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If you leave a gap there's a good likelihood of water finding its way in there. I live in a 100 year old house- trust me, I know how water loves finding any and every crack and crevice. I can't speak as to the "right" way to do a stone veneered, 2x4 framed porch add-on because I've never seen it done that way. It's not how I would do it. Where I've seen structures built with framing, backer board, and veneer is usually outdoor kitchens (and they use steel studs anyhow). They can work because they're all supported on a poured slab, so even if the slab moves/settles, it's all doing it together. If I were building this, first of all I'd be ooked out by the idea of wood framing in contact with the ground and tied into the house (because removing the siding and attaching to the structure is what I would do). Then I'd also be concerned about how I'm supporting the walls and columns without them shifting or settling differentially. To be honest, I would do footers to frost depth (or deeper if it's a new construction home), and at that point I may as well use CMUs (concrete block) for the structure. And then if I was going through all THAT, I'd just jackhammer out the stoop and start from scratch so it was all one piece and I didn't have to worry about independent parts moving. But again, I'm looking at this through the lens of how I would approach this as a pro. As a homeowner job where you're accepting all your own liability- it could work, I guess. Maybe. As far as the design end of things, I always think in terms of having Thanksgiving at your house. With your existing porch Sid, Myrna, and their three kids can't all stand on the landing while you come to the door, but there's still kind of a connection between the up and down spaces. with what you have drawn, it's almost like mom and dad are in the vestibule and the kids are still outside. But that's just one person's thought; I'm sure others will disagree. Yay internet!

Hi, again. Thanks for the encouragement and the things you suggested I give careful consideration too. The exterior windows weren't such a big issue, although that was an importing thing to consider - as rollie suggested - given that I was so focused on the interior. They look ok as is and the one window in the kitchen which might look a little better if it was 6 inches over (no window above) still might move a litte once the kitchen design is finalized. Upon closer inspection, I realized the drafter also made the upstairs bedroom 8 inches wider than I had asked. Not quite sure how I missed that before - probably just too fixated on the misplaced window seat. So, I'm just going to give six inches of that space to the adjoining master bath and laundry room both of which can use it. None of the windows have to move, and I know these aren't any type of supporting walls, so I'm just going to pencil these changes in myself. While it shouldn't be such a big deal, I'm so relieved to have sound a simple solution that won't necessitate a whole new set of drawings. Briosafarm, I too like symmetry and you're right in predicting I would have been bothered each time I looked at the sheetrocked room. Again, thanks. I'm sure I'll have more to run by you as we proceed.

I’ve heard that even high tides are a problem in many beachfront areas in Florida, and a lot of the gulf coast, low lying parts of major Texas cities...NOLA of course, is below sea level and with more intense storms that occur more frequently, plus the rising sea level - there are tons of places around the world that will eventually be lost to the water and few are talking about coming up with a plan of action they can get going with - funding is also a concern.