Our first house which we lived in for over 30 years had a small screened porch which was screened on a north and east wall. We started using it here in NH as soon as it was warm enough. Both rain and snow came thru the screens. My husband always swept the excess out the door since the porch was over the basement tool area. The amount of rain/snow depends on how the wind blows in your area. I never keep track of weather patterns and in New England they seem to depend on the type of storm we are having. The ceiling fan helped a lot even though the house was on a shady lot and the porch did not get afternoon sun. Our current porch faces east. We will build an additional porch that will be off the new kitchen (currently being totally renovated). It will wrap around the garage that is being built now. My husband wants to put a cot out there for hot evenings. We have a ceiling fan in a livingroom but not in the kitchen/dining area. Although the livingroom has south windows it is much cooler because of the fan. We will put fans on the new porch which will have a dining area and a sitting area. We ALWAYS eat on the porch as long as it's warm enough or not too hot. I have not noticed the furniture getting wet although for bedding purposes keep in mind that on muggy, damp days you might not want to leave bedding on the porch all the time. The cats love the porch BUT we do not let them stay out on the porch at night because we have coyotes in the area. Ours might be high enough off the ground but the old porch that was closer to the ground was a problem for a relative. A bobcat came right thru the screens to get his cat. My husband has seen a screens badly damaged by a hawk that tried to get a small dog (we're in NH). The dog escaped into the house. We can sit on the porch when it rains, you just don't want to be close to the screens.

#5 Are there two windows together above the Weedy chest? Is the item facing washer and dryer, the linen closet? Is that going to be built into the wall or a free standing piece of furniture? #6 Three windows on the south wall? What is that new piece in front of the first window on that south wall? I think this layout creates a tight space at the corner of the PR and linen closet. #8 The freezer blocks access to any storage on the base of that desk area. To me, #5 seems to make the best use of the space and it looks in proportion. I might switch the sink to the place in front of the window rather than the toilet. I like the way the freezer and washer and dryer are together. You took care of the southern light causing problems with your computer screen by taking out the window. I’m assuming that’s a double window over the Weedy chest. You can actually look across the room and out the window while seated at the desk if you want to. You would also have direct view of the kitchen from a chair in front of the desk. I’m wondering about what kind of desk it is. If the chair can only be positioned in the middle of that space allotted for the desk, it will be uncomfortable up against the freezer. If you can put the chair at the end of the desk closest to the door, it should work fine. Again, using the space below the desk in the corner, might be a problem, but maybe that isn’t an issue for you. Plenty of room on top of washer dryer and freezer to fold clothes. Plenty of room to open the doors of the linen closet and stand to put things away. Not sure how much vegetable gardening is going to be an activity for you. You do have a small garden right now, but if you plan to increase the size of it, then I would consider how much room you need to start seedlings. You could add another window over the desk on the south side and use a blackout window shade when you are at the computer and that way if you needed more space for seedlings, you’d have it. I’d find it interesting to know which option you like the best and why. I guess at this point, I’d refine each option until I thought I couldn’t improve the layout at all, then sit with them awhile then try to narrow down the choices. It really is all about what makes you the happiest and which plan has no hidden pitfalls that would surprise you after it is built. That is what 'custom' is all about. I might also think about running it by a professional before I made a final decision. Maybe someone at one of the box stores might offer to take a look at your two final choices and make comments?

