I tried to visualize the study, the kitchen and the exterior entry area. Here is some immediate thoughts:
Study: First I got the idea on letting at least the first 4 feet be the full LR ceiling height: that can be done by using the 4' overhang. And I though we could make advantage of the 22" dip down to garage height by putting in an awning window in the "dip" - or perhaps something really fancy like a slanted glass roof. I am not completely sold on the idea; at least not the version with a step down. I am afraid it will look and feel like a closet. How about a small, strategically placed window towards east in the study niche?
Kitchen: There is a real danger that it will come to look like a ticketing booth or the dentist's reception - at least if it has opening from countertop and up. I wonder if it wouldn't be better to define its sides towards the entry and mostly be open on the south side
Entry: Finally, the space left outside at the entry is really small - too small to even hold a bench. So it is a bit of a challenge to figure out why it is there. Any ideas? It is limited what can grow on a shady north side.
Also, making the landing and the steps NOT fill out the trapeze makes it all look small and cramped. I think the landing should go all the way out to the line from BR corner to garage corner.
And third, the partial overhang looks terrible. If at all affordable, we should raise the ceiling throughout the midsection - at least to the level of the LR ceiling
I also tried to play around with some textures for the exterior:
Exterior: I am afraid the cedar + concrete + rust color is so-o-o-o-o 90s. But I count on my architect to come up with something fresh ;-) Though I like the idea of making the garage stand in a different material - but link in with the house by the garage door.
I have been thinking of somehow using the grey-blue colors of the skyline ridge as a color on the house - the trim? fascia boards? garage door?
Roof: I know it is hard to assess from the sketchup models, but it look to me like a fascia board height of 9" (the same as the height of the beam) would look better than the current 6".
