I saw this on the MSN homepage today, thought it would be of interest here.
http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=23782413 (http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=23782413)
I sorta like slide 3, the one with the cordwood panels, it reminds me of "giraffe house" type stone siding. No9 reminds me of the manshed(the Oklahoma one, not the Texas one :))
The article also linked to this:
http://www.sweetwaterbungalows.com/ (http://www.sweetwaterbungalows.com/)
Which might be a possible solution for the "inlaws suite).