If you made it 7 months it must have been all ya really need.
I could make a go of it with 500sf +/-
I wouldn't have the loft, too much useless space to heat with the high ceilings required. My experience has been the lofts are too hot or the lower level too cold, no in-between.
If I was going to waste the energy efficiency it'd be with bigger windows not high ceilings.
Utilizing sloped ground and cutting in a daylight basement to set the cabin on would work well for me. It'd give me room for a laundry and more storage to avoid cluttering up the finished living space.
Maybe even a little indoor all season shop space with a double door entry so I could bomb a quad or snow machine inside for maintenance if needed.
A little basement wood burner could go a long way at heating everything above.
