Sorry but IMO way to many roof angles in a place where snow is an issue What are the finishes on the exterior . IMO the whole front is way to busy already so no shutters added .Is that a garage on the lower right side ?I agree with Mark we need a lot more info

It is not a painting, it's sculpture. You will need to post all floor plans and all the elevations to properly have your question answered. And as always . . .

WARNING: Posting your entire floor plan opens you up to facts you may not want to know, but should. Be prepared for suggestions that will make for a better design. Keep a thick skin, open mind, sense of humor, and a glass of wine within arms reach. You may not enjoy it, but everyone else will and you will be better off in the long run if you heed well the advice

@Patricia the average snowfall for the area is 4 or 5 inches during the winter, tops. (And thank goodness, bc my Michigander hubby moved us to NC, prior to that I'd only seen snow on vacations LOL). Yes, that will be the garage on right side. There's also a side entrance leading to laundry/mudroom. Finishes TBD. I'm drawn to a rough(?) Limestone and/or stucco but won't know more until we sit down with him to discuss in detail.

@Mark Thank you. Would it make sense to post my rough draft plans? Or would that just serve to complicate? I have them but have to figure out how to post that through the app. I can probably do it on the computer later this evening, though.
I'm always so nervous to post on here. Think it's too many hormones, not enough mint Milanos :)

Tell your husband we can ship some snow down there if he really misses it.

I think he misses the idea of the pond freezing over so the kids can skate on it, but I'm not sure he misses it that much ;)

The facade and rooflines are very busy, regardless of how much snow you have. This is what sometimes happens if you design from the inside out. If you're already working with an architect he/she should be able to solve the problems. That's what you're paying them for. If your architect doesn't listen well or give you what you're looking for, change architects.

If you have time, start going to open houses for every house listed in your area of a similar size and style. Looking at space IRL is so different than looking at a 2-D plan. Take a tape measure so you can measure spaces that you find appealing. Don't fall into the trap of thinking bigger is better. Sometimes bigger is just unattractive (like a cavern) and doesn't feel good to the people occupying the space. Proportion is very important when getting spaces right. If you can't go to open houses, at least look at listings online to see what looks good to you.

I think we sometimes get hung up on trying to have our "dream house." What your dream house is now won't be what it is 20 years from now and nothing is perfect. It's unlikely that you won't regret something when you move in, but hopefully it's something small. :-)

I'd try to simplify the rooflines, use two materials max for the outside of the home, and change the porch posts so they are symmetrical around the front door.

so the appointment with architect

Actual architect, or a designer/draftsman? An architect does what you are trying to do -- take your ideas, your building site, your budget and other things and develop a plan. Best to let them do what they are trained to do and not arrive at the meeting with your plan and elevations.

And the entire plan will be inverted (not shown here).

Maybe reversed -- swap left and right? Inverted = upside down.

trying to upload these now. these are all changes i have marked prior to meeting with architect. i know it is big (please don't burn me for that). 4th kid on the way (3rd boy). one of our kids has extra needs (but doesn't require a wheelchair), so the opening to the foyer upstairs does frighten me (both boys like to climb but he doesn't have much fear of danger). I am planning for all four kids will be upstairs. Downstairs "guest room" will either be a pseudo office or guest room (both husband and I need ability to work from home - me full-time), potentially workout room (we likely won't finish the basement until a year or two in the house to really know what we want down there, but it will be dug out).

well apparently i can't upload PDFs and i don't know how to change these to images that will remain legible.

@PPF great question. I don't know, only that my husband called him an architect. If he turns out to be a draftsman/designer, are we in trouble?

I missed the comment/response from three hours ago.

There needs to be enough information for others to determine what & why the front elevation is showing and to come up with solutions. The floor plans and elevations will convey that information. White-out the "mint Milano cookie storage" room label and just label it "closet". Some information need not be public.

Hahaha

Where did you get this plan in the first place? Has a professional walked your property with you and talked over you list of wants and needs? That's when the plan develops in their trained mind.

@Jennifer, open your pdf, zoom in and take a screenshot. Post the screenshot. Houzz only lets us upload picture files (e.g. .png, .jpg, .gif)

What an amazing conglomerate of roofs, facades, and assorted gewgaws. And that's just one side of the sculpture!

If your tweaked concept--yet to be "inverted," whatever that means--indicates you prefer traditional styles, tell the architect and leave the details to him/her/etc.

Or scrap the architect, and get a draftsman to render your vision into a building plan.

BTW, who needs to sit next to or across from strangers nowadays to do business?

I had to look up gewgaws.

@mark the Berenstain Bears and Mercy Watson must not be on your reading list these days. I hadn't heard of it either until it made multiple appearances in my kid's bedtime stories. Does this mean I'm not even reading at a preschool level???

Are those anything like Dick & Jane?