Thanks Lyfia! All three ideas could work well. The closet wall currently would be between the two transom windows, so it wouldn't block either. Still, I especially like your idea of putting in a nice PAX closet, at least initially. A 59" (or 49") PAX closet, with a bench or plant in front of the left sidelite. I think that could work very well (if DH will be willing to be unconventional. I'm from Europe, so I'm quite used to wardrobes and no closets). I've been wanting to do a closet organizer anyway, so PAX could accomplish that. And, as you'd said, it means we could see what the space really feels like after we move in. This makes me wonder whether the entry door should be 2'8" rather than 3'0" wide. A smaller door might make the space feel larger ... and would leave more of the closet accessible. I'd assumed that 3' was more practical for bringing in fridges, couches, etc. But if 2'8" is a standard, then there must be other ways movers cope with massive furniture. Thanks! Very interesting ideas for me to sleep on. :-) (Yawn).

Oxford, sounds like you have lots of reading still ahead of you. =) I can relate to your confusion as there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding out there. Hopefully I can help just a little, based on my own experience (so far) growing succulents with lights. Where to purchase: Hydroponics stores, hardware stores, amazon/online. Some industrial supply companies may sell fixtures as well. Size of setup: There are 2' flourescent fixtures available. They are a little more pricey than the standard 4' fixtures. 3' fixtures are out there, but the bulbs are quite expensive for what you get. If you just want to light a single plant, you could probably get away with a very bright single CFL bulb and reflector. Light colour: For growing succulents, 6500k daylight spectrum is quite good. No need for special blue/purple lights unless you are trying to do something very specific (unlikely). # of bulbs: Depends on how many succulents/plants you own, how big an area you want to grow with, as well as your growing goals. T5HO lamps are quite powerful, compact, and easy to customize spacing if you buy the fixtures separately. As for how much you need, if you want very colourful and compact succulents, aim for something around 40W/sqft of growing space (assuming lights are 1-2 inches above your plants and you have a good reflector). If your goals are just to maintain your Echeveria over the winter, you could probably do it with half of that amount of light. Of course, if you use less powerful bulbs or put them further away, you will need more of them. As an example, here is my current lighting setup: And here is one of my Echeverias growing under it:

It looks like the shade is fairly bright so you should be able to grow things that like part shade. You could also consider planting both climbing roses and clematis to increase the length of your bloom time; they grow well together. A rose such as Zephirine Drouhin has grown fine for me, though some cold years it has to start over from ground level. It is part shade tolerant, scented, and relatively thornless with pink blooms in spring and some repeat over the summer and into fall. One or more of the type 3 summer blooming clematis might be a nice combination and give you a long season of bloom. You could fasten the rose canes up the columns along with perhaps some wires, and then the clematis would climb the rose canes and wires combined. the clematis won't climb just the posts since they need something that's less than half an inch diameter to wrap the leaf petioles around. The type 3 (hard prune) clematis are the easiest care IME. Here's a link to the previous discussion where you got suggestions from other members so perhaps you have to do less repeating here. Do you have a color preference? White, lavender, purple and reddish with a slightly blue cast are all common colors, and I think any would look nice with the pink of ZD rose or with each other. Are you planning to plant in the soil just off the edge of the decking and do you only want them growing up the posts, or do you plan to add other trellising materials to make more of a wall? Since you hoping to have them grow up to the roof line of the pergola, about how high is it from the ground? Many but not all of the type 3 clematis will be tall growing, but I am not sure how well they will grow right under the edge of the roof mentioned in your previous post due to the increased shade. Perhaps you can loop wires a foot or 2 down so the clematis can grow across them. One few large clematis that I like that can reach at least 10' unless otherwise noted: Betty Corning (lavender bells with a very light scent for some folks) Venosa Violacea - deep purple with white centers Viola - deep purple John Huxtable - White Princess Diana - bright pink bells and a bit less than 10' Gravetye Beauty - Deep red bells Little Bas - Medium blue-purple with white centers

Wow - what a view & nice home. I wonder if a light gray will make roof look top heavy. The current dark shake color is well balanced with the strong roof color. The entire look of house will I think be ”larger” with the change to horizontal siding. I’d consider a darker gray. The window trim will stay white & you are keeping wooden garage doors? I would definitely be painting sample colors on all sides of the house to test. Have you tried online color visualizers?