Randall, the plans are really looking good.  After talking it over with Margaret, we're going to need to modify a few things to reduce costs, I thought the bonus room would make it around 4400, not 4800 sq ft.  But we love the plan layout, so here is what we need to do, so we can actually afford to build it.  There is a lot of text here, but other than the 1st item, it's all mostly cosmetic.

1) We want to remove the curved staircase, and go with a standard 3 section straight staircase, with 2 landings.  This means getting rid of the curved exterior wall, and continuing the square wall from the 1st floor, into the second floor, having the staircase follow the contours of the square wall. I think that may effect the powder room on the 1st floor, but I'm not sure by how much.  That will also make the roof easier to deal with, I think.  We will want it to be all brick on the front now, no stucco.  We do want the banding to extend into this new all brick square staircase exterior.

2) Remove the arch doorway between the MBR and the Hall, that should be a standard square doorway.  Keep the archway between the Hall and the MBATH.

3) Per your direction, remove the window in the MBATH, and replace with a mirror.

4) Add a window (double window), centered over the 1st landing on the staircase, at 2nd floor height.  This will be a stained glass or etched glass fixed window, not an opening window.

5) When you square the staircase, it will cut into the space we planned for the Christmas closet.  So what we want to do is square off that wall, creating a closet that goes down to the first wall angle in the billiard room, with a doorway into the closet from the billiard room side, not the bar side.  So when you walk into the billiard room, there is the bar on the right, and a wall on the left, extending down to the 1st left corner.  I hope I'm explaining that ok.

6) We also want to build out the wall between the 2 windows over the garage doors, and put a ventless fireplace in that wall.  The wall should go from floor to ceiling, but should not take up the whole space between the windows, maybe just 3/4 of the space, or even 1/2, whichever looks better.

7) The elevator requires a minimum of 6" pit depth below the elevator, for your foundation plan.

8) Remove the built-in Entertainment center in the Family Room, we have a wood one, we'll be placing there.  I need a space at least 8' 6" long to put my entertainment center into the space.

9) The french doors in the Dining Room need to open in, not out.

10) We want to show a built-in desk in the Study, along the wall with the Guest Bathroom.

11) Remove the brick columns out back, and replace with white square columns, on both levels.  Add a wrought iron railing to the 2nd floor balcony.

12) in the Billiard Room, we want a vaulted ceiling, with exposed beams.

13) in the Foyer, you currently have square walls (from the original
drawing) as support for the Sitting Area upstairs.  We want to replace those with Columns, so there should be columns between the Foyer / Staircase, and the Family Room, to help with the open feeling of the space.

14) Remove the arches above the windows on the 1st floor, they should be squared, just like the 2nd floor windows.  As a note, the keystones need to be rough hewn stone, not smooth.

15) for conformity, I think the window next to the door in the breakfast nook may need to be the same size as the other two in that space, what do you think?

16) The glass block shower may also be a steam shower, so it needs to seal to the ceiling.  Don't know if you had that in your drawings or not.  We also need to remove the curve, and make that a straight wall, so the shower will be about 5x5.  We want the outside wall of the shower to be a normal wall, with a glass block window, not all glass block.

17) With squaring the stairwell, I'm not sure we want a curved balcony, probably a straight one, in keeping with the clean lines, and lower cost objective.

Where you have stucco listed on the sides for certain areas, that may end up being siding.

The walls look great coming out the sides like they do.

Do we need to tell you where we want trey ceilings?  Master Bedroom, Home Theater.

In the home theater, I'm going to want diffusing vents for the HVAC, not normal vents.  But I don't know if that is detail you need to know or not.

I know you wanted to show the HVAC on the plans in the billiard room, but I don't want to use up valuable closet space by putting it there.  It really need to go into the attic somewhere.

Hopefully, we can make these changes, and be done with the plans by Friday of this week?

Thanks,


> The plans are looking good.
> I like the arrangement of the Billiard Room, Bar, and Christmas Light
> storage.
>
> The heated square footage is 4805.
>
> Looks like the window in the Master Dressing Area
> will have to be taken out unless the roof pitch is lowered in that
> area or the room is enlarged.
>
>
> : )  Randall
> www.randallhenleyhouseplans.com
> 1-866-Draw-1-4-Me
> Designing and Drawing house plans since 1986