Interesting input thethistle. I have always liked Frank Lloyd Wright structures - but never thought of this house falling into that category. :) I appreciate the input regarding windows. BTW - what do you think about the proportion of the light colored textured material - which we lowered (from the upper windows) in version 2. Do you think that level looks good - or does it need to be further modified? Your thoughts? Thanks again!

You do know that tempered glass will be needed for the windows in the 2nd rendering which BTW I like much better. I am never a lover of a dark material above a lighter one in kitchens , wainscoting or exteriors and I think if this is the look you like then the garage should aslo be the dark material with some windows in the garage door

I like the second picture as well

The windows should be ganged together- a narrow strip of stone/ brick/ stucco always looks fake, there was no way to do that until twenty years ago. Raise the front material change up to the bottom of the second floor windowsills for the same reason, narrow strips of material always look like a miss. Otherwise the larger windows on the first floor look much better (presuming you are OK with being on display)

I like the proportions. It looks like the bottom is about 1.6x the top, which is objectively well proportioned (:

The second rendering. Subtle change, but the proportions are much improved.

Another vote for taller and being mulled units. Hard to say if the lower windows would need to be tempered without knowing the glass size and distance of glass to floor or your building code.

I like the taller windows in the second picture the best too. They fit the look of the house so much better.

I vote for the 2nd window and spacing. That little bit of extra room below the upper windows seems to allow the windows to inhabit their own space (to be a bit fanciful); that makes it a more graceful transition between the differently proportioned upper and lower windows. IMO.

Thanks for the very helpful feedback! I’ll post TWO separate responses below – one specific to the WINDOW issue - and then a second specific to the COLOR issue – accompanied a few other helpful images.

Windows:

Re TEMPERED GLASS mention by Patricia Colwell Consulting. Good point. We’ll check local codes on that front and also get an updated quote from window supplier.

Re: WINDOW UNITS - comment by HALLETT & Co. that windows should be being ganged or mulled. I just want to clarify if you are saying that the three windows should be joined together to form a single window unit? If so, my husband prefers to avoid that approach given weight and resulting deeper header requirements (which will make the increased window height issue an even greater challenge...). Or are you saying that we should visually connect the three windows by using something other than the selected stone/stucco (or other) in between?

Re: UPPER WINDOW vs LOWER MATERIAL - per HALLETT & Co. comment to move front material UP to the bottom of the (upper) windows. We did try that in original V1 image – but then lowered somewhat to improve proportions. I understand what you are saying about the traditional application of such (ie stone/stucco) materials – but in the V2 version, we did lower that material to avoid that awkward, narrow strip. Do you think the lower material need to be raised right up to the lower edge of upper windows – more similar to INSPIRATION image below ? Related to this topic - comparing the v1 and v2 images – I do agree with raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio who thought that additional space helped to create a more graceful transition. But I’d appreciate any/all feedback.

Inspiration Image - HGTV Dreamhouse picture below (which inspired some of our design decisions) - and below that - our current house AS-IS :)

And a second response to address the comments regarding COLOR issues:

Re: Upper vs lower colors on house- In response to Patricia Colwell Consulting that lighter color should be placed above darker... I’ve read similar comments on various Houzz posts and articles these past weeks – and at this point we are still open to anything. However, it’s interesting that the picture that largely inspired us was a former HGTV Dream House (SEE INSPIRATION IMAGE POSTED ABOVE) where they used a medium brown siding on the top 1/3, with a lighter stone on the lower 2/3 – and we found the effect quite pleasing. That said – I’d welcome any/all additional feedback regarding the color issues.

Re: Garage color - In response to changing the color of the garage door - we agree completely. While we are not yet committed to the specific colors used in the renderings - we just completed a few experiments (SEE BELOW) regarding garage door color approaches, namely:

1) A DARKER color matching the dark trim color (as used on deck railing)

2) A MEDIUM DARK color that matches the color (currently) on upper house

3) A LIGHTER color (again not necessarily the shade used) just to see if it helps to make the garage compete less visually with the front door.

Thank you all for any/all input. We appreciate your ideas – and your time. 😊

I'm still bothered by the lone window on the top floor that doesn't line up with the door.

Ah... I have not even noticed that Yvonne. (BTW - That's a small office there - just off of the master bedroom.) I'll mention that to my husband and see if there's any issue which is preventing that alignment. Thanks for pointing that out!

In your inspiration the windows are trimmed together (very likely there are a pair of 2/4’s between them) but visually it reads as one unit. Additionally the front facade material transitions at the second floor window sill.

The height of the window heads is far more important than the height of the sills. You will never see the house from the level of the perspective rendering so you should try a view at eye level from the street. I suspect the low sills and the hip of the roof will not be visible.

The snow in the photo suggests you should not place the sills too low but we don't know how much snow you will get.. The other issue with low sills is interior furnishings. If you really like low windows why not use French doors?

Mulling the windows will depend somewhat on the windows you have selected. How will they operate and what model & manufacturer? Casements on the lower level will interfere with use of the terrace.

Not really enough information for a useful design crit.

Your inspiration photo shows a much better proportion between the first and second story windows. Your new second floor windows are too big - too tall - in proportion to the first floor’s.

Perhaps hire someone with an aesthetic sense to just do an elevation sketch from which you can work.

I agree with ulisdone. The second story windows could stand to be smaller. Right now the lower windows in the new design are about 1.4x longer than the upper windows. It would be better if they were at least reduced to get a 1.6 ratio. The HGTV house looks like its lower windows are about 2.2x the length of the upper windows, so it's a significant difference.

Thank you so much HALLETT & Co. , RES2 , ulisdone and thethistle for your most recent input regarding the rather perplexing window design/placement issues. I've decided that it is time to move forward with the long considered design review (by an architect) to address these concerns - and to help us with the (even more worrisome) exterior material selection. Thanks for your input!