How about something like the plan below (with stairs flipped?). Two changes to the exterior - I brought out the front by the game room to create an entryway, and I pushed out the little hallway to outside by the dining room to create space to enter the master bedroom from there. The entry to MBed is no longer as private, though, I did like it better when you got to the Mbed from the front of the house. Your stairs are no longer the decorative focal point in this plan, which I am guessing your architect was trying to emphasise before. So for such a big and light filled stairwell, the plan I have here is kind of wasting that. That said a grand, two story entry with expansive stairwell isn't casual Florida beachy cottage....I'd be picturing more something like this: This post was edited by robotropolis on Mon, Oct 6, 14 at 8:54

Re: painting, just remember this is not a room it is your exterior. Whatever color you paint it should go on your other exterior (non brick not trim) surfaces unless you close it in and screen/wall it. Just for fun, I really love this where steps go all the way around instead of railings. My deck is like this, I love it. It would look great in brick like this, with the brick pillar as well. Also like these, although any work like this seems like a great opportunity to face the stairs to the street as has been mentioned : ^^ no double columns for you (too fancy) but I love the brick walls and stair railings ^^Forget the style of the beams but the brick pillars at base of stair with white/cream railing returning to simple white posts would be nice What not to do: bulky pillars are all wrong for the house^^ ^^awesome with simple railing

Hi- I think it would be very nice if you could have a covered porch on one side of your house, or even running the length of the entire front of your house. Who cares if it is not "the period" of your house? I don't think your house is some period masterpiece whose value will be lowered by the addition of the porch. Only you can decide if you have the money to pay for that sort of project, and if the months out of the year that you can sit outside with a cuppa and a book nad/or with a neighbor make it worth it to you to spend the money. Note, I don't even mention re-sale value. Because what is important is the pleasure it will give you, that is number one. (I am assuming that building a porch won't detract from the house's value.) Please be sure to use an experienced contractor, get three bids, etc. You can have one side with a porch swing if you like that, or a couple of rocking chairs and foot stools, and the other side with a table and chairs and a bar cart/tea cart. From the top you can hang several bushy hanging plants. If you do this sort of porch, you don't need a portico as the door will be covered by the porch.

I don't have enough information to make a sound opinion on this. I say that because to me, a porch's budget can only be determined in respect to its aspect of the compass. My grandmother had a deck that was located on the backside of the house, a great spot because it faced a distant ridge with a nice sweeping valley in between. Being in Maine, there were no houses there and so a gorgeous view. Yet we never used it. It was on the north side of the house and much too cold with its prevailing wind and constant shade. I understand curb appeal, and to get that most times money must be spent, and if that is the case here, I would certainly do that. But I would limit my budget just to get curb appeal (form). But if the porch is to be on the south or west side of the house (at least here in Maine) where the porch might get a lot of use, I might go all out. Form is one thing, function another, but both form and function is expensive. It's certainly alright to spend money on both a great looking, fully functional porch, but I would be sure you will use it often before I set my budget too high. I suspect you have other areas of the home you want to upgrade and don't have an unlimited supply of money?