Below is an example of a program for a family consisting of a married couple with a five-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. They have recently purchased an existing split-entry home with aluminum siding and insufficient space to suit their needs. (This is only an example and your programming may differ completely from this.) Photographs and other media are helpful in assisting your program to make clear your likes and dislikes. Your program can be formal, typed and bound in a folder, in scrapbook form with magazine cutouts, or thoughts simply scrawled on a note pad. Whatever you choose, remember the more you tell your Architect, the better he or she will understand your needs and desires in order to design the home of your dreams.

Concept: We would like a formal, but friendly-looking home; one that conveys an air of prominence and yet makes visitors feel welcome. A home with many gables would be exciting, making for a strong, classical appearance. Context within surroundings: We would like the home to fit in with the established image of the neighborhood. Style: We really like what you have done with other projects and homes; what we would like is a home that is timeless, yet traditional. Materials: We like the use of natural building materials such as brick, wood shingles, and clapboards.

Concept: We love open spaces between rooms, but would still like to have privacy between the formal and private areas of our home. The bedrooms will be completely separated from the common living spaces. Context between spaces: All the rooms should have a similar feel and flow. There should be a cohesive theme running throughout the house, tying the rooms together. Style: One that matches the feel of the exterior, but you are at liberty to experiment with different designs, use your imagination, and have fun! Materials: We would love hardwood floors, and a big entry staircase. Fancy fireplace in living room or dining room for formal occasions. We also like natural looking stone set against man-made finished materials.

Dining Room Approximately 12 x 16 No. of people maximum: 16 -use as a formal dining area for birthdays, holidays, etc. Not for everyday use. -would like lots of natural light through windows to brighten up the dining area and surrounding rooms. Furniture Hutch/china cabinet: 7’ tall x 4’ wide Buffet: 34" tall x 36" wide x 18" deep Dining Table Oval: 77" x 41" plus 2 leafs at 16" each

Living Room Approximate size: 14 x 14 Use as a formal space with dining room for overflow during parties. We have many different types of guests, from families with children, to business associates. Furniture Sofa; loveseat; 1 coffee table; 2 end tables

Kitchen -An open layout with living room. -Basic appliances: refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, microwave, etc. -Counter area between living room and kitchen (not sure yet) -Ample counter space for gourmet cooking. -Must have good visibility to living room where the children will be playing.

Family Room Approximate size 18x20 For everyday use and parties; should have primary space for adult use (entertainment center, stereo system), and secondary space for children’s toys. Visible to and from kitchen. Living room should be second to kitchen in importance.

Furniture Couch; love seat; individual chairs; coffee table; entertainment center (designed by Cummings Architects); children’s toybox.

Half Bath For guests as well as ourselves. We would like it to appear formal.

Garage Drive-in with ability to get children in and out with ease. Plenty of room for storage. We currently own a truck and station wagon. Two-car garage with plenty of height room for truck.

Yard Accessible from both family room and kitchen. Lots of time spent in yard and kitchen, with heavy traffic flow between the two during parties.

Daughter’s Bedroom Approximate size 12x12 min. -She requires ample closet room; space for doll house and future computer desk for schoolwork.

Son’s Bedroom Approximate size 12x12 min. He needs a good size play area. He likes to lay out his train set in the middle of the floor and let it run while he plays with his other toys.

Laundry Room Would like the laundry room on the second floor with the bedrooms. Sink is not important, but must have room for ironing board. We would like space for linen storage so this room can be used as an extended linen closet for the entire second floor.

Children’s Bath This bathroom would be used by both children. Good proximity to both bedrooms and laundry would be nice. The items we will need are: a double bowl sink, toilet, and tub/shower with easy access.

Master Bedroom Approximate 16’ x 20’ Nice bed area with ability to view television. Separate sitting area for reading and watching TV, with two chairs and a table. A space for laundry preparation. Would like lots of light and high ceilings. We would like our bedroom to be situated to the back of the house, away from the children’s bedrooms to ensure privacy, but still accessible if our children need us. We have a wonderful view from our second floor, and would love our bedroom designed to take advantage of this aspect. Our walk-in closet should provide lots of hanging space, and storage with built-in pull-out drawers. He has many ties, shoes and suits for business. I have lots of hats, coats, shoes etc. for different occasions. We want to store all seasonal clothing in one place, so please keep this in mind when considering the size of the closet.

Master Bathroom We are not looking for anything too elaborate because we do not see ourselves spending too much time in here. But we still want this room to be of the same caliber as the Master Bedroom. The shower should be of the glass-tiled type with two heads and one sprayer. A double bowl sink is important; no make-up space is necessary. No tub or jacuzzi is required; we want no unnecessary expenditures..