I think your builder might be correct on this one. Your desired look has an extension towards the street so it has an overhang. Your house doesn’t have that extension so trying Putin the exact same look would be extremely weird looking not to mention a PITA to incorporate into the porch roof.

It seems to me that the porch columns and their stone footers aren't weighty enough. Those square Craftsman porch columns tend to be very thick in relation to the size of the house (look at pics of little old bungalows and note how massive the columns tend to be). They are a good deal bigger in the brown shingle house.

This is how it was and then he changed it....it had an overhang here and the original plans had an overhang.

Here is the whole house....

We are painting the door brown too. I guess it’s not that craftsman like but oh well...I do love it and can’t wait to move in!!!

OP check this out:

This is a period Craftsman house plan. That peaked dormer gable looks an awful lot like the peak on your porch.

I see no reason for the change. Press the builder again for his reasoning.

Also, while your house is very similar to your inspiration, it differs in many small details which will result in a somewhat different look.

Thanks for the picture of craftsman style as it does look similar to mine.

Why doesn’t that peak have white slats like the other peaks?

The picture we were going off of doesn’t.

What is your climate? Snow?

I am worried about your second photo. At the top of the gable over the door, look to the right side. The roof there is raised up (doesn't match the other side) and looks like any snow/ice/water would be trapped in that corner ...

The roof there is raised up (doesn't match the other side) and looks like any snow/ice/water would be trapped in that corner ...

The roof is raised to prevent snow/ice/water from being trapped.

Frankly I think what he did made it more cohesive. Your house is not craftsman and sticking one or two craftsman details on, doesn't make it so. The house looks cohesive now.

I don’t mind it either. Through this process I’ve been grappling with decisions made that are different than I expected it and then feeling annoyed. But I think what needs to happen is to ask yourself if the decision made, while not one you originally wanted, hurts or helps the project. In this case I say helps. This looks nice to me and I would let it go. Still okay to be annoyed but I would leave it.

He's integrated the gutter so the very small amount of water that hits the face of the porch peak won't create drips over the entrance path during a storm. He favors function over looks. If you prefer looks 100% of the time except for during a rain have him change it.

Dan - would it be a minor change?

It's hard for me to give an opinion without seeing the original plans for the house. Did you have an architect that designed the house, then a contractor who built from your plans? Or did your contractor prepare plans from the 'dream home' idea? The porch on the dream home is barrell-vaulted and extends much further than the verandah towards the street. Your house's porch is in line with the verandah. It's just a different design - it looks fine to me. If you didn't approve the change then you have an issue with the builder. I'd have liked the columns to be more robust. The Arts and Crafts (or Craftsman) style is affected by the scale of the columns and the shortness of their stone base. I would paint the door 'woodstain' if it's textured. These are matters of opinion. On my house I wasn't happy with the colours: too many shades of beige. I'll fix it after I do some landscaping.

Your builder redid your front porch gable to match all of the other gables on the facade of your home. Look carefully at the other gable structures. The one he framed out (and then changed) would have been different from all the other ones. He went for uniformity. If that is NOT what you want, then tell him. In my opinion, it looks fine. But it is your home. Decide what YOU want it to look like.

what I really dislike about the gable over the front porch/door is two things: the white horizontal 'board/trim' on the lower edge and the 'lack' of the white 'triangle' (vent) which the two second story gables have. 0

If it was my house (which, of course it isn't) I would have a similar triangle painted white and applied inside the peak of the small gable so it would better match the other two, and if the white horizontal board is actually 'required' and not a trim piece, I would have it be narrower - to me it overwhelms the small gable although it looks fine on the two larger gables.

We had a designer make the plans and the builder followed that. Looking back should have made the columns larger maybe. Also, interesting the door doesn’t line up. I still don’t like the peak in the front porch but I did approve him to make the change to better resemble the others and I just didn’t think it would change so much and didn’t fully understand why he wanted to change it in the first place as he said for drainage basically it was the only way. I am painting the door to match the garage doors although it is no wood grain unfortunately, I am out of cash for any more upcharges!

Certain others Craftsmans aren't period correct, either.

Thank you to everyone who commented! Probably just leave as is. I can’t wait to move in!

Some things are not worth going to the mat for. This is probably one. I would point out that side from columns at porch the rest of the house is more farmhouse not craftsman so focus on getting finished and getting in. Landscaping will also improve everything. It is a very pretty house. But i get being disappointed by changes you didn’t approve or want. Negotiate for more landscaping to get more curb appeal.