You're off to a good start. The assessment of what you need, coupled with your plan, will probably get you a good result the first time instead of the the third reconstruction. I have only a few comments. Looking at your plan my mind was having difficulty reconciling the plan with the stated yard dimensions of 60 ft by 40 to the backdoor, 29 to the bedroom. It's a minor thing that would probably only bother me. But after superimposing a grid on the plan it can be seen there is a small error of scale (the red dash lines match the dimensions for the yard and house walls). Keep this in mind as you develop plant spacing. Also, you make no mention of the slope of the property. One important consideration of every landscape is water movement and drainage. If your yard is flat, even small changes in grade or hardscape can cause a problem. I suggest you use one copy of your plan to map all water movement; roof water, any water entering from another property, where the excess water leaves your property, and flow direction throughout the yard. One of the items you mention is shade for the patio. No wonder, Dallas is hot. The placement of just the right tree in the right spot is needed to accomplish the goal. As the seasons change, so does the sun's location. You should consider what weeks of the year shade is most important along with what time of day the patio will be in use. Plant a tree that shades the patio at 6 pm in March and in June you may find that the patio is in shade at 4 pm while at 6 pm it's back in sun. Crown shape and height are important factors to consider, a greater height allowing for a greater distance, patio to tree. You might want to plant a fast growing tree close to the patio for shade over the next 5 years while a more substantial tree grows to a greater height further back in the landscape. All of this can be planed but first the true orientation of the yard must be known. This can be found by noting the time of day along with the date of observation that the sun aligns with the side fence. (example 5:38 on May 15).

Cluscher, I guess I wasn't writing very clearly. Crape myrtles are beautiful trees, but many tend to get overpruned or topped (called Crape murder), because to prune a mature, tall tree properly it can take time. It doesn't need to be pruned back for the health of the tree at all, it would still be just fine if you never pruned it, but the seedheads and little bit of dieback on the tips would make me want to do it since I'm a perfectionist in my garden. If it were me, I would just trim the tips to where the stems are the diameter of a pencil or so. That would take a lot of time on a large tree! That's the only reason I don't have these beautiful trees in my garden. They are definitely worth having and you never have to prune them or can prune anywhere inbetween that you desire. I just love the shape nature intended them to have, but don't love to see dead tips. Of course, Wanna run faster is correct in that they are bare in winter. There are many types of cassias and most of them have seasonal, bright yellow flowers which are eye-catching! They are also host plants for the sulfur butterflies, so it keeps them floating about your garden. In my opinion, most cassias are brittle plants that may need to be staked if you get the ones that are standards. They tend to drop branches frequently, and in my garden have lasted less than five years because of slow decline. It could just be me, and I hope others chime in. Some also get pods that might be messy if you're a perfectionist. It's been a long time since I've had them so maybe there are sterile types now that don't get pods, but just to let you know so you can do your own research. As I remember, I think most don't look great in winter either. Sylvester palms are beautiful, IMHO. To my knowledge they don't come in clusters and they do get quite tall. I don't have one, but I don't think they are particularly difficult to care for, but do need fronds trimmed regularly- and they do have spines. Keep asking questions if things aren't clear.

If you consider it a "first draft", it's a decent starting place ... but lots of things need polishing before you put money into this plan. Things I'd change: - I hear you when you say it doesn't matter that you've placed the master closet in a prime position because of the heavy trees ... but it does matter. You also say this is your forever house ... you shouldn't accept a design flaw because of trees, which may end up being cut. Consider this: If you bump the master bathroom and closet over to the middle, you'll create a noise barrier between the living room and the master bedroom -- I can't see that as a bad thing. The closet'll be larger (and it's located just inside the bedroom, so you don't have to walk across the room to put away your shoes). Note, too, that the bed is now against a wall all by itself ... the bathroom and closet are at the foot of the bed, so no one will walk past the bed to get dressed in the morning, waking a sleeping spouse. - You say you'll have the basement for kids' bedrooms eventually. With that in mind, I'd downsize the first floor to master + one modest kid's bedroom (as shown above). This means you can keep the youngest child near your bedroom for now ... and in the future, this room could be anything you please: Sitting room, office, whatever -- call it a nursery for now, a flex room for the future ... and note that it's on the corner now, so it'll get nice light. - I'd bump the kids' bathroom over towards the middle of the house. This bathroom would be small /no storage ... but if it's really just for small kids, I would be okay with that. It's open to the hallway, so I'd lose the half bath and let this serve for the youngest child who's still in the nursery and guests. No one wants to use a half-bath that's completely visible from the living room anyway. - Another reason I'd bump the third bedroom to the basement: Your front door is recessed into a VERY deep cave. It won't be comfortable to walk into the front door ... yet you also don't want to create a bowling alley entryway. By chopping off the third bedroom, you downsize this kids' corner and make the front work out better. - Last thing on this portion of the house: With the extra space left, I'd upsize the stairs to a larger, switchback stair. If the kids are going up/down constantly to their bedrooms, the nicer stair will be welcome. And I'd want a nice window above this stairway to bring light into the bedroom hallway as well as the stairs. - Is that dark line between the living /dining room a ceiling thing? If so, okay. If it's a wall, bad. - You have one way (through public rooms) to reach the back yard ... and that door is blocked by the dining room table. You'll always have to walk around the table to reach the door, and when people are seated, it'll be impossible. - The dining room size looks good, but with more kids to come -- and lots of years with them -- I'd like to see another foot or so of width for the living room. - Think twice about the garage. First, it protrudes out in front of the house so that it's the first thing you'd see. A garage is not going to be the nicest part of your house. You have enough space, so push the garage to the side. I see why you put it in the front: You want a window above the sink ... okay, so extend your mudroom /laundry out a bit /make it a connection to the garage. This gives you a large mudroom with space to vent your dryer directly to the outside /plenty of space for dog walking ... and still plenty of room for coat hooks and a bench ... you could have a back door exiting from the mudroom:Note -- with the exception of the mudroom and the garage -- that the house is now a nice, inexpensive rectangle ... but with a front porch, the garage and nice landscaping -- it won't be dull. Think about that side-entrance garage. Yeah, I know lots of people do this, but consider the guest experience: The guest drives up to your garage /parks at the end of your paved area, which is almost certainly behind your garage doors ... now the guest has no view of the goal (the front door) and has a long way to walk. If you do a side-entrance garage, you need to think through (and make it clear) where guests should park. A half-circle drive in front of the house could work, but it's not the only option. - The kitchen looks okay. I'd go with a bay window over the sink. - Note that the changes I suggested make the house more narrow ... this'll help with natural light.

We signed a contract and paid 50% up front, but I will not stop until I get a decent plan. My husband is desperate and wants to start building, he is not very happy that I am starting over again. I never liked the plan, one of the reasons I posted is to show him that I was not alone in disliking the plan. this is a rough draft of lot. 2 acres but is near the lake and there is an easement. This sketch was used just to apply for the septic, but It gives you an idea of the size.