George,

The probability of building a house this year is increasing. I have shifted
to a slightly different plan. There were too many design items that I could
not work out in the plan we discussed previously. Now, I am leaning more
towards a plan with two wings and a covered courtyard in the center. One
wing would have a living/dining kitchen plus master bedroom downstairs with 3
kid bedrooms + a laundry room upstairs. The other wing would have a garage +
guestroom downstairs with a game room + office/exercise room upstairs. This
plan still has the same number of rooms as the other plan but with the
courtyard and pool in the center this plan should promote more outdoor
living. I am planning to orient the house so that the garage faces the west.
The center courtyard would be covered with a metal roof with some fiberglass
skylights supported by metal posts. I am envisioning the two wings to have
single slope roofs that are not connected to the center building.

I don't know if you can imagine the house I am trying to describe. I would
like to come and visit you again this month. If it would work for you, I
would like to drive up on Sunday afternoon on Feb. 18 around 2 or 3 pm. I
would like to see the progress on the house we looked at and tour the one we
didn't have time for. I can bring more detailed drawings of my new plan.

Call or email to let me know if this would work for you.
pallen70@hotmail.com or 713-463-8626(home), 713-853-7041(work)

Phillip Allen

PS. Channel 2 in Houston ran a story yesterday (Feb. 2) about a home in
Kingwood that had a poisonous strain of mold growing in the walls. You
should try their website or call the station to get the full story. It would
makes a good case for breathable walls.