I still like the detail of grids on traditional homes . Ive had no grids, true divided light and the between window grids. If you have a really nice view maybe no grids on the back. Also I don't think the ones between the glass add anything.

@K Kohr @Jon Alan and @res2architect helped me a ton with windows and the charm they bring to your home's design. They are a wealth of knowledge. I agree with PPF when he describes window pane sizing. I think that you want to have the same width of pane size. To explain that here is an example... See how the panes in the dormers are similar widths to the panes in the lower windows. Here are some of the colonial style. Honestly with the size of window you have I think a 9 over 9 would be just fine. I love the charm of the cape pictured above with it's 12 over 12! These are all equal widths and 6 over 6 This stone colonial has 9 over 9 on the bottom and 6 over 6 on top. Notice the side windows are 4 over 4 (kind of hard to see because of the tree in the way but they are attempting to keep the grids equal widths like PPF stated above. The dormered windows look to be 6 over 6 which is fine imo. Window grids definitely add charm if done right. So make sure you draw it all out and are ok with the look before you order your windows. Looks to be a beautiful house. Can't wait to see more of your build. You'll have to share your milestones on the home building forum when you get started. It is a fun group of people! Here is a photo of our exterior. We just finished building this summer. While it's not the same scale of build (financially) as your home will be (I'm basing that off of your window selection. Marvin's were definitely out of our budget). The addition of window grids gave our custom home the old world charm my husband and I were looking for. Thanks again Res and PPF for the help with window grid design :)

I was torn between grids & no grids. I like Celery's rendition very much. The color change is the Real Biggie. All of that black & esp the black gable end were troubling me. Celery chose a really nice color that complements the stone. I would change the siding, get a new door and then stand back & take a good look at the results. The existing windows may look just fine with those other changes. (Of course, the windows may be old, rotten & in need of replacement anyway...)

I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions about the grids and the advice given about the exterior in general. The home was a 1979 that we hired a home design firm to remodel. This is what they came up with, which is not my taste, nor does it feel right to me for some reason. I have battled this with my husband and them for months and now we are needing to get the house framed in asap to meet our construction loan timeline. Will you believe that this was the second design and exterior rendering? I will share the first idea in case it appears more balanced to you all. It's not too late to revert back and eat the front window order. This is what we get when my husband doesn't hire an architect to do an architect's job. I'm just sick. Any constructive help would be greatly appreciated and desired quickly. Also, to answer a few questions from before, the grids would be between glass...yes, I know already a strike against me. Nothing is sacred anymore. Another quirk of the home is that the main floor has 11'9" ceilings with the exception of the kitchen, dining and living room which is at 10'. The overall size of the new plan is 3 stories and 5765 sq ft. I would have preferred a smaller, but more quality build, but that is also another long, boring story. Needless to say, hopefully in the future my husband will listen more to his wife. lol.