Ha! I actually did originally refer him to an Architect. Result: Beautiful home nearly 3x over budget and a year of lost time. I will run the final design though our rater/design team but think he's done a good job overall considering the variables. Iam tempted to raise the pitch but the drawing doesnt show the 12" raised heel which should help the squat appearance. I agree Athens and will pass along the suggestion. I know they are committed to using stone for the fireplace and column bases so tying them together seems like a good idea but think youre right about it throwing things off-balance.

Thanks to all for the farmhouse suggestions! macv, I never could figure what style I actually liked, and farmhouse is all I could come up with,but apparently it's greek revival and the connor kit homes are exactly the style I love. All the way down here in Texas, the cost to build is cheaper than buying a kit, and I don't know if anyone in our area would even be familiar with building from one. My favorite is the Augustine Parker II house except I want a first floor master. Putting it in the dream box for inspiration though. We bought a 1920 "farmhouse",but after visiting with a builder friend, he could put that same house in the dry,new,for what we'll pay to just move onto our land. So, for energy efficiency and to get exactly what we want I think we have officially decided to build. We did already have a friend draw up the renovation add-on to the old house so we owe $650. for a plan we won't be using, but better now than regrets I suppose. My husband says he only has one build in him and we better get it right. That's pressure. Oh, I already have the field of dreams house in the dream box as well. Thanks!!

Well Lindsy, considering even the simplest CAD program has a learning curve, for what the OP was asking, graph paper or tracing paper does work faster and better. I've tried just about all the programs, and I know I get frustrated quickly with them and found that when trying out ideas for my draftsman, it was easier to print out his CAD drawing and use tracing paper on top to make my changes. I could try out lots of ideas, one on top of the other and then easily combine ideas if I needed to. Once I did that, I was able to refine it in Photoshop, but then again I've been using Photoshop for over 15 years now. I had to do that because I wasn't working with a person of design talent. My draftsman only knew how to copy what I showed in Photoshop onto his CAD program and even then, when I showed him with redlines he still screwed it up. LOL.

My thoughts are all about the master suite: - Do you think you'll want a TV in the bedroom? If so, note that you won't be able to place it at the foot of the bed, which would be the natural spot. - I'd move the bedroom door down the hallway. This allows you to eliminate the door from the bedroom itself ... and it allows you to move the bathroom door into that entrance hallway (illustration below). This keeps bathroom light from spilling out onto a sleeper, and it would allow you a shallow linen closet across from the sink. More storage is always welcome. - Note that by using double sinks, you've crammed one person up against the wall. I'd much rather have one nice sink with a good drawer stack for each person. - I'd flip-flop the shower door's direction; it'd be more natural to enter the shower without having the walk around the door. - I hate that you have no natural light in this bathroom. The same is true of the mudroom and the master bedroom entrance hallway. Dark hallways are not pleasant. - For a house this size, the closet isn't particularly spacious. Consider, too, that this layout requires you to walk the whole length of the bathroom to reach the closet. I'm not against bathrooms-in-closets, but they're often poorly arranged -- and this is an example. If you were to flip-flop the bathroom and the closet (make the closet a walk-through), the closet would become more convenient, and the bathroom could have natural light. - On the other hand, the bedroom seems oversized to me -- it's a lot of empty square footage for a room where you'll be asleep -- but I'm in the camp of "bedrooms aren't a space to splurge on space". - Where is the laundry room? Most people want it to be convenient to the master bedroom and/or the kitchen. - Are you going to be happy with a master suite off the mudroom? It may hurt resale. And the garage entrance: - Instead of making people walk catty-cornered across the mudroom, I'd place the door across from the kitchen entrance, which allows you a straight-line into the house. You don't lose any mudroom storage; it's just divided into two runs, which could work out well.