Essential House

We are a team of construction experts, designers, and engineers creating Scandinavian-inspired cabin and house plans with a mission to make high design and thoughtful spaces more accessible and affordable in the United States. DEN is the most cost-effective way to start your design-forward construction project. Through our unique online platform, we offer plan customizations, vetted builder referrals, and the industry's only national showroom network featuring our most popular designs. We also provide advisory services for customers seeking design, sourcing, and planning support.

While we do not build homes ourselves, we work with a trusted network of contractors who can help you turn our plans into reality.

Our plans are tailored more towards those collaborating with professionals, like general contractors (GCs) or specialized builders. This approach ensures that the unique features and design intricacies of our buildings are executed to the highest standard.

We offer pre-designed construction plans, affordable customizations, contractor referrals, as well as advisory services for planning, materials sourcing, and more.

Have questions? Chat with a DEN build advisor in real time through our online platform or drop us a line at support@denoutdoors.com. We'd love to hop into a meeting to discuss your project, though we can usually get back to you fastest via email or chat. We're here to help however works best for you!

Absolutely! Over a hundred DEN homes have been built around the country. Many of these structures are privately-owned; however, some are available for short term rental through Airbnb. We've even launched our own owned and operated DEN Showroom in Rhinebeck, NY. See if there's a DEN available for rent near you here.

DEN started in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Today, the DEN teams live throughout the US.

Once you purchase a DEN Building Package, you'll have access to our integrated online platform where you can invite collaborators, annotate your house plans, and request customizations from our network of designers with simple, transparent pricing. You can learn more about customizations and other services by setting up a call with a member of our team.

DEN is broadly available in the lower 48 states. We have had successful builds in almost every single state in the US. We are currently awaiting confirmation of the first projects in Alaska and Hawaii. Many customers in Canada have localized DEN designs to Canadian building code.

DEN does not stamp plans. Plan stamping requires requires a level of local expertise that DEN cannot offer. We recommend that customers use DEN plans to find a local architect or engineer with deep familiarity with local conditions and inspection requirements to secure a stamp. Read more here

DEN's plans, customization services, and contractor matching program is designed for individuals who have purchased land and secured capital to begin developing that property. Some of our customers have purchased plans before buying land to envision the scope of their project or to imagine what it is that they want to build, but generally speaking, it is helpful to have a specific site in mind, and financing in place prior to engaging DEN to provide preconstruction services.