+1. I don't know of any specific trending per se. I like the less cluttered look myself and it is especially nice if you have a nice backyard or view. Some folks are going with grids in the top sash if they are looking for a different look (I guess bordering on prairie style). Whatever you do, I would go with the default pattern for the manufacturer in this case. They know what looks best in terms of a pattern in the windows.

I wouldn't go too light on the gray-something that matches the mid-tone gray stone. I like your wood door but if you change it out for fiberglass or steel, you can avoid a storm door altogether, which makes for a much cleaner look. At the very least, use a full lite storm door painted in the same color as the front door. It's going to be a fantastic project. I hope you'll keep us updated with progress pics!

the front outside will get arched off too. the front is 14 feet high. I am just trying to figure out if I'm going with 8 ft arched door alone. or 8 ft arched door plus 2 ft transom. which brings me to another question besides grills or no grills. what should be the height difference between the 10ft door and the front of the overhang currently 14ft. asking cause when it rains all the water comes in now. would 10ft door and 12 ft height overhang work?

@K Kohr @Jon Alan and @res2architect helped me a ton with windows and the charm they bring to your home's design. They are a wealth of knowledge. I agree with PPF when he describes window pane sizing. I think that you want to have the same width of pane size. To explain that here is an example... See how the panes in the dormers are similar widths to the panes in the lower windows. Here are some of the colonial style. Honestly with the size of window you have I think a 9 over 9 would be just fine. I love the charm of the cape pictured above with it's 12 over 12! These are all equal widths and 6 over 6 This stone colonial has 9 over 9 on the bottom and 6 over 6 on top. Notice the side windows are 4 over 4 (kind of hard to see because of the tree in the way but they are attempting to keep the grids equal widths like PPF stated above. The dormered windows look to be 6 over 6 which is fine imo. Window grids definitely add charm if done right. So make sure you draw it all out and are ok with the look before you order your windows. Looks to be a beautiful house. Can't wait to see more of your build. You'll have to share your milestones on the home building forum when you get started. It is a fun group of people! Here is a photo of our exterior. We just finished building this summer. While it's not the same scale of build (financially) as your home will be (I'm basing that off of your window selection. Marvin's were definitely out of our budget). The addition of window grids gave our custom home the old world charm my husband and I were looking for. Thanks again Res and PPF for the help with window grid design :)