Adam volumes 21/222 and 21/85 appear to be early rough preliminary designs for the villas, as they are comparable to Adam volumes 45/17-45/21, but not to exactly the same design. The executed design of St John's Lodge is very similar in arrangement to Adam volumes 45/17-45/21, albeit to a slightly larger scale. The design is comparable to Adam's scheme for Patrick Inglis's villa at Liberton near Edinburgh.

The title inscription on Adam volume 45/19 in the hand of William Adam is incorrect as it is clearly a subterranean rather than ground storey. There are no windows, save two sunken windows on one side. Moreover, the space was intended for the storage of beer, ale and wine which requires a cool temperature. This is confirmed by the section of the house (Adam volume 45/18).

It is also worth noting that the two-storey bows on the sides of the house are not shown in the elevation (Adam volume 45/17).