If all the plants are short, then row orientation is irrelevant. Taller plants cast a shadow, and the footprint of that shadow - and its movement throughout the day - needs to be taken into account. I use both N-S and E-W orientation in my gardens. Whenever possible, I place the tallest plants in the North side of a bed, in E-W orientation. This results in a zone of permanent shadow, so E-W orientation in the middle of a bed will result in loss of usable space. Because of that, I often place paths in that location, or a block of corn. (And BTW, those shaded paths are most welcome in the dog days of summer.) If I use tall trellises in a N-S orientation, then I try to grow plants of medium height adjacent to them, so that shading will be less of an issue. These might be shorter trellises of cucumbers, or caged tomatoes. In areas with hot summers (such as when I gardened in SoCal) some plants can benefit from being planted on the East side of tall crops, so they will be protected from the afternoon heat. Tomatoes really seemed to like that arrangement, it caused a major reduction of sunscald. If you are planting a lot of tall crops, then the amount of shade increases, and wider row spacing is required to compensate for it. I often plant adjacent 6-foot trellises for various beans & gourds. With E-W orientation, the plants get full sun all day, but only on one side; and rows need to be spaced 3 1/2-4' apart. With N-S orientation, plants get equal sunlight on both sides... but the rows will shade each other both early & late in the day. If spaced too closely in either orientation, then the plants will be top heavy late in the season, with little growth - or yield - in the shaded zone. Shebear brought up a good reason to use tall crops, which is as wind breaks. I plant tall trellises on both the North side (running E-W) and the West side (running N-S) of my gardens, to protect from cool NW winds. Here in the North, heat-loving crops (such as okra, eggplant, and watermelon) do better in those protected micro-climates. Furthermore, those outside barriers usually sacrifice themselves to protect the interior from the first frost. I also use tall trellises as baffles, to block or re-direct pollinators for seed saving. In various locations, both N-S and E-W rows serve that purpose. So really, the question of row orientation is dependent upon your gardening philosophy. If you have limited space, then using only short crops - or a row of tall crops on the N side - is the best utilization of space. Rows can be closer together, so you can grow a greater variety... and orientation won't matter. But if you have more space, enjoy picking without bending over, or prefer to grow varieties that climb (as I do), then just consider that planting tall crops is planting shade, and plan for the shadows accordingly.

My best suggestion is that you figure out your priorities. You may want great insulation and a durable roof that looks good, and you may want it all for cheap. You probably won't get all of this. If you don't prioritize then you won't know where to compromise, and you'll keep going in circles. Also, try and find a professional to work with who actually understands the way your roof is supposed to work, or else you'll just be throwing money away. For example, if your roof is ventilated then any insulation you put on top of the existing sheathing will be pretty much useless. You probably need a smart general contractor, not a roofing company.

worthy, that is definitely the style of the house I want. However, due to it being an older neighborhood, I am not sure how much of the exterior look will resemble the designs you posted. Thank you for echoing my style of architecture. "Edgy" is good. Denita, I completely agree in that that is exactly the kind of style I prefer. Thanks to you and Worthy for understanding my choice! When I visited the Architect in his home office, I could see his design is more of a modern tilt with big windows and more airy design. He seems to bring some very useful things in discussions with him (we have met 3 times already). So far, I feel very confident in his ability (regardless of his age). Add to that, his response times are fantastic. jmm1837, my architect has also promised to work with the builder. In fact, he has recommended a builder as well. Of course, he will work on the permits etc. He has also recommended us a Kitchen Design Company (which is very well known around here in South Florida). He has also recommended us a vendor for the Impact Windows. Through the process, he works with different engineers (structural, mechanical etc). He has also shown us plans of other houses he is currently working on. Seems very detail oriented so far. He has already built a few houses in my town, so he is familiar with the Permitting process. summer-z6a, I tried reaching the local universities' architecture colleges (FAU in my case). They are not very receptive to the idea. I would like to thank everyone for their useful inputs. I will keep you posted.

Have you already chosen the architect? We've now had two custom homes built, but before that, we lived in a (nice) tract home for a long time. We were new to custom homes too, when we started! Continue doing what you have been doing, look at pictures of houses, house plans, visit open houses of new houses and resales, to get ideas of things you like (or don't like). A good architect will meet with you and have you talk about what you like and don't like. You could show the architect "sample" house plans, but only as a way to show things or spaces you like. Visit houses your architect has designed, make sure their style is what you want and like. In terms of having a house that's impressive, you might end up having a house that's right-sized for your needs, but be able to spend money on high-end finishes or appliances instead of unusable space and/or a huge roof. To me, that's much more impressive. Another thing to think about is what you want to "spend" your space on. If you're going to use a dirty kitchen only for frying fish, then maybe a cart outside makes more sense. It sounds like you've put this kind of thought into your coffee/bar area. Though for there, you might want to include a sink in that area. I would hate if our espresso machine wasn't near a sink. In terms of designs that work well for hotter parts of the country, look at U shaped house plans.