When you removed the porch gable upthread, you did a good job of making the straight porch roof, but...it ends up looking a little raised. So I wonder if that is coloring your impression a bit. And I have to say, I kind of like it raised a bit in the center. It seems to underscore the charming shed dormer above without competing. Is it possible to raise the center portion of the porch roof a bit?

I see what you mean. No clue if it's possible or not. I have sent this idea over to our architect and I'm waiting on his response. He should give me a more official elevation change. Then I can really see if I like it as is or not.

Very nice!

i remember your plan from the kitchen forum. You insisted on the exterior door for your pooches?. Well done.

the front door change is great.

Ok I thought I'd throw a monkey wrench into the choices. First I fixed the porch roof so it looks more like it will look without the gable. Then I tried four different window choices. Frankly, I like the two small windows the least now.

In this first one, instead of using a larger window that doesn't relate to the house, I repeated the small long window on either side of the larger downstairs windows.

This second one is the double windows like we all seemed to like at first.

In this version, I used one of the upstairs gable windows as a single.

cpartist - did you move the door to the right? It doesn't look like it. I see what you mean now. Maybe those small square windows still look good if they were larger versions of the ones above?

I think the first one is too tall, and it'd have to be positioned properly from the inside perspective.

The second one, the two little ones, I like because it echoes the shed dormer, and seems like it will work well from the inside. And it gives room below for decor or console.

The third one looks too, suburban. Sorry, can't explain it more than that. Just, blah.

The last one I like. Good height from inside and out.

Bbut I think the smaller windows (No. 2) gives a little respite from so much window across the front. I vote 2. For now.

I like 2 and 4 the best of those options.

No I didn't move the door at all. I like 4 the best. I think the shed dormer windows are too small.

I like this game :-) Instead of a full light door, what if the window in the door was the same as the side window. These examples below don't have the exact same windows. They're kind of similar and the closest examples I could find quickly.

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The first one that benjesbride posted has been my inspiration pic for my own home from the beginning so of course I think she's a genius and you should listen to her ;-)

Here's Benje's idea.

One thing? I notice you have knee braces in the gables. I don't think they are needed with your style of home. Oh and I flipped the door so it opens opposite the stairway.

Pretty. But the smaller windows allow more privacy for the stairs.

I guess it's a toss up.

The smaller windows allow more privacy for the stairs and the larger windows allow for more light in the foyer/entry.

I am not OCD.. I am CDO because that is the order it goes in. lol.. I would go freaking insane if that door were not centered. It'd be a deal breaker for me.. lol

Sorry, it looks like an awesome house, but it would freaking grate on me till the day I sold it :P

R

You're looking at a 2D elevation so you might be overthinking it?

Cpartist's 1 and 5 seem to flow the best to me. Personally I really dislike repeating the small dormer windows. I like that the gable above the entry was removed.

Cpartist- thanks for that mockup. Regarding the knee braces, I'm ignoring all trim features for now. He's still working on all of that. I'm trying to finalize anything that will effect the footprint or framing at this point.

benjesbride - I really those pics. Thank you!

After staring at all the options, I think I'm drawn to the ones where the gable is removed, the door is shifted right a bit, and the window(s) to the left are smaller than my architect's original. I feel like the "modified symmetry" isn't being forced and it's just naturally asymmetrical and it looks ok. Still waiting to hear back from my architect on what he thinks. I am planning on a colorful door, likely a shade of blue.

Yea, I agree.. if you are going to be asymmetrical, making it purposeful is the way to go. Good for you!

Looks awesome, either way.

The way I'm reading the orig. elevation is that the center gable was also brought forward to shelter the steps. Shearing it off changes other things in the porch and stair deign.

Casey

Gthigpen, I think what you will have instead of symmetry is pleasing balance!

Casey, you are probably right. Could they go with a raised straight section in the middle that extends out, instead of a gable?

Funny Casey I didn't read it like that because if they brought it forward like that wouldn't there be some sort of supports at the front?

And steps are not always covered.

I have a 3d rendering and it look like that center gable only went out a few inches more. The steps were not covered. The top pic (left elevation) shows it.

I have a 3d rendering and it look like that center gable only went out a few inches more. The steps were not covered. The top pic (left elevation) shows it.

Oh good so that means removing it won't make a big difference in function but will in looks.

Sounds like you've almost made up your mind, but I'm throwing in my vote for Cpartist's last rendition (but moving the door over more like bpathome's suggestions).

And totally off topic, but I'd love to see/read what you're planning to do with your serving bar.

Funny, I got a notification today that someone 'liked' one of my comments on this thread so I went ahead and reread the entire thread. I thought I'd bring some closure to it so people can see the final result if they wanted. Based on all the feedback I received, my architect did the following:

1) Shifted the door to the right. Swing remained the same as now there is plenty of space between door and stairs.

2) Removed the small center gable.

3) Instead of 5 small square windows in the shed dormer above, he reduced it to 4 but made them all bigger.

4) The two small windows by the door mimic the shed dormer windows in size, and are bigger than the mockups done on this thread (the change from 5 to 4 windows). Some thought they were too small, and I agree. Now I think they are just right.

5) The two small windows were shifted down a bit too. The mockups in this thread had the headers the same height as the door. They are still high enough from the inside and will provide a perfect "lookout" for my dogs from the staircase landing. :)

6) Changed window styles all over the house. And changed trim and siding.

