What architectural style is your house? If you want useful answers, then post your floor plans and exterior elevations.

Good luck on your project.

The top photo is a picture of a house built with a version of the plan we are using. Here are the elevations and floor plan- can't wait to hear suggestions!

Hi Britta - We built on a very similar type of lot and wanted the house to blend in with the trees and not stand out. The color is SW Herbivore and Trim is SW Creamy (which is actually really white - not so creamy) .

Thank you Missi! Your home is beautiful! I will look at Herbivore. I love your stone pillars with post on the front.

I like the colors Missi suggested. It's perfect for your lot.

Three things that stand out and you might want to do? I think your kitchen could be a lot more functional without the sink and dw on the island the way you have it. Where will you prep? Prep is normally done NEXT to a sink and 24" is not enough prep space. Additionally where will clean and dirty dishes go?

I think you could redesign the kitchen into an L shape with the island and it would be a lot more functional than the u. Plus with a U you have less useful corners versus with an L having only one less useful corner.

The second thing is the TV on the corner wall. Corners are so much more difficult to put furniture around. I would try it now before you fully commit to the corner tv. I would probably make the opening to the dining room closed off more down towards the backyard side so the tv could go on the wall there.

The biggest problem I see is that the powder room will be open to the living/dining/kitchen area. So anyone needing to use the facility will be in full view as they go in and then of course sound travels.

Do you want people to see your house from the lake? If you do, paint it a classic white. It will be beautiful with all that surrounding greenery. If you want it to disappear, paint if a "muddied" green or earth tone - something that blends into the land and is nearly invisible. Me? I'd like it to be seen from the lake and would paint it white.

Actually Anglo brings up a good point although I would want to know what other houses around the lake are painted. Do they stick out or are they set back.

Thank you all for your help- lots to think about. I will talk to the builder about making the changes to the floor plan in the kitchen and tv placement.. I had not thought about the powder room placement. i love both the white exterior and a more earth toned look. The house is the only one on the lake- it is on land that my great grandfather bought and has a timber farm on it. There are no other buildings visible from our house.

When you talk about blending in with the setting, do you get snow in winter?

Our new house is in rural western Canada, and we selected a green very similar to Missi's that blends in from spring to early fall. We didn't want a white house, because we have too much white/gray in the winter as it is : ) , between the ground and the sky, and the bare trees.

Thank you beckysharp. We live in Georgia- lucky if we get one snowfall year! i would love to see pictures of your place.

Roof color: From what I understand, generally speaking, lighter colors are more likely to reflect heat and darker colors are more likely to absorb heat.

House exterior color (siding and trim): If you really want your house to blend in on a tree farm (conifer?), you might consider the colors of the trees: green of the pine needles and the color of their bark.

For a lake house, usually a more causal vibe is sought; if that is the case with your plan, you can forget fixed shutters for appearance only.

For the front door of a lake house, consider a natural wood finish.

Britta - our home is also in Georgia. I was the GC on the build if you have any questions, let me know!

If a home I am designing has a nice view, I avoid having to look through a screened porch to see the view. Food for thought but I am probably too late.