Please describe "dark". There are several things that affect how a room feels and functions. Lighting designers take into account finish material colors, ceiling heights, fixture spacing, foot candles desired on each surface for task, general lighting for the entire space, etc. One can have well lit horizontal surfaces with dark walls and the space will feel dark. This can be a common problem when relying on mostly down lighting in a space. The term "spot" is not very helpful because it is used too loosely. Some call all halogen reflector lamps "spots". A true spot is usually something much narrower than 25 degrees and it is unlikely that your electrician put in that narrow of a beam spread. The Juno IC928 housing with 604 trim will accept up to a 90 watt Par 38. If you are limited by circuit capacity try changing the lamps to Philips IRC 70 watt par 38 which give off similar lumens. But first you need to figure out the beam spread you have and need. The Juno IC20 housing with 205 trim cannot accept a 75 watt lamp. It maxes out with a 50 watt par 30. You'd need a 216 trim for that housing to take a 75 watt lamp. A lighting designer starts with what light is needed and chooses fixture types, lamps and spacing. Then they choose the fixtures to meet these needs. The fixtures must hold the selected lamps and trims. Non lighting people tend to choose fixtures first. Interior designers and lighting designers work together to create or furnish a space and the lighting for it. The reason I'm going over this is because you need to think this way but may have to make the best out of what you have to work with. In many instances you can end up needing to remodel your new house to fix lighting errors. A good lighting designer may come up with a few solutions at different levels of costs to choose from.

Finally - After a long day of gathering information and looking into some options, I went by the design studio and got the pictures of ALL the granite (that was medium to neutral or above, didn't take a picture of any of the darks). From Level 1 to Level 3. First off, after talking to the lady at the design studio I was expressing that I didn't like not having the ability to not have a backsplash at all since i'd like to see how my granite turned out before pairing a backsplash with it. She actually informed me that another option may be available. She emailed me back shortly after I gathered all the pictures and left and said "Yes you can do NO SHEETROCK for $200.00 , but we will add paint and texture " .. a little confused, and never owning/building a home before, I basically responded like so: "Is there a difference between sheet rock and dry wall? I assumed they were the same but when you said no sheet rock i began imagining cabinets screwed to the studs but then realized it probably wouldn't pass final inspection like that lol... So if you could elaborate on the difference of those two or what exactly no 'sheetrock' would entail id appreciate it" Her response said: "No there is no difference, but we will paint and texture to pass code ilo (I think she meant in lieu ) of leaving just the drywall showing. Sorry for the dialogue posted it just seemed easier. So with that said I seem to understand, but why are they calling it "No sheetrock?" when in fact there still is sheetrock/drywall, and it's just painted and textured? Can someone give me some more input on this? Or stray me from this all together if it's a terrible idea? To me it sounds like the best route that I can just add whatever backsplash I want to later...I also wonder if they're going to have to put a little 2-4" lip going horizontal at a 90* of the granite against the wall...hmm I don't want that. Also andreak100 - I'm very aware of the time/cost ratio. Time is money, if I spent 5 hours researching a good granite company and contractor, and I could be making my company $50-100/hr, I've now lost $250-500, and thats just in the research. Now down to the fun part! The granite choices. Remember, my cabinets are dark (espresso), and thats our style of what we're going to go with, so the granite should go with that. I think we'd prefer maybe something that was a little more "warm" then in comparison to the "White Tiger" See the attachment, if its not clear enough I'll upload a higher resolution link somewhere.

Thanks to both 7/11 posters - will look into the Milgard fixed glass awning window that matches the opening awnings. We did try the "that's totally unacceptable" route immediately w/builder(as it was a complete shock to see mismatched winders - just never anticipated this type of variance & found it unbelievable) but builder pointed to contract & said we got Milgard vinyl windows as called for - nothing was specified beyond that & on the plans, it shows which windows will open but gives no clue that there is a difference in their frames. We are currently waiting for an estimate to replace a few of the prominently placed offenders, but will have to live with most of the mistakes. We simply can't afford to completely destroy the relationship w/builder over this & he(angrily!) feels he is in the right; & our house is only about 1/2 finished, & we don't have another builder to depend on. This is our retirement home, 4 yrs in the permit process, we lost $ like most did in the 2008 market plunge, etc., so we just wanna get on w/it. Thanks again for all your answers.

I would match the siding to one of the brick colors you have already - lightest or darkest. Remove the stick-on faux shutters and don't put them back. Beef up your spindly, Victorian porch posts with square ones and upgrade the doors for a more stylish vibe. Match gutters and downspouts to the color of the surface they are on so they show less. See if that one running from the upstairs and onto the porch roof can be placed somewhere less visible. New landscaping will make a huge difference!