so add +$3-5/sf for the envelope.
Wilmington, NC prices at 0.95x, near $314 per square foot and $769,320 in total. Its coastal wind code tracks Charleston's, with 130-140 mph design wind speeds, and R-2 land is concentrated around the UNCW corridor and downtown, which narrows the lot search. Atlanta urban infill in Decatur, East Atlanta and the West End runs above baseline at 1.06x, about $350 per square foot and $858,200, because labor costs more, permits take longer and good subcontractors are in demand; the payoff is strong R-2 demand with proven triplex rent comps to underwrite against.
East and South Nashville are the most expensive market on this list at 1.10x, roughly $363 per square foot and $890,076 for the building, a reflection of labor scarcity and the build queue left over from post-2020 demand. Rents absorb well there, but Metro Davidson has amended its triplex zoning several times since 2022, so the current rule for the specific parcel needs confirming before any design money is spent.
What's not in those numbers: lot acquisition (varies wildly, from $35,000 in upstate SC suburbs to $400,000-plus on the Charleston peninsula), off-site improvements (curb cuts, water/sewer tap fees, sidewalk reconstruction), separate parking lot or carport addition (budget $18,000-45,000 depending on covered vs. open and number of spaces), landscape and irrigation, and the financing carry cost during the typical 9-13 month construction window.
Five Enhanced Facade Directions
The narrow frontage is central to Plan 100368GHR, so these studies leave every window, door, roof edge and wall projection untouched. Only cladding, color, planting and light change across the five editorial renderings, which are visual planning ideas and not alternate elevations supplied with the triplex documents.
Nordic White and Light Oak
Warm white stucco opens up the compact frontage, and pale oak cladding distinguishes the main gable without adding another mass. Sparse grasses preserve a clean pedestrian approach.
Warm white, light oak, soft charcoal and pale concrete support the Nordic expression.
Charcoal and Cedar
Graphite surfaces give the building an urban profile, while cedar brings warmth to the tall front panel. The limited material count helps the irregular window pattern feel intentional.
Graphite, amber cedar, black and evergreen make a strong compact palette.
Muted Sage Scandinavian
Muted sage gives the vertical facade a softer relationship with its residential neighbors. Off-white stucco separates the entry zone and prevents the siding color from dominating the full height.
Sage, warm off-white, natural beech and dark bronze keep the scheme balanced.
Urban Warm Brick
Slim red-brown brick adds a durable city-house character to the existing solid wall planes. Cream stucco keeps the entrance readable and avoids turning the full facade into one heavy block.
Warm brick, creamy plaster, black metal and leaf green shape the urban mix.
Crisp White and Black Minimal
A bright white shell emphasizes the simple geometry, with black confined to frames and selected accent planes. The contrast is direct enough to work on a narrow lot without extra ornament.
Clean white, matte black, pale gray and soft green form the most minimal palette.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Plan 100368GHR a good first investment property?
For a first investment property, this plan asks more of you than a single-family or duplex equivalent. You are simultaneously underwriting three rent rolls, navigating multi-family R-2 zoning, specifying fire-rated and acoustic-rated assemblies you would not encounter on a single-family build, managing three separate leases and three utility meters, and underwriting the no-parking rent comp risk. If this is your first ground-up build, a duplex like Plan 52532WM (mirrored single-story, easier code path, simpler tenant experience) is the easier starting point, with a step up to a triplex once you have one multi-family lease cycle behind you. If you are partnering with an experienced contractor or already manage multi-family stock elsewhere, this plan is well-drawn and the math can work, but go in eyes open.
What kind of lot does Plan 100368GHR need?
A flat or near-flat parcel zoned R-2 (or your jurisdiction's equivalent multi-family of three units) with enough frontage for the building footprint plus the front porch projection plus side setbacks (typically 5-10 feet each side), and enough depth for the building plus the rear setback. The published plan documents from Architectural Designs will specify the exact dimensions, but plan for a minimum of 50 feet of frontage and 100 feet of depth in most Southeast jurisdictions. You also need lot space for at least three off-street parking spaces (most R-2 zoning requires 1 to 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit). If your lot cannot accommodate the parking minimum even though the building footprint fits, the plan will not pass site plan review.
Can an owner occupy one unit and rent the other two?
Yes, and from a financing perspective, this is often the strongest path. Owner-occupied multi-family of two-to-four units qualifies for FHA, VA, or conventional Fannie/Freddie owner-occupant loan programs with significantly better terms (lower down payment, better interest rate, easier qualification) than investor loans. For a first triplex, owner-occupying Unit C (the three-bedroom upper unit) and renting out Units A and B is the textbook "house hack" play: your tenants effectively pay the mortgage while you build equity. Verify that your specific jurisdiction allows the owner-occupant configuration and that your lender's owner-occupancy requirements (typically 12 months minimum residence) match your plans.
