Here are some pictures of the idea of having the 2 story great room with a covered deck that I am trying to achieve.

Here are a few more pictures of the Pepsi in the driver when it is really dry. We dug our well to 400 feet, and have 25 gallons per minute. The builder recommended having a mechanical/utility room in the basement to house all the well and septic components.

Sorry for the typo: Here are a few more pictures of the property in the summer when it is really dry.

I don’ have any comments that are helpful but I wanted to say that your property is beautiful.

What direction is Mount Hood from your property?

Southwest

What a beautiful lot. Best of luck with your build. Im sure you will get some good advice🤞🏻

I definitely recommend radiant heat in the floors and a cooling system. When the weather turns, you will set the thermostat at a comfortable number and then leave it alone for the entire winter.

Solar panels are a must. The savings on electricity is notable. I believe the magic number to recoup your investment is 20 years or so, but if you are young enough and this is going to be your forever home, then include the cost in your budget.

Southwest: you will need something for shade...exterior awnings or UV protection interior window treatments.

How. big is the family? Your photos show very large homes.

Consider a Prairie style home?

https://www.monsterhouseplans.com/house-plans/prairie-style/2727-sq-ft-home-1-story-2-bedroom-3-bath-house-plans-plan7-1341/

Hire an architect.

If you want a shop building that looks like the house, get the contractor to build it. If you can separate it from the house and it can look like a shop, get a pole barn builder to put it up. It's amazing how quickly the pole barn builders around here get things built. Twice the size for the same $. Very economical (if that's possible these days).

Before you build, see if Wyntoon is for sale.

You had me at Pepsi.

Looks gorgeous- nice that you can get a SW orientation and see the mountains. Also, it might be a bit windy since you are up on a hill with few mature trees for shelter. An attached garage would be nice when the weather is rough.

If you decide to build a prairie Style home, gather influences from the originals.

Think about potential wildfires when selecting cladding materials and landscaping. Fires have erupted in areas long thought to be safe from such issues. Storms, earthquakes and widespread power outages could be very disruptive to ordinary life so consider a generator too.

You have a beautiful site!

Here's an article that might interest you. Radiant heat combined with mini-splits for AC. Minis are now available in a ducted version without the intrusive casettes. Also adding another idea for the kitchen; induction cooktop with a propane burner system for back up.

Induction Mixes with Gas Cooktop · More Info

I see Mt Hood in your second pic in first set you included with original post. What’s the elevation at your build level? I’m in SW WA too so your note on amount of rain & snow puzzles me - didn’t know rain so low at higher elevation. Snow, maybe - there’s a reason for those nearby ski resorts! Curious about proximity of neighbor’s planned build to yours - looks close from that red line….are you sure there’s not a chance of that new house blocking some of your view? I would absolutely build in everything I could to ensure self sufficiency in event of loss of power. Solar power, yes. Generator, yes & it would be the whole house type that powers up automatically when power goes out & runs the whole house. Generac is the brand I’ve heard of. You’ll be on a well - if you lose power, you lose water too - no pump.

Did you check to see if you need a water right permit from DOE?

Thank you all for the great feedback. I appreciate your advice. We have three children, and my in laws will move in with us when they advance in age. The downstairs will be a place for extra storage. 

We are in our late 30's so having the solar panels will definitely be worth it. We plan on having a green house and chickens. 

The property elevation is approximately 3,800 feet located on the outskirts of Goldendale, WA.

Yes, it is very windy on top of the hill with not many trees to protect us against the wind.

The lots are 5 acre lots, but long rectangles. 310 feet wide and about 668 feet long. We will center our home in between the 310 foot wide portion. We want to stay close to the road because of the higher elevation. The further we go down the view is not as nice, and then we go into the scrub oak. 

I have attached a rough draft idea of the "site plan." Any ideas, suggestions or recommendations are welcome. Thank you again for all your input.

Chickens too? I’m moving in until your in-laws kick me out. I’ll babysit and help with homework.

The greenhouse would be perfect for sharing a wall with the shed. You could have shared electric and plumbing, and wouldn't have as much heat loss on the north wall.

We live in northern Vermont so a bit more extreme on climate but not by much.

• Definitely go with radiant - I will never go back to any other type of heat. We supplement with a wood-burning stove when temps drop significantly. It's a great combination.
• We also have solar power, and we live in one of the cloudiest states in the country. We do quite well in the summer, and it mostly offsets what we use in the winter.
• We have a mini-split for AC, we use it about 2-3 weeks in the summer at most, but it makes a difference.
• I had a six-burner Wolf range when we lived in NYC that I loved. Moved here, and we had electric which was horrible. I now have induction and will never, ever go back to anything else.
• Consider a full house generator if you get big storms/etc. We have one, and it's another item I will never live without again.

Best of luck, looks like a great location for your forever house!

Checking in... how'd everything go with the build? I live in WA also... Western side. We're at the beginning phase of building a custom home on our property.