Preconception would have gotten them a not-so-great site. After programming it became obvious we could do a lot better for a site - not too far away but with many more possibilities - like a walk out lower level and better views. By accentuating the long axis of the house we created a feeling of spaciousness in a fairly small house. The plan on the south side is fairly open with the spaces defined by beams and furniture. We also incorporated "generous dimensions in the deck design. The master bedroom has a whirlpool bath (a dream of her's) in a bay window that protects the doors from the dining to the deck. Unfortunately I was not on board during construction. The builder took it upon himself to raise the sill of the bay window with the whirlpool for "safety reasons" (I would have put a rail there instead) which blocked the view from the tub of the forest. Ouch! He also opted to ignore the drawings and pile the soil from the basement against the foundation. This made it very hard to auger the footings for the deck, in a wet spring, and ruined the naturally graceful contours of the site as we found it. All in all, a very successful project.
