Are you working with an architect?

The garage is forward of the entry and never good deign and no need for it on 3 acres. You need a flat overhang for the entry the patio doors make the entry confused and I see no reason for them . I totally get views I have afab one too . This is kind of what you need of course scaled to the house . I love the lighting in tis too for both practical and drama.I do not think more than 10' ceilings are needed and when mixing high and lower ceilings often noise , heating and cooling are all affected too.When tunging that garage make sure you do not end up with a flat bare wall facing out on the south side

The shallow hip roofs aren't great, for several reasons. Try single slope roofs, vary interior heights, and use the difference in heights for function, like bringing light into the center.

Is that decking supposed to emulate a front porch? It doesn't work. Go ahead and do the deck in front of that slider but not clear to the door. Some stately steps with room for planters/living something something is all you need. If you want people to use your front door vs the slider I would pot the railing all around it so you block people from being confused which entrance to use.

Just be aware that many here live in cold climates and dislike high ceilings!

I'm in FL and did mostly 12 ft ceilings throughout our custom build three years ago. No regrets!

Are you living areas and outdoor spaces facing west? We had that in Los Angeles, and even with a view, you couldn't pay me to have that set-up again. Views are pointless, because you will have to close every blind that faces west and south-west starting at 2 pm.

It sounds like an amazing property-congrats. I hope that you are working with an architect, but perhaps you are trying to get some outside help and ideas prior to going back to her/him with them. If you haven't got an architect, I highly recommend Truoba. The planning and design are so important to get right from the get go, so don't rush it, and do your homework.

I agree with the other posters about the garage. It is very large, and taking up a lot more visual space both horizontally and vertically than other parts of the house. Perhaps it could be moved, resized, or enhanced with an attractive door and some windows. Also the color and siding material is different from the rest of the house, which makes it stand out even more. How many cars do you have? Are you using the garage as a work space as well?

I think if you post the entire floor plan, you can get more help-possibly more than you want! But you may come away with some helpful ideas that you had not considered before. And I think that a redesign may be what you need, because the garage situation is not working, and in order to get help, people need to see the floor plan, and understand a little more about how you live and want to use the space.

It's always nice to have a roof over an entry. I think, however, that it needs to be incorporated into your design, not thrown in as an after thought. Sorry but I don't think a flat roof line like the picture posted above would look good with your current plan/style. You will be limited by the heights of the taller and lower roof slopes, and the size of the current clerestory window above the door, and the garage roof, when it comes to incorporating a covered entry- so again, floor plan revamp is probably necessary to address this issue.

Finally, you want drama-so tall ceilings, and varied ceiling heights really bring in the drama. I think if you want a 13 foot ceiling, it is perfectly fine. (Tall ceilings aren't necessary, but they are visually appealing and change the feel of the space. All tall is not so great, but you have variation, and that is nice.) Realize though, that you should then insulate the heck out of the home for energy savings and noise control, and the use area rugs, and window coverings, also to help with noise control, all of which you plan to do anyway.

Finally consider the positioning of the home. Knowing that big West facing windows will potentially bring in a lot of afternoon heat, so planning for that will be important as well. So proper windows and a covered porch are calling for that sun drenched space.

Good luck, with your design/build. I hope this was helpful. Just a few observations, and opinions--so take it for what it's worth.

I live in a cold climate and like high ceilings. I figure it provides entertainment for other family members watching someone change a lightbulb while standing on the chair on top of the end table on top of the dining room table.

Mark, do you wear a kilt?

I think that standing on a chair on an end table on the dining table in a kilt to change a light bulb would certainly add entertainment, and possible danger- so definitely bringing on the drama with the tall ceiling. Y'all made me chuckle-thanks!

Have you considered the use of clerestory windows to allow the light to flood the area without having to sacrifice the comfort guests at the front door.

My parents built an amazing home in 1962 that was on a hillside.

They utilized clerestory windows to add light to areas that were more central to the home.

