A lot will depend on the orientation of the home but yes normally they will. Is the front terrace covered as well?

I put a couple of skylights on my back covered porch. It made a big difference.

It would be helpful if you could post the second floor and the elevations for us to give more comments. That being said:

1) Yes, porches can block light.

2) Holy Double-Doors batman!!! (bias warning- I personally don't like them at all)... but seriously... here are way too many French/double doors. As an entry to the house, you will only open 1 of them 99% of the time anyway. Into rooms, it is a pain to place your light switches. The bathroom doors are just tiny.

3) While I'm on doors.... the shower door appears only about 2' wide as drawn

4) more doors- The door into the toilet room will be very difficult to actually close once you are wedged into the room too. Maybe once you sit down.

5) I kind of like the little sitting area.

6) I think laundry is in the mudroom from what I can see... This is farthest point from the master and is pretty darn far from the stairs to (presumably) other bedrooms. You might think about how this works for you.

I'm sure there's more, but that's a start.

How will you arrange furniture in the great room? I'm afraid once you add a dining table, you won't have much space left for living room furniture.

I would find a way to get that master closet away from the corner, so you can have windows on two walls in the bedroom.

If the screened porch is facing south, it should get a great deal of natural light. The Great Room and Kitchen not so much. If the screened porch is not facing south, then not much light at all in either the porch or the interiors.

Do you really need a screened porch?

A small item but I would rotate the washer/dryer so it backs to the exterior wall instead of an inside wall. You will appreciate the better direct dryer venting.

If the dryer is moved closer to the window, its likely the exhaust duct might need to be longer in order to meet the code required clearance from the ground and window.

Why all the double doors? I see double doors going into the Master, the Master bath, from the Master to the porch, into the study, the entry door and from the GR to the porch. While they might, or might not, look nice from a practical view they are a pain. Into the bath, the study, and the master consider where you will place light switches. Double doors make that placement less efficient to use. (I'm sure someone else can explain that better.)

What is function of area labelled "garden"? Is it roofed? Whether it is open garden or conservatory sort of room, I would arrange furniture & any plantings to be sure that there is adequate room for whatever you have in mind. (Same furniture layout advice for "sitting room"....which I like, but if those doors are actually functional, the space for access & opening them isn't going to leave much space.) As I read it, access to this garden is from mudroom & from front terrace? Won't that parking area in front of garage be hot paved area & not a very attractive prospect from your garden? Please explain lot & show us elevation w/landscape plan.

Also wouldn't it be cheap space to line up back of mudroom/pantry with back of kitchen thus permitting expansive service area where high traffic is guaranteed? Though a short stairway is shown in adjacent hall?

And as gardener, I wouldn't like to use that twisting stairway up from backyard to centered rear garage entry, nor would I want to pay for it. Why this arrangement?

Thanks all....just a moment of exasperation with my own architect(yes, architect not draftsman). Yes, I had eyes elsewhere when I shouldn't have strayed. Feeling guilty after talking with him this evening. He's got several things I like but we aren't "there" yet. Maybe I was expecting too much on two or three renderings. There are several things I like about several of his ideas but they just haven't come together yet. Thanks Mark for setting my eyes upon the prize! He should have something for me again in the next week or two.

Be sure to receive his reasoning for the design. Your expectations may not match his solution, even though it is a good solution, but that is what the design process is for. Speak freely and do not be shy in expressing your concerns and your likes. I had a project that on move-in day my client told me, "I wanted the powder room larger, but I didn't want to upset you." Aaaaagh!!!