Wow, thanks civ Iv fan!!!The links help alot and make me realize that shutters aren't the only answer to prettying-up the front a bit. I'm also a firm believer in 'if they wouldn't cover the window when closed, they don't belong.' It would look ridiculous if we tried to shutter them! Those two windows are like eyes too close together-you wouldn't want to draw too much attention to them. Ha, ha! These windows are actually fairly new too so I wouldn't really like to have to replace them. Good to know I can work with them. I like the darker trim colour on the windows of the green house plus that neat detail at the gable. Very pretty yet simple. Both pics have nice porches too which I can see at the front of ours and wrapped along the side. Update: my husband,(since lunch) now thinks we should treat the side as the backyard, which it really is or will be since it faces the largest expanse of lawn. Wants to put attention to making the front nice-looking-good, me too! Still wants to put in a nice door on the long side but we're thinking French doors now-I think that side needs a bit beefing up with detail but I guess if we keep the front simple then the rest of the house look should follow, right? So, no shutters on the rest? I'm guessing, it would look stupid. It wouldn't be following the 'Pioneer Tent Stle' of architecture as the blue house in link 2 indicates. Is that what style mine is?

ccintx,take my comments any way you please but they are intended to help you maximiz benifit from relevnt advise vs just ingaging in chit chat. IMO,your hvac question should be along the line of,(We are building a new home and weighing benifits of hvac ducts inside living space apposed to attic. The house will be desighned to look and feel like a vernacular farmhouse so we don't want to distract from that look and feel.) Here's how you opened the discussion. "What are your thoughts on the energy efficiency of HVAC ductwork that is exposed? I'm referring to the ducting that is visible inside of the home" Then you asked "Would it be as efficient as ducting contained within a soffitt? Your thoughts?" You would have recieved similar but more inhanced advice about ways of desighning home so fir downs act as ducts and forget ideas of ducts in sofftis,that's worse than attic. Specificly from rater who I mentioned as advocating ducts in living space. Rater has experience with fir downs acting as ducts that inhance farmhouse look rather than distract. This would certainly have been talked about after your secound post in that thread,where you said "I have been researching spiral ducting and the efficiency of it makes sense to me. What about the placement of the ducting within the living space?" If that doesn't sound like a hack retrofit rather than planed new construction,I would like to know why. If that doesn't clear up your confusion,I'm stepping back so mind readers can answer.

I wouldn't be so worried about the risers as they look to have less than 4" open space. For the spindles they look more than code (more than 4") and I would likely do something just because I would feel very awful if something preventable happened (kids getting head stuck or falling through). It only takes the blink of an eye for sure. The more permanent option would be to weld additional spindles and repaint the rail/spindles with the satisfaction that the stair will now be permanently up to code. Or you can buy clear Stair Banister Shield that will do the trick: https://www.amazon.ca/Cardinal-Gates-Banister-Shield-Clear/dp/B002CGRTFY

You just need a modern railing for them. Something horizontal and thin? Have you considered cable railing? Here's a few pictures of blackened cable railing we did recently.