This is a picture of their front door. You might think that the foyer would be dark with the roof overhang, but the rooms past the foyer dropped in elevation and had clerestory windows, so the light came in those windows and lit the dining room and foyer.

The raised portion of the roofline that you see on this first picture is the kitchen. You can't see the area that is show on the next picture from this side of the house, but the area next to the chimney on the other side of the house shows the elevation over the sunken living room where the clerestory windows provided light to the dining room and foyer.

Wherever the roof heights changed the space was filled with clerestory windows.

This picture allows you to see all three heights

(I’m no help. I have lived in two houses below road level and never again.)

You could provide shade with a well-placed tree.

I agree @bpath. I would be placing the house at the highest spot on the lot ... maybe that is experience from seeing flash floods in LA and storm flooding in FL. Bottom of the hill, or lowest elevation, is never the best location for the house

bpath - Not yet.

@dan1888

Yes, if the lot had allowed, we would have placed the garage door on the wall directly next to the front entry where the deck is now, so the garage wouldn't face the front. However, the garage door location is pretty much dictated by constraints of the lot. (My model doesn't show the topography of the lot correctly, as it was too difficult for my skills).

What you can't see from my model is the immediate 10 foot drop in elevation from the very edge of the driveway. This is why you see a deck with rails in that area. There's a retaining wall all along the edge of the driveway, so all of the ground in the area to the right of the front deck and in front of the master suite volume is 10 feet lower than the driveway. The deck is basically a bridge from the driveway to the front entry. (We plan on building a tall water feature in that area).

I'm waiting on an updated floorplan from my builder and will post as soon as I have it.

To your point about the back-side rendering, we do believe the 13' ceilings are justified by the views. This model shows 8' tall windows with clerestory windows above. If budget allows, we may change them to just 10' windows.

@apple_pie_order and @kimbers333 and @PPF.

You asked if we're working with an architect. Yes, we had been, but are now only working with our builder-engineer. It's a very long story, but the bottom line is, working with our architect we have gotten our plans fully permitted for build.

During that 10 month period of getting the drawings created, the site surveys, inspections, etc, we had been working with a different builder. When we were first introduced to that builder we informed him of our budget. With no further discussion of budget since, almost a year later when we sat down to review cost, the price we were presented with was 110% over budget. Yes... more than twice our budget! We left that meeting feeling gut-punched and haven't spoken with him since.

The builder we're working with now is great. We have multiple neighbors who built with him and we've seen their homes. We first had the new builder estimate costs with no changes to the plans. Same design, same materials on our same lot. His price was $700,000 less than our first builder's.

He's made some redesign suggestions that will help us bring the cost down even more and is very capable of updating the plans. We're glad to have found him.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting

Thank you for the suggestion of removing the patio door from the front. That door opens into the den, by the way. Our thought when we added it was, the long width of the master suite volume needed something. I'll take it off the model and give it some thought.

Thanks for the awning suggestion too. I had actually tried something like that on the model, but it seemed to oddly connect the master suite volume on the right with the garage/ADU volume on the left. Maybe you're thinking higher up?

@Seabornman

Thanks for that suggestion. We do like angled one-slope roofs and our first design had one. However, our current builder showed us this house he built and it inspired us. We felt this roof was more interesting.

Keep in mind, our driveway approach to the house begins 200 foot elevation higher up than the lot elevation is at house level. So, your first glimpse of the house is from 200 feet above and very much downward onto the roof lines. Like I posted above, even more so than the angle you see in this photo.

@kimbers333

Thank you for the kind words, ideas, and experienced advice.

An architect had gotten us to permitted plans. We're working only with the builder now on changing some things we didn't care for.

The garage being where it is has a lot to do with cost savings. Our lot is a burn property and the garage foundation was the only thing that remained after the fire. We've had it tested and approved for reuse under the new permit. The garage itself is at driveway level, but supported at ground level where the new house foundation will also be built. To raise the garage up to driveway level the foundation is actually 10 feet tall. Being able to reuse the existing foundation is quite a cost avoidance for us.

