I am very grateful for your creativity and time in working out that idea for us JDS! The contributions you make on this forum are amazing. I think the idea of a sky light to balance the loss of light throught the front door from the entry overhang is very clever. Overall, I think the shelter at the door is a nice improvement! Atlas, the new door is taller in real life than the Sketch-up file I sent to you (as mentioned). The door is 8 foot with a transom adding an extra 14 inches of height over top. I'm guessing a taller roof over the tall door would not work as what you show is a nice looking extension to the existing roof (same pitch as existing roof). Any way to change it to accommodate the tall door's height? Again thank you for lending your creative eye to our house elevation,. Carol

Thank you lizbeth and k9arlene for your thoughts. @lizbeth: I appreciate your kind words on the house. Thanks for your vote on the railings, and for helping me once again on my home. I see that the darker stair railings do draw your eye to the door more. DH has mocked it up as a brown to match the door. In real life, we won't likely get a brown that matches the door as well as the mock-up shows. The metal railings only come in so many colours. The door is a stained door, and the man door is painted metal. We can paint the man door brown, but it won't look the same as the main door. I will ask DH to mock-up the darker door to see. As per having the picket railings on both sides of the steps, I don't believe there is a safety issue (please let me know if I am missing the safety concerns). There is a full wall on the left side (left as you up steps) so the pickets are not needed for safety. However, they may look better if the two sides are symmetrical. @k9arlene: Thanks for your question. If we did a different kind of deck railing it would block the gable window and gable door. The glass railings, while not allowing privacy as you stated, prevent the house behind from being screened. Our build has been long. At one point, we had a gable roof on the garage (not the flat roof that we have now). Sadly, we had to tear down the newly framed gable roof as it blocked the window/door behind and did not look right (too tall of a garage in your face). Carol

I prefer the color gradations and quality of CertainTeed. Weathered Wood in the Independence line installed using the more rustic 2nd install instructions - Five Off Twelve Up. Your contractor can get access to CertainTeed products, although it may require him to use a different supplier. Independence The supplier can give you addresses in your area with roof installations using the product and color you're considering.

Many good suggestions here. I gathered a few inspirational photos for you. Your roof color is most important because there are fewer choices. Once that is decided, then it’s easier to select siding colors. With wide white trim on windows means eliminating the shutters since you can’t get them mounted right for easy use and an authentic look. If you want light gray siding, consider a lighter roof too. This will help left the look of the height of the house. Then some updated landscaping will create great new curb appeal.