I'm going to throw a lot of statistics at you to address your issues regarding ice buildup on your windows. Keep in mind that these stats are based on a worst-case scenario of 0 outside and 70° inside, which is applicable in your area but doesn't apply to southern, warmer climates. You mentioned that the window supplier said you have Low E glass. I hope for your sake that you do have it. If not, your windows will be much more prone to condensation and ice. You also mentioned that the higher humidity areas (i.e. bathroom & kitchen) are more prone to the problem, which makes sense because the higher the humidity, the greater chance of the buildup of ice or condensation. Now for some stats. If vinyl windows, or any window for that matter, is double glazed clear insulating glass, the center-of-glass roomside temperature would be about 44-45°F. (Incidentally, single pane windows with a storm window would be about the same) Adding a Low E coating to the glass bumps it up to about 52°F, and Low E insulating glass with Argon gas raises the glass temperature to 57-58°F. Not bad for 0° outside. However, the edge-of-glass temperatures are much lower than center-of-glass. The type of spacer that separates the panes of glass greatly affects the edge temperature, and much could be said about the merits of different types of spacers. Naturally, condensation, and even ice, would normally occur at the edge first, since that's the cold "weak spot." Clear IG with an aluminum box spacer has an edge temp of only about 29°F. Low E glass with an aluminum spacer only raises it to about 32°. Then there are "warm edge" spacers, which are warmer and provide more condensation resistance. Stainless steel spacers are about 37° edge temp on a Low E/argon unit, and presumably (don't have exact stats on this) Superspacer and TPS would be at the top at 39-40°. Again, warm edge spacers typically range from 35-40°, but still tend to max out usually in the upper 30°s. Now for the fun part. If you cover a Low E/Argon gas unit with some type of roomside window treatment (blind, shade, shutter, etc.) the center-of-glass temperature drops from about 57° to only 36°. That's an amazing 21° drop. I don't have any exact stats on what that does to the edge temperature, but I would imagine it must drop 5-15° as well. The reason it drops is because the air in the room is no longer freely circulating against the glass. Even a couch or desk in front of a window will significantly reduce the glass temperature if the furniture is partially blocking part of the window. Enough stats. Condensation, and worse yet, ice, can NOT occur unless two conditions are present at the same time: high humidity and cold temperatures. The cold temperatures on your windows could be due in part to concealed damage, missing or defective weatherstrip, poorly-fitting windows, faulty installation, or just because of cold winter weather. If you have cold weather but low humidity, condensation can not occur. Both have to be there. If you're experiencing ice buildup on your windows, you have too much humidity given the current outside temperature with the existing glass system that is in the home (assuming that the windows are properly installed and not defective in some way). There are TWO basic solutions: raise the glass temperature or lower the humidity. That's it in a nutshell - those two things. More about those in a bit. First, I'd buy a digital hygrometer from Home Depot, Radioshack, a hardware store, etc. to measure the amount of humidity in the house (about $10-$29). You need to know that. Then I'd contact the vinyl window dealer to see if there is anyone that can come to the home to troubleshoot any obvious problems (good luck with that). They can hopefully also provide you with a brochure on condensation that has recommended humidity levels for various outdoor temperatures. Most window manufacturers have one. You can even look online for window manufacturer's recommended humidity levels. And as you mentioned there is a guide shown on your humidistat. Most of them will state that when it's 0 degrees outside your humidity level inside should be in the 20-25% range. Incidentally, with better spacers between the glass, one is able to have a higher humidity level before condensation would occur. RAISE THE GLASS TEMPERATURE - There are many things that can be done to raise the glass temperature. For old existing windows, the best solution is often to replace them with modern, energy-efficient windows. Obviously that's not your solution - you have a home with relatively new windows. (If you do replace the other original windows that have not yet been replaced, it would be advisable to get warm-edge spacers and gas filling in the unit to hopefully avoid condensation). Another way to increase the glass temp is to upgrade to Low E glass, but let's hope you already have that. But there still ARE many ways to improve your situation. One that doesn't cost anything is to keep your window shades open during bitter cold spells. Although you will avoid the huge temperature drop previously mentioned, privacy is compromised, and it may help but not completely solve your problem because yours is so severe. Other ways to raise the glass temperature include taking out roomside casement screens during the winter, using free standing fans or ceiling fans to better circulate air against the glass, and adding another layer of glass or plastic (I hate to see that though - it shouldn't be necessary). LOWER THE HUMIDITY - I haven't seen any previous posts on reducing humidity, but if they exist could someone please post a link to that topic? One of the best solutions for a new home is to have an air-to-air heat exchange ventilator installed to the furnace. It's required by code I believe in some areas. It brings in the dry fresh air from the outside and exhausts the stale humid air - giving you healthy air to breathe and lowering the humidity to the desired level. New homes are built so much more airtight than older homes, so they often need mechanical help to get air exchanges. Older homes exchanged air by being drafty. Dehumidifiers will help too, but are not as effective, since they usually can't get the humidity low enough. Great for basements though. Other ways include running exhaust fans when showering (and leave them on for a while), or simply stop bathing ;-) In summary, unless there is a defect with the windows (there probably isn't) or with installation, condensation can and will occur under the proper conditions. Even ice can form if the humidity is high enough, the temperature is low enough, and other factors are in place such as restricted airflow to the glass. You need a humidity-measuring device to see if your humidity is too high. You might want to contact the dealer. And ultimately somebody has to address raising the glass temperature or lowering the humidity. Let us know what happens, please!

I believe Sunrise has a slider with internal blinds that looks like a French door. I'm unclear regarding the type of material. Bronze aluminum frames will be used for my windows so in the best of all worlds, that would also be a strong contender to give a consistent look. If I have to, I'm willing to consider traditional French doors, but they would have to be outswing for my situation. However, I need a screen for this door. French doors would mean retractable screens on the interior. The main objective though is that I want a trouble free patio door that will be durable for the long term.