A window on the garage side next to the entry might be nice.

Colors in the model are not what we'll ultimately choose. We definitely need to get our exterior colors and materials decided. That's next, once we resolve this troublesome front entry issue.

I hear what you're saying about the plan maybe needing a bigger revision. We're hoping we can avoid that because it would mean we'd have to go back through permitting, of course. I'll post a floor plan as soon as I have the most recent from our builder.

We are open to removing the clerestory window from over the front entry if it helps.

In an earlier version, we had a smaller den. Pulling the den outward into the deck, making it a couple of feet larger, extended the appearance of the width of the master suite volume over more toward the entry. Perhaps if we reversed that change, we'd have more options to do something with the front door?

Before pulling the den outward -

After pulling the den outward -

Your luck in finding the builder you now have is uplifting. Looking at the rear facade, I'm trying to think of solutions for the heating factor of the western exposure- interior and exterior shading options while considering the significance of the view. For the view and cost I like fixed windows with laminated glass to meet code requirements for floor level glass. Like what works in sliding doors for the fixed side as an example

"An architect had gotten us to permitted plans. We're working only with the builder now on changing some things we didn't care for."

It has been my experience those are ingredients for the project to land toward the 'disaster' end of the spectrum.

Mark, we have 12’ cellings in some rooms, we have to hire a handyman to swap out the batteries on the smoke detectors throughout the house.

If you are a senior, the fire department can swap out the batteries, at least in my parents’ village they do.

I bet the firemen don't wear kilts.

Hardwire the smoke and CO2 detectors as that is likely required for new construction now anyway.

We have 10 ft tall multi-sliders in the rooms with 12 ft ceilings. Don't skimp on door/window height ... that height is what truly makes the difference and not the ceiling height.

You don't want this look, regular height windows with high ceilings ...

Modern Spanish Style Home · More Info

Your designer ("architect"), left you with a not so attractive exterior. Now you have modeled it not very well making it look even less attractive.

Now you (not a designer/architect) are trying to fix it.

Looks like so many that are posted here where the interior was designed with little thought to the exterior.

For help with Home Designer: https://hometalk.chiefarchitect.com

Yes, modeling terrain is a pain, but it can be done.

Try some basic enhancements like turning on shadows.

The roof is a reflection of the shape of the house, and the default roof you show is just that.

As to your question, how about this? Really simple.

I'd also look at moving the front wall of the raised area back.

@arcy_gw

Thanks for the suggestions. My model certainly makes it look like the deck is pretending to be a porch. You couldn't have known it's a real porch because it fails to show the deck is actually suspended 10 feet above ground level.

I agree steps would emphasize the entry, but that's not possible given the house entry level is at the same level as the driveway. Planters aren't really an option either, as the lot is in a Wildland-Urban Interface, so plants are not allowed within 5 feet of any structure. In this case they would need to be 5 feet away from both the front entry and the garage.

Our entry doors will be very similar to these below and will be directly straight ahead as you step onto the deck, so we're not so much concerned with being able to distinguish the entry. We're just not liking the blah look of the entry being just a hole in the wall.

Not quite as wide maybe, but they should be recognizable as the entry.

@Jennifer Hogan

You are correct... that is truly an amazing home! I love how it subtly meanders, making me wonder what's inside. And that beautiful brickwork!

We have actually thought about adding clerestory windows and may do that. On the taller volume perhaps. Thank you for the suggestion.

@chispa

Thanks for the suggestion to build at the highest point of the lot. Actually, our house will be built at the highest point on the property where it's feasible to build.

The lot is quite interesting. It quickly drops 200 feet in elevation over the first acre. At the bottom of that acre is a flat half acre, perfect for the site. Then the last one and a half acre have a gentle downward slope with fig, pear, cherry and apple trees.

