I like tall ceilings. We have 10' in every room. You just have to keep the ratio right because you don't want very tall ceilings with a small room. "The Not So Big house" addresses this issue. I'll have to see what page it's on... Here is a quote from a website: "Raising the ceiling height can make a room look bigger, but only if the dimensions of the room are greater than the ceiling height, in which case the room will look smaller". Good website by the way, I just stumbled on it but you might like it: http://www.sensiblehouse.org/des_rooms.htm The article is called Room Design, I haven't read it yet but it looked interesting. Look up "golden ratio" & "room size to ceiling ratio" . As far as finding fixtures cheaper, you first research what you want, be it plumbing fixtures or lights. You find what you like & you read the reviews to make sure it'll last & other people liked it. Then you take the exact name of that product & Google it. You'll then find a number of websites that carry it for either a lot more or way less. Look for free shipping on heavier items & no tax - those will be your big savings. Also always call & nicely ask if they company offers any discounts - sometimes just for calling they'll give you 10% off. And try to buy in bulk - like your lights for example. A lot of companies offer discounts when you're buying a majority of say lighting fixtures from them. Don't be afraid to negotiate, even if they'll match any price always call & say: I'd like to buy from you but the price is a little too high for me. Is there a chance you could give me 10% off? If it's no, it's a no - you didn't lose anything by asking. But if it's a yes & you're buying $6000 worth of lighting fixtures - that's $600 saved. They know they have competition & buying fixtures is one of those areas where being pushy really helps because you�re the one with the check book. Overstock is always a good one. But any website that offers the same product for cheaper is a good website. I�ve saved anywhere from $50 to $150 depending on what it was. You just gotta click on every website that has your product in stock & keep going to about page 3 on Google & you�ll find these sites. LOTS of clicking but you get used to it. Sometimes a price you see is what you get but most of the time it�s not. Websites will come that say they have your product & they don�t so you just go to the next one. If you have a product item/number sometimes you can type it in the search engine of the website itself or search by brand. We�ve found some of our most treasured items at Lowe�s or Home Depot. One chandelier we just sprayed black because it was grey & we wanted black. When I tell people it�s from Lowe�s & cost a $100 they can�t believe it. Try to match the exterior of the house to the inside. If it's a Craftsman style house you'll probably want more woodwork then just 2 posts. Usually Arts & Crafts houses have a lot of detail to make them more authentic. I like 14� lodge room but am not sure if you need to go the extra mile in the kitchen/keeping room/master. Ceilings make statements when they are vaulted or have beams or are tray ceilings & those might be the things you might want to give some thought. I know they�re more expensive but we went with regular 10� ceilings � didn�t even add moldings & they don�t look so great. It was cheaper but now I want to add something to every room to make it feel more special because really the ceiling is your fifth wall. If you�re going to have brick instead of stone though that�s less of a Craftsman style house.

P. Thank you for posting your blog. I, too, am currently building in Cedar City, so I can relate to your story. We are building owner/builder and broke ground in August. It's been a much bigger challenge than I expected, but things are moving along. Your house is looking great by the way. I grew up in an area of Southern California that had many Eichler neighborhoods and many, many, MCM homes. I think you designed yours very well. Good luck with the rest of your build.

Just a word of caution regarding Anderson Windows. We wanted the windows and doors pictured in the rustic Amicalola home that's on the Garrell site. Researched it and found out they are from Anderson. Pricey ,but thought They would be worth the cost. Our local distributor is the HomeDepot. We took our plans to them, I also gave them pictures of the front door and dining room units. It took them three weeks to just get the order placed with Anderson. Another four weeks for production and delivery . Now we have pcs that are incorrect. The sales person that handled our order got a promotion during this time, but when he found out about the problems, he quit his job. The next guy talks the talk " I'm going to get this done" etc. but we haven't heard from him in a week. Finally, I called Anderson customer service and asked if they could help us. I was basically told ' No, sorry' . We will get it worked out somehow. It's just very frustrating. I would not recommend Anderson Windows to anyone, based on the lack of concern or willingness to help in this situation.

Try Garrell Associates the Amicalola Cottage. It sounds like it will closely meet your needs. Such as, one main living area with a screened porch, large deck, view of the woods from the front door and the entire main floor, master in the back, side entry garage (some variations have a three car garage, mud room, large laundry room,etc. You may want to check out the entire series, Nantahala, Tranquility, etc. has many variations of number of bedrooms, size, etc. http://www.garrellassociates.com/floorplans/amicalola-cottage-house-plan-0 We built a version of this model, the Achasta Cottage and had an architect modify it slightly to meet our needs.