This is so helpful, Thank You!
So we don't have a site yet, still looking. But it's a high priority that we be able to face the Morning Room and Great Room towards the South to take full advantage of the light. The Great Room will have 2-story windows so that the adjoining spaces will "steal" light from there. Like here:
It is my hope that this will make up for the lack of windows in the kitchen. I've been in a model home much like the above and it didn't seem dark to me in the kitchen. Has anyone had this not work out to light the kitchen well? My mother in law has no windows in her kitchen but it looks into something similar and she only turns lights on when she needs task lighting.
Yes, the Library has no windows. I'm hoping to steel light from the Great Room a little (maybe widening the doorway a bit) but I'm mostly counting on overhead canned lights. It's going to be really used as a Library with full length bookcases an only an armchair or two.
I also thought of perhaps putting in transoms over the bookcases through to the foyer, office, and mudroom...Or a small interior "window" through the staircase wall but I think that will be just "architectural clutter". Honestly, my husband loves dimly-lit rooms and cloudy days (I'm solar powered!) and I think he may like it better dimly lit. His current office has two windows and he always has the blinds shut. His ideal is a dimly lit room on a dreary English fall day. (To each his own I guess). BUT I don't want the room to be a dismal pit for the rest of us either! I'm hoping to have it well lit with dimmable canned lighting. It's not a gathering room but rather a room to get away on your own. I would appreciate more thoughts about this!
The hallway I see as looking like this:
It's not really meant to be for sleeping, just can be used for that in a pinch. Truthfully, our boys do not always settle in for the night peacefully and so sometimes we have to send one out to sleep in our bed while the other two fall asleep but I'd much rather send them out to the hall to read until they settle down. Also, sometimes friends/cousins come spend the night too and overflow sleeping space would be nice in addition to being a "mini-library" for the kids books.
My inlaws house was built when my husband was our daughter's age and every time we go over there we think "why didn't they plan ahead for an expanding family?" There's 9 grandkids so far and when we come for the holidays (or for random visits, which is a lot) we are all wedged into here and there. They have a big house (3,000sqft) but not many places for kids/guests (3Br/2Ba). My grandparents have almost 3 dozen grandkids (spread out over 25 years) and growing up, going to Grandma's was a riot but she could always house us all. I don't think we'll have that many (!) but I want to be ready to have my kids and their families over. We hope to expand into the basement with at least one more bedroom and a full bath in time. But maybe I should think about another bathroom....
The boys room (with the bunks) is really just for sleeping and dressing (no toys). Their current room has almost the same dimensions with a freestanding bunk facing a closet with 6' between, this would just be longer to fit another bunk (one boy just has a trundle under the bunks, not his own bed). But you're right, maybe that's too narrow with the walker (his current room is upstairs so his walker doesn't go up there) so I need to try that out. And maybe its too long/narrow... Good thoughts....
Great idea about the asphalt! I also wondered if stamped concrete can be done in such a way that the grooves aren't so deep? But asphalt would have that issue. What's maintenance like?
Q