For us to build on that highest acre would require a house plan with lots of stairs and would be extremely expensive. Basically, a vertical home.

We'll be retiring soon and are committed to a 'zero-stairs' plan.

Regarding potential for flooding, the lot has 'natural' drainage around both sides of the house. All rainwater follows the contours of the lot into these two streams, which are about 20 feet from the house.

Two Streams

Well, many people in Asheville thought they had natural drainage with the river and sloping terrain! Your streams do look really pretty, but as they say plan for the worst and hope for the best.

I'm surprised you can build 20 ft from the streams? When we lived in MA, they had 100 ft set back from wetlands, streams, etc.

@PPF.

Thanks for all the suggestions. We may try to incorporate your idea of the extending roof line to the left to form an awning over the entry. Thanks for making the image. Very helpful.

Moving the roof line of the tall center volume back would require lowering the ceiling height in the den from 13' to 9'. That might be a good thing. Will consider it.

would require lowering the ceiling height in the den from 13' to 9'.

That was my thought. Make the den more cozy.

With a lot of helpful and appreciated advice here, we're considering redesigning the front elevation in one of the below two ways.

We'd appreciate opinions on which you prefer and why.

Extending the roof line of master suite (lower volume on right) to connect with garage volume on left, forming an awning over the entry door. This leaves the depth of the entry doors flush on the front elevation face as shown in the floorplan below (set back 3 feet from the den patio doors). Guest bath window rotated to be vertical.

Or...

No change to roof line. Front doors recessed 2 or 3 feet deeper into front hallway forming an entry pocket. (Image does not represent actual depth).

Current floor plan does not reflect the above options:

Keep in mind, siding will be Hardi Architectural Panels, so will add some modern interest.

Thanks!

I like the first of the two new front elevations!

How set are you on the plan?

I cannot imagine an architect producing this.

Here is one small example. Mom going to the toilet. She opens her bathroom door, then she opens it some more so she can get to the toilet, now she wants to close the door.

You have room for a large basement area, but I see no stairs.

I could go on and on.

Or how about a plan like this, with the public spaces behind the garage giving them southern exposure and minimizing the western exposure.

When the journey of carrying groceries from the garage to the kitchen involves a distance greater than half the house and traveling through several other spaces there are spatial relationship issues.

For like 5 days I didn't comment as no floor plans were ever given. You can't redesign the entry by negotiating massing and fenestration when you don't know what it does to the plan.

The proposed, the re-proposed and re-re-proposed entry elevation is confusing to me. It appears to resemble a rear (private) elevation, not public. The Den slider, with the fully open connecting deck, competing with the front door and entry deck, is the culprit. It seems the Den is more of a sparse Media Room than Office or Flex (guest option), and unclear what the deck there is for - seating, circulation to the large entry deck portion, gazing at the view, etc? Can the Den access the front door for the deck, or do the decks have to be connected? What is the shower in Bath2 used for (pertains to opportunities for the Den)?

It appears you might be selecting some higher end finishes for the house. In that sense, the overall design is surprising to me. I would consider what's presented at 60% design. Too many obvious things that can be improved - big concepts like adjacencies, the "central volume" that gets lost over the Den/Bathroom/Hall, the jutting interior corners, the proportional space allotments - like PPF, many things to talk about, if you are receptive. Yes, I read it has been walked through permit, but your own reworks seems to alter enough to affect permit.

My advice would be to do a mental walk through of the home. Examine every waking moment of your life and determine if every daily need is met by your plan and where the plan is failing.

Compare it to your current living space. Is the closet bigger or smaller than your current home? Is the space in your current closet enough space or do you need more.

Does the bathroom have enough storage space?

Does the kitchen design work for you?

Do you have enough counter space and storage space? How much counter space do you have next to the stove today and is it sufficient? How much counter space do you have next to the sink today and is that sufficient? How does your current kitchen space compare to your planned space? Does the refrigerator door open or is it blocked by the wall?