That is just the perfect comment, laag! That contractor is a master (of something)--there was TRUTHINESS in what he said, but not good advice, I think. Now, I (in zone 7) did set pavers directly into a layer of gravel that was already present on top of compacted clay soil, and interestingly, it was for all the reasons above, and I am very happy with it--but I would not have hired someone to install an original patio that way and especially not a bluestone patio. (I wanted a TEMPORARY patio for about $100 in a pre-existing gravel mess that is gradually being converted to non-gravel and may not in the future be a patio).

I would guess about the same. I'd recommend a low pile with a rug pad so all the doors don't shift the rug around. Best thing is to purchase a few different rugs and try the out.

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Wow, that was a harsh response. Does it matter who designed/built this house? Keep in mind this is someone's home and by the few pictures shown I'm betting their dream home. mjammjam since window treatments are quite expensive and should be thought out, I'd go to Lowe's/Home Depot and grab the temporary paper shades for the windows where you need the most privacy. It will buy you some time while you figure this out. I think in your dining room you could still use curtains but the rod would have to be centered in that small strip of wall between moldings. You'd want the curtains hug wide to the sides so that when open they just meet the side moldings so your trim shows. I'm assuming you don't want to cover it up. But certainly you could use decorative Roman shades - that would be lovely, too. Your slider is very tricky and I think any type of shade is going to be problematic from a convenience standpoint. What comes to my mind is a curtain (would have to be hung from the ceiling I believe) that draws to the right over the stationary part of the door. When fully open it will still cover some of that glass but I can't see a way to avoid that. Then something simple with a slim profile hung as an inset mount on the side windows - it appears there is room for something like a cellular. Not sure if silhouettes have a slim enough profile. Same with your LR windows. Not sure what the last picture is about. Think this through - if you don't have furniture yet, whatever you choose for your windows will drive what you do there especially if you choose fabric roman shades or curtains with color and pattern.