I wish the front of my house was finished so I could share a pic with you. It's almost done. Just needs to be painted and the front porch installed. I will try and share a pic on this thread when it's complete to give final closure to anyone who might have searched or stumbled upon this problem. Drives me bonkers to read through someone's dilemma with lots of helpful advice and changes and then not find out what ultimately happened! :) Thanks again everyone!

It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL and so welcoming! Please share pics when it IS finished.

Ditto- looking forward to seeing the real deal.

Me 3!

Love it. Such a great house.

Thank you for the update! I love your final elevation -- the window changes make such a difference. I'm looking forward to seeing a picture of the real deal.

Nice changes!

It looks great!!!

I know its too late, but had to mention why not have a double door and not use the one on the left.

Russell B - Two reasons I didn't use a double door. 1) I dislike double entry doors. 2) The staircase in the foyer would block any left side door.

Farmhouse of Benjamin Ring, in the Brandywine Valley, which was the headquarters of George Washington at the Battle of The Brandywine, 1778. General Washington and his forces were outflanked by the British and the Hessians and forced to retreat into Valley Forge for the winter. The British occupied Philadelphia.

The entry door is not centered on the original 3-bay structure.

Still not finished but close enough to share some pictures. Last big thing is to get the porch railings up and we are working on landscaping now. I just put up the flower box under the two small windows today and I love it. I love my asymmetrical entry!

It looks fabulous!

What a pretty house.

Three year old thread.

Virgil - yep! Just closing it out in case anyone wanted to see how it turned out. :)

When I started reading this thread, I didn't realize how old it was. Then, when I saw "2016" I felt disappointment that I would never know the final outcome. But imagine my surprise and delight to find these latest photos! The house looks great, and I love the color of your front door.

Would it be possible to post the floor plan that includes any changes you made?

It looks awesome! I agree the color of your door is perfect :)

Your house has been in my favorite top 5 from the beginning in part BECAUSE of your entry! But one the other hand over always loved the gables and shed, too. Great front door color.

It looks wonderful! And the change to the gable Windows was an excellent move.

The best part of this (three year old) thread is we get to see it finished. Thanks for the update. The entry exterior looks fantastic.

The window is what brings it together. Without the window, it would drive me nuts, but with it, it adds a warmth, homey, and personal touch that really makes it beautiful. Great choice!

Thanks everyone! Kind of sad that it's taken 3 years to get to this point (and still not completely done) but it is what it is when the last part of the build is DIY and we have two teens with activities every weekend. Just this spring our yard is starting to look like something not in a construction zone. I always joked that our yard looked like the apocalypse with the dirt, weeds, tools scattered everywhere, broken concrete, etc. Slowly but surely we are cleaning it up and planting things. I finally felt like it was close enough to share how it looks in real life. Without all the help from the people who chimed in on this thread, not sure the entry would be what is today. I seriously love it and people stop often and say how charming it is. So thank you for giving me (and my architect) some very helpful advice!

For those who want to know, the color of the front door is Bainbridge Blue by Benjamin Moore.

And walking down the stairs yesterday afternoon, I realized that we get a glimpse of the flower box from the inside. Now I just need to put the effort in and keep those plants alive! I do NOT have a green thumb. :)

By the way, I noticed that you earlier nixed the stone bases for the posts, and the result looks great, so airy and graceful on your house.

For the window boxes, well, there's always artificial! Or a mix of real and artificial, just to cover your bases. Or whimsical. Love the porch floor, too.

You know you can't stop with the interior pictures, now. You have whetted our appetites and we will not be happy till we see more!

bpath - haha....I am definitely not opposed to artificial if it comes to it. My DH would be horrified but I don't care!

My DH and I decided that stone bases aren't needed because we plan on putting up some kind of cover between the cedar that's under the deck and the ground. Not the lattice like the architect drew, but something more solid. I think it looks more finished that way. Plants will hide most of it.

I posted a bunch of finished interior pictures on the Building a House - May thread. Search for my name there and you'll see them. Disclaimer is that the interior isn't done yet either. Next thing is to do the kitchen back splash.

Thanks, gthigpen! I don't usually go there because I'm about plans and results, not process (sigh, story of my life). Lovely, and the back is as pretty as the front! (and I love the picture of the girls' bathroom, it should appear whenever people think of putting two sinks in a shared bath versus one: counterspace!

gthigpen I totally get the drawn out finishing of a house - we're in the same boat and I haven't posted pics either, so don't feel alone! We did some front landscaping last year and moved around to one side a couple of weeks ago but our back is going to take some major planning and $$ - hoping for fall but not holding my breath.

bpath - I've thought about posting my daughter's bathroom pic a million times when the topic comes up of 1 vs 2 sinks in a kids bath. Those two girls use every inch of that counter-space and still complain there isn't room for everything. Well, maybe if they throw out the empty lotion bottles and put things away in the drawers, there would be plenty of room! Oh well....it's their problem to bear and I've stopped cleaning that bathroom long ago. I keep telling them I'm raising them to be future good roommates if they know how to keep a clean bathroom. Work in progress...... :)

DLM - The story of our lives is major planning and major $$. And I've stopped holding my breath for any certain timelines. Would love to see a pic of your 'almost' finished house. I love seeing what people have done finished or not.

Sorry folks....got off topic!