Thanks for the added info, Thrifter. DoGooder has given you some good suggestions. Be sure to check on specific varieties of fern you find at the nursery to see if they would do well in wet conditions, since some types like it drier. Ligularia is another plant that will do well in damp shade. Cranberries make a great groundcover to weave between other plants in damp shade, though their flowers aren't too noticeable. The berries, though not profuse, are beautiful, and won't harm your kids if they pop one in their mouths. Blueberries will grow in the areas with at least a few hours of sun by the fence, and the more sun, the more berries. Siberian Iris will grow in quite a bit of shade and are perfectly happy in quite wet sites. The more sun, the more flowers. They will give you a grassy effect after they are done their spring bloom. Plants you might want to avoid from PixieLou's article: If your kids may eat stuff in the yard, foxglove is toxic and Smilacina/false Solomon's seal has berries. Impatients has a blight or disease of some kind that has decimated most plantings of the regular impatients over that last year or two. You probably also want to avoid beach roses (rugosa roses) since they are large and have fairly wicked thorns and your yard is small, so you want to have room for the kids to play without getting into thorns.

It sounds like privacy is a good thing as people are "drawn" to use outdoor showers. I want to do something playful, yet discrete enough to not incur the wrath of my neighbors. I will have to get really creative for privacy since our screened porch is above the shower area. As is the 2nd floor of our house. Sounds like I need a roof! I am an avid gardener, so I think I can do an arbor with a friendly vine to create the overhead privacy. About covenants...you are so fortunate to not have them. The HOA already called a special meeting about our pool once this summer. We had a pool on our original construction plan, but the ARB chairman in charge at the time moved away and wouldn't give anyone his files. So, our neighbors thought we were installing a pool without permission. And, a neighbor was sure her well went dry because she thought we filled our pool with our well water. No, we paid two tanker trucks to fill our pool. Oh, you wouldn't believe what happens if a neighbor sees something that doesn't fit the covenants! And we live on 4.5 acres! Aargh! Anyway, I digress... Thanks for the input!

Some initial thoughts: -with informal dining room table where it is, traffic from front door to living room will often go through kitchen, weird route. Consider rotating island 90 degrees so it is along the long wall of kitchen, then there will be a path between informal dining table and living room? -Powder room door is open to main area. This will make guests a bit uncomfortable using it. -No coat closet or anything near front entry--I'm okay with this personally, but make sure you are. -Why not put sink on exterior wall of kitchen? -Master toilet has no wall underneath it, so there will have to be a long horizontal pipe. I'm not even sure if you can do that and meet code, but assuming you can, it will be very loud downstairs anytime someone flushes upstairs toilet -It seems strange to have a 2100 sf house w/ 2 bedrooms. What if you bumped the right exterior wall out and made a bedroom where there is currently space to below? I'm not sure a dining room needs a 2 story ceiling. It really won't add much cost to add the extra bedroom, will help loan/resale/etc.

OH...MY...GOD That looks like something out of a magazine! When you'd been saying outdoor shower, I kept thinking shower, with doors and a soap dish...you know. This is absolutely amazing! I love the wood work. I hadn't expected that at all. Completely stunning! Congrats. You've definitely got a piece worth big bragging rights.