I think houzz is having more consolidation pains. Someone on another post said they thought they had posted on painting forum, but it showed up here.

So I like the idea of getting rid of the vinyl siding and adding lots of wide white trim boards. Found this pic of doing a two-toned treatment using shakes. Thank goodness they have it in vinyl now. I like the look of the prairie style windows and the dark stain on the deck. I’d get rid of the lattice and do a square lattice but create panels so it is broken up. Since you have a white railing, I would do the frame of the panel white and then either stain the lattice to match you deck and steps or the lower house color. Or just all white but I think that may be too much. Also notice how the panels are lined up with the deck posts.

1. For budgetary reasons we are planning an attic space located next to the master bedroom - good/bad idea? We are a family of 4 and don’t need that much space given the extra bonus rooms within the house. Bad idea. This space costs as much per square foot as the rest of your main house. Building it as storage makes no sense, especially while you have another similar-sized bedroom in the basement. Attics are cheap because they're under-roof space that has to be built and isn't really livable. Basements are cheap because you're already digging down for your foundation. Storage in attics and basements makes sense. If you bring basement bedroom upstairs, all the rooms could fit nicely ... especially if you move the whole master suite to the far right. Note that if you go with two nice J&Js between the two sets of bedrooms, you could lose that bathroom next to the laundry room; it could become a walk-in linen closet (could open into the laundry OR the hall), and since your storage is a little small, this would be welcome. 2. 10 ft vs 9 ft ceilings on first floor - can we keep 9 ft ceiljngs and create an illusion of higher ceilings by creating higher doorways? 9' ceilings are more than adequate. The double doors to the master suite, only the left one will ever be used, right? The right one will be latched in place? Because when it's open, it blocks the bedroom entry. Will the left door be wide enough to use on a regular basis? So if you're only going to use one door, only install one door. Here's a close-up of the door ... with a red line added to show how far the doors will intrude into the vestibule. Do you see the problem? No, problemS. Imagine you walk into this room. The door swing is now blocking the doorway into the main master bedroom ... and it partially covers the closet door ... and the bathroom door is off-centered. This vestibule will be a dark uncomfortable little place. but the bathrooms are quite tight. I thought the same thing. I'm sure these bathrooms meet code, but they (and the downstairs -- did y'all say maid's room? Seriously?) are all minimal. While you don't need wide open spaces in a bathroom, you do want more than barely-meets-code. Be sure you have space for drawers next to your bathroom sink, a hamper, hanging space for towels ... and just enough space for comfort. I don't think you have that now. Note, too, that guests in the upstairs bonus room have no access to a bathroom. One of these bathroom should become a hall bath. We considered the same, but our builder said the cost difference is negligible, since the framing lumber comes standard for 10' ceilings, so there's extra labor to cut it all down for 9'. (We're doing 9' on the second story just because we're working with a height limit for the overall house, and we're within about 6" of it). If money is the motivator for 9' or 10' ceilings, consider that the framing of the house isn't the only thing that drives up the price. Consider, too, that once you go "up" in height, you're looking at longer /taller stairs, taller (or stacked cabinets), taller windows, taller doors, taller window treatments ... and the biggie: increased power bills every single month. Consider the big picture before you commit ... not just what the builder says his part will cost. Is there access to the backyard? I was going to ask the same thing. I think you need backyard doors in the family room. As the other poster said, be sure you don't place your only backyard doors in the breakfast nook, where you won't be able to access them once the table is in place. Do you enjoy grilling? Note that you're not going to have a door convenient from the kitchen to the backyard ... I'd consider a pass-through. I don't like Jack and Jill baths, and would make a door from the hall. I do like J&Js, but they rarely seem to be done well ... and this one really isn't big enough for everything that's squeezed into it. Two doors swinging open into a small sink area that's supporting duplicate sinks ... then a toilet and shower crammed into a small area. It's too crowded. Note, too, that the two bedrooms sharing this J&J have doors that will conflict with their closet doors. You don't want doors that "open over" other doors. You'll have to enter the room and close the door (while carrying clean clothes) before you can open the closet door. Kids won't do this, and the doors'll become beat up from knocking against one another. Other thoughts: - The exterior has so many jigs-and-jogs. They're expensive, yet they add nothing to the house. - The kitchen aisle behind the island seating is going to be a major thoroughfare ... yet a person sitting on a stool can shut it down. This area needs to be wider. - Do you need three eating spaces? Probably more since you're probably also thinking of an outdoor table. - Does the breakfast nook require a bump-out? Couldn't the table be brought forward into the area between the kitchen and the family room? - The pantry is a good place for a pocket door. - The master bedroom seems overly large ... yet not proportioned for a sitting area ... it just looks like extra space for the sake of extra space. - How wide is the master shower? I'm suspicious that it might be too wide for comfort. If you go past 4' wide, you're kind of out there in the middle of a wet room full of slippery tile, and that can feel uncomfortable ... depth, on the other hand, is no problem. - The kids' rooms are large, but their closets are less-than-generous. I'd give up some floor space in the kitchen for adequate storage. Actually, I'd say the same thing about the master. - I don't see the point in the (expensive) second set of stairs to the bonus room. Look at your main floor living spaces ... who's going to say, "I'm in the living room, near the main staircase, but I'm going to walk to the other end of the house /through the mudroom to reach the second set of stairs to go up." If the idea is to leave the bonus room and go to the kitchen for a drink, it'd be easier /cheaper to put a small kitchen cabinet and under-counter fridge in the bonus room. Summary: The rooms are nicely laid out and relate to one another in a reasonable way ... but the proportions and details need some editing. You could easily cut out 10-20% of this square footage with no loss of function.

I am worried that that middle section is too boxy or squatty. To me it appears too wide for the height of the roof in that section. It is too late to do anything about that so I guess that is why I was looking for trim or siding selections or something to help out. The plans call for a 6" hardie reveal. It is located just inside the farthest edge of the "Historic District", so that is why the siding has to be a 6" reveal. All changes need to be reviewed to fit in with the historic code for "Old Town" Bay St. Louis, MS. After seeing these latest photos, should I ask for the shingle siding there? On the whole house? On just the middle section of the dormer? Any trim or corbels or anything to enhance the appearance? https://www.jameshardie.com/products/hardieshingle-siding?loc=refresh https://www.baystlouis-ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/bsl_hpc_design_guidelines_opt.pdf