How does Plan 100368GHR compare to Plan 52532WM?
Plan 52532WM is a single-story side-by-side duplex with two mirrored 946 sq ft two-bedroom units and an attached one-car garage per unit. Plan 100368GHR is a two-story stacked triplex with three units totaling 2,452 sq ft and no garage. They serve fundamentally different investor strategies: 52532WM is the safer, simpler, garage-included path for a Charleston suburban investor or owner-occupant who wants two tenants; 100368GHR is the urban-infill, three-rent-roll, denser-cash-flow play for an investor who has the lot, the zoning, and the appetite to manage the additional code complexity. Build cost per unit is roughly comparable when adjusted for the parking absence. The triplex squeezes more rent out of one foundation, but it asks more of the operator.
How long does it take to build Plan 100368GHR?
From signed permit set to certificate of occupancy on all three units, plan for 10-14 months in current Southeast labor markets. The breakdown typically runs roughly 8-12 weeks for permitting and approvals (longer in jurisdictions with active multi-family review backlogs), 4-6 weeks for site work and foundation, 16-22 weeks for framing through dry-in, and 14-20 weeks for interior fit-out and the inspections required to issue separate certificates of occupancy for each of the three units. Multi-family permits and inspections take longer than single-family on a per-square-foot basis because each unit gets its own life-safety, plumbing, and electrical inspection sequence.
What's the realistic operating cost on a triplex like this?
For a 2,452 sq ft triplex with separately metered units and tenant-paid utilities, expect annual operating costs (excluding mortgage and excluding tenant-paid utilities) in the range of $14,000-22,000 across the building. That covers landlord insurance ($3,500-6,500), property taxes (varies widely by jurisdiction), exterior and common-area maintenance (allocate $2,500-4,500 annually as a sinking fund for roof, siding, and landscape), unit turnover costs (2-4 turns per year average across three units, $1,200-2,500 per turn), and a property management fee if you outsource (typically 8-10% of collected rent, so $7,000-12,000 annually depending on rent levels). Build a vacancy allowance of 6-8% of gross potential rent into your pro-forma at minimum.
Does this triplex need a sprinkler system?
Possibly, and the answer depends on your local code adoption and amendments. The IRC and IBC treat sprinkler requirements differently for multi-family residential than for single-family. A three-unit residential building (R-2 occupancy) under the IBC typically triggers either a 1-hour fire-rated separation between units OR an NFPA 13R-rated sprinkler system. NFPA 13D residential sprinklers (the simpler residential standard) may or may not satisfy the requirement depending on your jurisdiction's amendments. Get a code analysis from a licensed local plan reviewer or fire marshal before you finalize your construction documents: the cost difference between a 1-hour rated assembly approach and a sprinklered approach can swing the build budget by $25,000-50,000.
Can the Scandinavian exterior survive Carolina humidity and hurricanes?
Yes, with the right material specifications. The white field siding should be fiber cement (HardiePlank or Allura) or LP SmartSide rather than painted real wood; both handle the heat-humidity-salt cycle far better and carry meaningful warranties. The warm wood gable accent should be Kebony Character or Accoya at the premium tier (genuinely engineered for marine exposure), or Boral TruExterior in a factory-stained wood-look profile at the value tier. For windows, specify any of Marvin, Andersen, or Pella in their black exterior options. All carry the IECC and ASCE wind ratings required for coastal South Carolina exposure (130-140 mph design wind speed in Zone II and III). The flat-roof block requires a properly detailed TPO or modified-bitumen membrane assembly with positive drainage; this is a real roofing trade, not a handyman scope. Specify accordingly.
Sources & References
- Architectural Designs, Plan 100368GHR product page: official plan specifications, drawing set contents, and licensing terms for the modern Scandinavian triplex plan reviewed in this article.
- 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) and 2024 International Building Code (IBC): adopted with state amendments across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Section R311 (means of egress), Section 1006 (egress from stories with one exit), Section 1019 (exit access stairways), and Section 1207 (sound transmission) all apply directly to this plan.
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC): climate zone 3 envelope requirements (coastal Carolina, Lowcountry SC, Savannah GA), climate zone 4 envelope requirements (Greenville upstate, Atlanta metro, Nashville).
- NFPA 13, 13R, and 13D: Standards for Installation of Sprinkler Systems. The differences in sprinkler design requirements between commercial and residential occupancies, and the specific R-2 (multi-family residential) thresholds.
