Cam- I like the porch ending at the sides of the house...that's very nice. The dormer is a great feature, but would you be able to take advantage of that light...or is it just for curb appeal? Could you use it to bring light into the hall bath? As for the last house...what do you think of the shutters? Your house has smaller windows (except for the back) than most of the other houses used for examples. This last house has the brick/stone front, too, although yours would only be on the front, main level. Finally, the stone requirement on your house...I'm guessing it's faux stone for cost. Could you use a brick look, instead? It seems to be the popular choice, with these home examples.

Shead - I've been thinking about your suggestion to swing the garage out (similar to the first photo) and I think it's a good suggestion. It will also resolve the roof issue that PPF mentioned. I'll take that up with my designer when I meet with her next month. Do you have any suggestions for siding as well? Cpartist - The kitchen in the plans is just a preliminary concept that my house designer included. I've since met with a certified kitchen designer to create a detailed kitchen plan - the plan now includes a sink in the island. Re: east/west axis. There were several factors we considered with direction. Our property is south of the road. We want to see the front of the house when we drive up the driveway, not the back or sides of the house (if you look at the first drawing I posted, you'll see what I mean. Keep in mind that the driveway actually has a much slighter curve than that depicted in the drawing). We could turn the house so that the large expanses of glass in the kitchen, great room and basement living room face west, but I don't want the late setting sun to shine into those room at that angle (I have that in my current office, and it's very aggravating - I have to close my blinds to work in there later in the afternoon and evening). That being said, I'm open to reading your ideas about how the house should be situated. Patricia Colwell - You stated that the interior needs work - can you be more specific? I like the layout of the house (although I definitely like the idea of changing the direction of the garage). What exactly is it that you think needs work? bot494 - Thank you!!! You are one of the few who actually provided an answer to my original question, and I really appreciate it! I love the look of Hardie, but I've read so many bad reviews online that I'm leery of going there (the contractors I've talked to also don't recommend it). The LP Smartside sounds similar to the Maibec siding we are looking at. Can you get it prepainted? (the Maibec comes either stained or painted). I like the idea of using both lap and vertical - what colour(s) would you suggest? Or do you think a natural wood stain on all the siding will look good?

We're in Southwest Idaho (not far from Boise) and it's a true East (back)/West (front) facing home. Morning sun in the back, afternoon sun in the front. I specifically thought about this with room placement. In the summer the evening sun is very hot. Downstairs, only the office and guest room will have full sun, while the large foyer window will let light in to the back of the house which will be shaded at that point. Two of my kids will have to deal with sunny evening bedrooms- but this is why curtains were invented. ;)

Sorry, but absurd. Fiber cement siding only runs about 30-35% more than vinyl in materials and from an installation standpoint it is NOT harder. Only siding contractors who are not accustomed to working with fiber cement siding say it is more labor intensive to install. In reality, siding teams that are used to doing fiber cement and have the proper tools like power shears etc. at their disposal can knock that stuff out incredibly fast. There's no j-trim to mess around with, its prefinished, and most brands have proprietary flashing at the siding joints that is easier and faster than lapping vinyl and hand cutting weep holes, and the waterproofing and flashing around window and door penetrations is about the same as vinyl. The siding industry has become so dependent on vinyl that a lot of builders give you a giant upcharge on other products because frankly they just don't want to screw around with it. Vinyl siding is garbage. Do whatever it takes not to have it IMO.