However, those windows do not look great in isolation. The inspiration photo you posted - showing a 2 story house - does look great. Hire him, give him your goal and budget, pay him a reasonable fee, you'll be much happier with the result and probably save money too. Suggestion: DMH on this site often has GREAT ideas for this. Then bring in the builder to BUILD the idea you choose as that is his best area of contribution. You should get an architect or designer to sketch some ideas for you on improving the look of the house as that appears to be the real goal.
Builders' design ideas tend to be very Home Depot-ish, mass markety, unrespecting of historical and architectural nuances and about 20 years out of date. Builders are usually not the best source of advice on design and curb appeal (a few are, but most aren't even though a lot of them think they are). And I really would advise against a picture window flanked with operables.that is the antithesis of cottage charm. Definitely not the first thing I'd do, or even the tenth. What exactly do you dislike about it? It does seem a slight mismatch to the other window and door, but not a serious one. That bay window really isn't ugly, at least not in the photo. Would still love some encouragement/advice, though :) We plan to have interior doors like these: Rear exterior patio doors like these: Kitchen cabinets like these: Wainscoting like this: Columns like these: My husband says I'm over-analyzing and it will all look great. Is it okay to have a mixture of craftsman and traditional elements on the interior and it not look hodge-podgey? I want a cohesive feel on the interior.
But, my question still remains about the interior work. This will maintain the architect's renderings. We have decided to stay with our original decision to have the 6 over 6 lite windows and use 4 over 4 lite for the smaller windows on the side of the house. By moving the door, it will allow us to create a foyer and have better furniture placement. Also, currently, our front door enters into the middle of a large cathedral ceiling living room. Thanks, everyone! We would probably leave the house as it was, BUT we ran into issues with our local septic department in our county because we are adding an additional bedroom which, long story short, means we have to move the front door to the left.