- ASCE 7-22 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures: wind speed maps for South Carolina coastal counties (130-140 mph design wind speed in Risk Categories II and III), governing fastening schedules and structural connection requirements.
- FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM): current flood zone designations for Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington metropolitan areas; updated 2022-2025 panels affecting parcel-level requirements for elevation and flood insurance.
- James Hardie HardiePlank technical specifications: fiber cement siding product literature, color warranty terms, and installation requirements for IECC climate zones 3 and 4.
- Allura Fiber Cement product specifications: value-engineered fiber cement alternative siding system, technical data and color options.
- LP SmartSide ExpertFinish technical documentation: engineered wood substrate siding with factory-applied finish, product warranty information.
- Kebony USA product technical data: modified Norwegian softwood cladding documentation including service life testing in marine and coastal exposures.
- Accoya wood technical guide: acetylated wood cladding product specifications and warranty terms for coastal applications.
- Boral TruExterior poly-ash trim and siding documentation: engineered alternative cladding product specifications and color warranty terms.
- Marvin Elevate window product technical literature: aluminum-clad casement and direct-glaze specifications, NFRC ratings, color warranty terms in Ebony exterior.
- Andersen 100 Series window technical specifications: composite-frame window product literature, color options, NFRC ratings.
- Pella Lifestyle Series window documentation: vinyl casement window specifications and ratings for value-engineered Southeast multi-family applications.
- Maxxon Gyp-Crete and USG Levelrock technical specifications: gypsum-concrete acoustic underlayment systems for inter-unit floor-ceiling assemblies meeting STC 50+ and IIC 50+.
- RSIC (Resilient Sound Isolation Clip) installation guide: ceiling assembly detailing for STC 55+ inter-unit acoustic separation in light-frame multi-family construction.
- Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating MSZ Series documentation: multi-zone ductless mini-split heat pump product literature for per-unit HVAC in multi-family residential.
- Daikin Aurora multi-zone heat pump technical data: alternative ductless mini-split product specifications for cold-climate Southeast multi-family applications.
- Cardinal Cabinets product line documentation: value-engineered Shaker cabinet specifications for rental property applications.
- Cambria quartz countertop technical specifications: engineered stone countertop product literature, including the Brittanicca Warm pattern referenced in this article.
- Sherwin-Williams paint color and product specifications: official documentation for SW 7008 Alabaster, SW 7012 Creamy, and other interior paint specifications referenced in this article.
- Editorial design notes: The Layered Homes editorial team's review notes on multi-family duplex and triplex plans, with reference markets in Charleston, North Charleston, Savannah, Wilmington NC, Greenville SC, and Atlanta urban infill, including build cost estimates compared against published pro-formas.
Plan 100368GHR Works Once Parking Is Solved
Plan 100368GHR is a kind of triplex plan that is still uncommon in stock plan catalogs: a confidently composed modern Scandinavian envelope wrapped around a thoughtful three-door unit mix that solves several of the problems that quietly kill older triplex investments. The split between two efficient ground-floor one-bedroom units and one generous three-bedroom upper unit diversifies your tenant pool across two separate demand bands, the in-unit laundry and direct exterior entries on every unit eliminate the friction points that plague older multi-family stock, and the exterior will photograph beautifully in your listings. The unresolved issue is the complete absence of any parking on the floor plans, and you must underwrite that absence honestly against your specific submarket's no-parking rent comp before you sign the construction contract. Solve the parking problem with an adjacent lot, a detached carport, or a reconsidered site plan, and this triplex earns its keep. Ignore the parking problem and the math quietly stops working somewhere around month eighteen of operations.
To see how Plan 100368GHR compares to other compact multi-family and small-footprint plans in the same investor bracket, three earlier reviews on the site work as direct companions: the analysis of the 1,892 sq ft modern ranch duplex with split-bedroom layout (Plan 52532WM) covers the safer single-story side-by-side path with attached garages, the efficient cottage duplex review walks through the smaller-footprint compact-duplex math, and the craftsman cottage 2-bed ranch review shows the single-family alternative for an investor weighing single-family versus multi-family on a similar lot. For Scandinavian exterior strategy specifically, the Scandi-modern facade transformation and the Nordic interior makeover walkthrough cover the material and color decisions that translate the look from rendering to built reality.
House Plans Desk
The Layered Homes editorial teamThe House Plans Desk reviews published house plans from the designer’s drawings and listing: how the layout lives, what works, what to watch, and what it is likely to cost to build in 2026.
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