I like to sit in the sunniest spot near the raised vegetable beds facing the sunshine looking back toward the house & front yard. We live in a clearing in the forest, so I have to seek the sunshine if I want it. Years ago I put a chair there & called it my office when there were just a few containers & fruit trees nearby. My kids knew that I needed some alone time in the sunshine, so it was a nice quiet retreat from being mom on duty. I have changed the gardens a lot over the years. Now there are 2 chairs, a foot stool & a side table there for my hubby & I when he has time. Usually, it's just me sitting there in the summer sunshine reading, praying, listening to my MP3 player or the birds. Last year, my guys laid a paver patio next to our 6x8 greenhouse. We have a small iron looking bistro set + a iron bench on the patio, so it's a fun place for us to sit & hang out. In mild weather we can eat meals there. It's sunnier than the back deck & I like being surrounded by the flower beds just beyond the paths on 3 sides.

Very preliminary plans here so much is subject to change. Splurged on land -- paid about 50% over planned, but got the land at 66% off original 1.2 million list. Since it is paid for, it is no longer a consideration. Probable Splurges: Interesting ceilings in main living area (not sure what yet) and 9' elsewhere on main floor. Maybe a nana wall (or similar) between kitchen and deck to maximize light (only natural light directly in the kitchen). Integrated plaster walls (although that may not end up being much of a spurge over good Sheetrock finish) because it is common in comparable new builds in the area (and not advertised as an upgrade). Large covered decks. Back if house -- Living room, deck and MBR will be cantilevered with basement patio below. ( probably not complete cantilever because it will be supported by stone columns) Nice fencing, but because the back yard is small, we won't need too much of it. Radiant hot water in floor heat throughout (again not much of a splurge because SIL in the business). Exterior must be 1/3 natural stone. Probably a nice chandy for the dining area, but the rest can be pretty basic. 8' doors in main living area. Undecided: windows, definitely want efficiency, but I can work with standard sizes; cabinetry and countertops, want nice and soft close, but flexible on wood type and finishes. Last time we shopped for granite for the ski house even though we budgeted for class 4, we found we really liked a class 2 stone better. Save: flooring (2) hardwood floors don't have to be anything special -- I have seen many midrange that I like, tile, again I have seen midrange options. I like. Carpet in bedrooms, office, closet and staircase except to the first landing because the rest is enclosed. Simple trim work (but also a splurge a bit t be sure it is beefy enough) Plumbing fixtures, I prefer simple and basic. Appliances -- been there, done that, on higher end appliances and really, I see no real advantage over my 10,000 range at home and my 2,500 one at the ski house and I cook a lot both places. Pantry storage will cost much less and pantry counters (as wll as laundry room can even be Formica. No fancy shower heads. No AC -- it's only needed a few days a year in our climate and we can survive without it. Upstairs guest room can have 8' ceilings. Of course, all this is subject to change -- we are waiting for the next plan revisions before we really start sourcing.

I'd missed that this is a home for two. Now I know what "jumps out" at me: It's too BIG. (IMO) The MBR is very large, with wasted space in the entry. Besides a bed and end tables, what will you put in there and how will you use it? (Our MBR seems adequate at 15 X 19 plus a 2' deep bay. It houses king bed, end tables, a dresser, a desk & chair, a chaise. There's room for two people to walk around without colliding.) Do you need THREE public rooms AND a huge Lanai: Great Room, "Den", and Library? A room 22 X 25 isn't my idea of a Den -- maybe Family Room would be a better term, but would a 3 BR house have a Family Room AND a Great Room? How often do you have large gatherings where you need an "adults" room (Great Room) and a "kids" room (Den)? Will the Library be used only by you and your DH? Could a basement provide a rec room for kids? I'd designate that diagonal wall in the Library for a closet. You can build cabinetry into it -- to hold books, TV, whatever -- but another buyer could use it as a closet. The Library front window goes to the floor; not a lot of furniture placement options. I really don't see anyone using this room as a BR, because of that big front window, but you could advertise "4 BRs". I don't know if you need foyer closets. Ours is largely unused. They tend to be too small for many guests and we use the back hall closet for our own coats. An armoire perhaps? Balanced by a bench? Would you have a pool house? That could take the shower out of the necessary "powder room" serving the Great Room and Library. The bath between the secondary BRs can serve the Kitchen, the Den and the back hall (when you don't have guests using it). How often do you use a DR? Friends of ours have a sort of "walk past DR" at their entry and dislike it for its "furniture showroom" effect. We use our "Breakfast Room" all the time and rarely use the DR. Friends have a Great Room that holds a long table which they use mostly as a gathering place for books and puzzles, but that can be set for ten. There is no formal DR. I could see your plan with a larger Great Room, no Den, token DR if any, but you know best how you live. Shame to waste an outside wall on pantry/storage that could be incorporated into the back hall area. In my quest to pare this down...I'd lop off some space at the rear for starters.

Thanks everyone! I'll keep you posted. I've just painted the drywall and am having the lumber delivered this week for the floor in my kitchen. If the roads are passable after the ice/snow storm we had last week. I was looking forward to being snowed in and making some headway on my house in the "down time"- I didn't anticipate not having power for a week! SO much for progress. I hope it was helpful. I have learned so much from this website and am always willing to share if it could benefit someone else.