I designed our house 3 years ago, based on the 18-yr old Colonal we *had* been living in. It had a cathedral ceiling in FR, also a wood stove, but was horribly hard to heat/cool even with the ceiling fan. So no cathedral ceilings in new house (8ft ceilings, though I admit the FR ceiling seems low but I guess I got used to higher). We added ceiling fans in all the BRs since there was no AC (we put window units in MBR, kitchen, and loft over the garage open to FR trying to make it usable). So new house we put ceiling fans in all BRs, study, and FR (where we *were* going to put a woodstove but now seems too small and also chimney would be too close to master bath window). We had a large kitchen in the old house but the eat-in part was in front of large doorway to FR and other side of peninsula so we just couldn't seem to make a table work. Only 3ft of counterspace to left of stove, 2 ft to right of fridge (which is where we put the MW so I have no landing zone). I ended up putting a MW cart in the middle just to have landing zone/prep area. So new kitchen has large island for prep and eating (peninsula only sat 3). Garage had 8 ft doors and was shallow, with stairs into FR so we had no room for storage, could barely fit Explorer on non-stair side, and I often banged mirrors. So new garage is bigger with 9ft doors and a door into the backyard. We had a bath off the master that we had remodeled to put in 2 sinks and a whirlpool tub. I found I didn't use the jets that much, DH used the shower down the hall, so new house has a non-jetted tub and a 4ft shower. Can't wait to get tile and faucets in so we can use them! DH had used the loft as an office until DD was born, then it became guest room. So when I modfied the stock plan that had 4 BRs we made the closet i the smallest BR the attic stairs (old house had hatch in DD's closet, not even pulldown stairs so really no attic storage). DD used it as a BR (and we put the antique furniture in 2nd largest BR) until she moved out of a toddler bed and then she moved into the larger BR. DH is still trying to set up the office, but at least we have all (but one that's in Ds's room) the bookcases from the old house in there. Never could get into home theater since we're not big TV viewers and didn't want to dedicate sf to that, but after having TV in FR at first, then LR in old house, I decided new house was going to have FR totally open to kitchen so could watch little one (had big doorway in old house but still a blind spot) and that the LR was going to be capable of being closed off for TV viewing since old LR was near stairs and open to foyer, TV too loud for sleeping kids. We also plan on staying in this house forever, so with French doors the idea was that LR could become MBR when we get too decrepit to handle stairs. The old house had PR off foyer (near kitchen) with a laundry closet - I decided to have a mudroom/laundry and change builder's stock plan (that looked like my old house, but PR/laundry b/t garage and kitchen) to put the PR in the large open foyer with coat closet opposite. Since the PR is on the LR side we can expand the PR to make it a full bath, and if we close off the hall b/t the closet and PR we could have a good sized "stand in" closet (6x7), though you would then have to walk through the DR to get into the kitchen (or could make closet smaller and lose my pantry). We have vinyl siding (after living 15 yrs with cedar that had to be powerwashed and stained every 3 years or so). The porch (not screened) has a Trex deck instead of the pressure-treated that required yearly maintenance. I built 40ft of stone wall under the porch to hide the supports, and will add more around the flowerbeds and walkway. I'm also thinking of building retaining walls down the sloped from the front yard to the basement door, to make mowing unnecessary and control erosion. Luckily, we have plenty of stone. We're still trying to figure out what to do outside our back sliding glass door - whether it's an outdoor "LR" or not, we would like to make it more than just a deck and a gas grill, since we also have a lot of wood and enjoy sitting around the fire with family and friends. I'm also trying to furnish the front porch with comfortable pieces so we can sit out there and enjoy the view and the sunsets. Like the Tim McGraw song Where the Green Grass Grows we "point our rocking chairs towards the west." I know I'm not going in order but we also chose to make this house as energy-efficient as the upgraded modular specs would allow (so no SIPS but upgraded insulation and windows), and put in a geothermal heating system with a desuperheater for hot water so that we don't have to depend on (or pay for) fossil fuel. Landscaping - what's that LOL? So we didn't design our house based on what we thought the "hot new trends" would be 3-5 yrs later, we designed it with our family and lifestyle in mind, within our budget, and trying to incorporate "lessons learned" from all the other places we've lived. In the case of "landscaping" and "outdoor living" doing all the work (so far) ourselves and with materials we have on hand. Of course if we add a sunroom or deck we'll have to buy materials and will probably hire out at least part of the job.

Just move your plate heigth up a foot or so. You could cut through the roof to install a 2x12 beam on top of the plate. This will put the facia higher than the existing facia. Or you could move the beams in & give yourself a bigger overhang on the porch so the facia meets. Dropping the floor a step is always an option as you mentioned. Al

Actually, most ceiling fans (not huggers) are made to be installed on 8 foot high ceilings. It's only when a ceiling is lower than 8 feet that you need a hugger fan. As long as the blades are 12" or less from the ceiling it will be up to code. Here are some other important considerations: 1) Outdoor areas require more airflow than indoor areas because they are not confined spaces and the open air takes away from the intensity of the breeze since there are no walls for the air to bounce off. 2) When the blades of a fan are less than 12" from the ceiling, the amount of airflow it produces is reduced dramatically. Hugger fans may move as much as 30% to 50% less air than a fan that is hanging from a short rod where the blades are 12" from the ceiling. 3) It is better to use 2 smaller fans than one bigger fan, particularly outdoors. Smaller fans spin at a higher RPM and typically will produce a stronger breeze, but they produce that breeze in a smaller area, hence the need for two of them. So, two 52" to 60" fans is better than one 72" to 84" fan. 4) Don't just pick a fan by it's looks. Be sure to check out how much air it moves (CFM) and how fast it moves the air (Windspeed in MPH). The most important consideration is the wind speed because ceiling fans cool you off by creating a wind chill effect that is directly related to how fast the air flows, not how much air is moved. Larger fans move a larger volume of air, but at a lower speed. Even the best typical size fans (52" to 60") can only produce wind speeds close to 4 MPH. Lower end models may only produce 1 to 2 MPH. So look for fans as close to 4 MPH as possible. 5) Ceiling fans with the newer DC motors use about 75% less electricity and are typically better quality than the common AC motor fans. Here's a link that filters: DC outdoor ceiling fans with Wind Speed Close to 4 MPH Greg Tillotson Ceiling Fan Expert Hansen Wholesale https://www.hansenwholesale.com

NOBODY can answer the question until you post a sketch with exit and entry points to the porch. From outside, and from inside. Otherwise? Split the distance from center on the 26 feet, to each end, and center them. Each will hang from a box 6.5 feet from the ends Like pendants on an island. Plan to use a 12 to 18 inch down rod. And they should be damp rated at the very least.