Hi Nutherokie, I feel terrible if my post made you cry. My purpose was to try to start a discussion to provide you with more of a baseline or general idea of what others on this forum have received from their architect and for what price. I'm so sorry if instead it made you feel worse about your situation! I realize the situation with our architect has been exceptionally positive, but on the flip side, the anguish and frustration I've felt working with the contractor we chose has unfortunately dragged down most of the positive feelings I have about the project by working with our fantastic architect! So, if you look on the bright side, now that you have a glimpse of how important it is to hire the right pros on the job, you'll probably not make the same hiring mistakes I made with our contractor and you'll work extra hard to find a contractor who's the right fit. Also, since your architectural contract specifically mentions providing "material selections, cabinetry drawings, interior and exterior detailing" perhaps you can suggest that you schedule a time to get together with him to discuss what you have in mind for these items so that he can finish up his drawings and specs. I would assume that he'll need your input; otherwise, how will he know what type of detail you prefer? Does he have any idea of your tastes and/or budget? Maybe that's an approach that would work - this approach assumes that he understands that this level of detail was included in his contract and needs to be provided in order to put the project out to bid with contractors and, as someone mentioned earlier, he will be able to "save face" for leaving it out in the first place. If his intention/assumption is different, he'll come out at that point and tell you as much, and then you can point to the place in your contract where it mentions these items and you can ask him what his intention was to fulfill that part of the contract. I realize that this can be intimidating and daunting...it's so difficult to work with professionals who often make it clear that they know so much more than we do as homeowners (and obviously they do!) but sometimes their insistence on doing things a certain way and leaving the homeowner feeling like a big dummy while also having to fight such an uphill battle (AND paying for the privilege!) is infuriating. In this case, fortunately, you don't have to listen much to him tell you this is "the way" it's done - you can just tell him that it may be the normal way it's done, but your contract specifies an additional level of detail and you'll be looking forward to receiving that level of detail (of course, after a consultative meeting where he can get a better understanding of your tastes and budget). I don't know how he can dispute the fact that he should provide it when it's in his contract. He may point to the place where "millwork is excluded" but you can cross that bridge if/when you come to it. It seems like you've spent a lot of money and time up to this point, and it would be a shame to throw it all away. I agree with Richard and others who let you know that many times, even after the architect's work is done, the builder/contractor is left figuring out the details, which is usually NOT in the homeowner's best interest. The builder will most likely not have any design background (although, in my experience, many of them have no qualms touting their supposed design talent and skill!), and you are taking a huge risk that your builder, left without specific architectural drawings and specs to follow, will make design errors that will cause you to cringe every time you see them. This is not the way you'll want to live! I second Richard's recommendation to check out Susan Susanka's book, which I love, but if her ideas do not suit your vision or style, there are plenty of other good architecture/design books and resources that are equally as helpful...check out your local library (although maybe you've already done this, especially given that you're a year into this process). Also, I've found it helpful to subscribe to lots of design magazines (I like Dwell, Arch. Digest, Metropolitan Home, Renovation Style, House Beautiful and others) so you get a huge cross-section of styles to look at and can pick and choose from photos of what appeals to you. Maybe you've done this already and if so, it would be great to bring these photos to the meeting w/your architect so he can see what type of trim, cabinetry, etc you were hoping for...if he has a different vision or opposes your design ideas for any reason, he will probably try to steer you in a different direction, but the bottom line is that he should be listening to you and finding out your ideas - if not, you have every right to continue to force the issue! It will be uncomfortable but you need to do it if you want to continue working with this architect (and perhaps you don't - as heartbreaking as it would be, only you can decide if it's best to cut your losses, put on the brakes and start again later with someone else). Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.

The sliding doors for windows is a clever detail for vacation houses and those where owners will only occupy the house for relatively short periods, since the sliding door can be closed and locked from the inside. For houses where occupancy is full-time, year around, they are a very expensive detail which may never be used in a closed fashion. After all, if one is occupying the house, why would one close off the view and the natural light? If the issue is privacy, that's what interior wood shutters, curtains and drapes have provided for hundreds of years.

I can already tell I am going to love these forums, and that you guys will probably get sick and tired of me asking questions in the near future! You've given me so much to think about. I think one problem is that for two years, this house has been at best a hypothetical..."if" we build, what type of house? "If" we build, how much land should we look for? So I believe that I got stuck looking at hypothetical houses online, picking a few that "could" work for us, should we find acreage. But now that we have and the hypothetical house is more a reality, I do think that an architect is the way to go. When I really look at that plan, the list of things I love about it is far shorter than the list of things I would change. Mrspete, you pointed out that the only real privacy downstairs would be the study, and that hadn't dawned on me. Since that bedroom would be occupied by our oldest (hence the reason for an extra half bath on the main level), then she would be the only one benefitting from that privacy. I hadn't thought about that before you said it. As far as visualizing how a plan would work for us in the foreseeable future, I've really only gotten so far as comparing it to the house we are in now. Bigger bedrooms for growing kids, doing away with the huge bonus room that we never use now, wider hallways and a better flow to the layout. You have all given me so much to think about and I really do appreciate it! Oh! And PS: I do know that the large southern porches are expensive to build, and we could potentially be persuaded to make them a smidge smaller, but for the most part they stay. One reason we fell in love with this land and snatched it up is that it comes with breathtaking views and all the acreage is clear and sprawling and usable and just lovely. So outdoor space was up there at the top of our must have list, just barely below "enough rooms to cram all our kids into" ;)

Thank you all! I feel so much better. It has been bothering me for a couple weeks and I decided to let it go. Then when my friend mentioned it (who is not the architect for the project-met him after I started the planning), I became stressed about it again. I hope never to have to sell the house, but resale is always on the back of my mind... I guess I didnt think it through, but we are limited on land for the addition as there is an 8-10 foot drop off 4 feet from the exterior wall. So I couldn’t make the bedroom wider. And the closet door and bathroom exterior door are lined up and to widen the bedroom would throw it off. Plus I was trying to stay true to the original architect’s vision, and this room is the same size as the master he designed on the other side of the house. Lastly, I didnt want clutter. As Mark said, an Eames chair or womb chair, some walnut built in’s at one side of the bedroom, just simple and no clutter. I didnt want clothes in the bedroom. I wanted it a place for sleeping. Mrs. Pete - it’s 12’ 1” before drywall.... the only other thing I could do is indent the wall, but I dont think this stays true to the house...