Thanks Lyfia! All three ideas could work well. The closet wall currently would be between the two transom windows, so it wouldn't block either. Still, I especially like your idea of putting in a nice PAX closet, at least initially. A 59" (or 49") PAX closet, with a bench or plant in front of the left sidelite. I think that could work very well (if DH will be willing to be unconventional. I'm from Europe, so I'm quite used to wardrobes and no closets). I've been wanting to do a closet organizer anyway, so PAX could accomplish that. And, as you'd said, it means we could see what the space really feels like after we move in. This makes me wonder whether the entry door should be 2'8" rather than 3'0" wide. A smaller door might make the space feel larger ... and would leave more of the closet accessible. I'd assumed that 3' was more practical for bringing in fridges, couches, etc. But if 2'8" is a standard, then there must be other ways movers cope with massive furniture. Thanks! Very interesting ideas for me to sleep on. :-) (Yawn).

Your home is going to be beautiful! Just my style! Looks like you have my front door. Is it Simpson? Or Rogue Valley makes one similar. Looks like the piers under your tapered coluums are about 16" sq. or so, too? (Difficult, for me anyway, to judge scale in pictures.) Mind sharing which stone veneer you used? Seems to be an issue between me and the GC. He's a proponent of "more contrast"...in everything, it seems. (Siding colors, stone work, etc.) On the other hand, I like less contrast, more subtle and subdued. (Easier on the eye. I don't want any one thing to overpower the next, but rather quietly compliment instead.) I know what you mean about other homes in the neighborhood. When we sided our house about 16 years ago, "clay" was the new "in" color. Almost all the houses on the street were white, including ours, and I really liked the "clay". It appealed to my "subtle" sensibilities. Well, in the ensuing years almost every single one of my neighbors have used "clay" on their homes! Now, instead of the cookie cutter white all the houses used to be, they're all cookie cutter "clay"! The 3 or 4 that aren't "clay" are all shades of gray. So, both of those colors are out of the running for me. That's why I'm leaning toward Mountain Sage/Heathered Moss. There are no green homes on the street. If I chicken out and decide against green, then it's Timberbark/Monterey Taupe. Those are the samples cluttering my kitchen island (along with about 10 roofing sample books) as I type. Guess we have similar taste?! In the alternative, we could just keep it Tyvek-covered. Now, THAT would be different! I admire your strength! I'm having enough trouble with just a reno. Have said about 1,000 times since this project began that a new build would kill me for sure! Okay, today's plan now includes going back to the building supply place (again. I think this is the 3rd time this week.) for CertainTeed samples. Might as well check and see what they have to offer before the final decision is made. My thoughts about CertainTeed were the same. They've been in business forever. The vinyl they just ripped off my house is CertainTeed, and it has held up considerably well for all these years compared to other manufacturers' products on other homes in the neighborhood. I know someone who used their vinyl fencing and it, too, looks very nice compared to others. Must satisfy my curiosity.

Thanks, hosenemesis! I should mention that the T&M guy is really time in that he doesn't buy the materials mostly, he coordinates where we would pay Home Depot or whatever supplier directly for the materials going to our job, there's no markup. Two neighbors used him and I saw his work and am impressed, he's got a great eye for detail and usually guesstimates the length of time it will take (x weeks) and is usually pretty accurate, I've heard. At least three other people in my area use him and have been very complimentary. He is a solo guy with a business partner so I'm sure that 2-person team's work would take longer than a big contractor with a bigger team, and we have permitting issues using him alone because he doesn't do the exterior work we have a permit approval for, so we're going to slow down and see where this choice takes us while checking references on the larger contractors in the meantime. (it's worth mentioning that of our 3 bids thus far, 2 are around the same higher price and the much more itemized one is the lower one by a lot (about 20-25% lower), which makes me wonder whether the lower one is off somehow or the 2 higher ones are both too high.)

You probably need to upload the photo to photobucket again from your computer and then save it as message board size. Unless they have changed it, down sizing a photo could not be reversed, you need to start again and then post the new photos here. Sue