How close are you to the ocean? What are the requirements for the design of the lower level to accommodate storm surge? Are these plans only of the upper floor?

Will it be a full time home, weekend home, summer home, few weeks a year home?Will this beach house be for only your use? Will you rent it out? Will extended family borrow it? Will you have a cleaning company come if you rent it out? Can you give a little more info on the site? i.e. does the entry door need to be on the ocean side of the house? Are there close neighbors on certain sides or anything on the south side of the house?

I would NOT want my outdoor shower right next to my front door! My grandsons spend the summer with a towel wrapped around them, racing from the outdoor shower, in the back door and up the stairs. Only my daughter has the decency to wear a robe!

The public spaces upstairs (DR , LR all face toward ocean view) our first floor bedroom also faces ocean view .That is north There is a walkout deck upstairs facing that direction as well. Small office upstairs faces west toward a wooded area with stone wall Downstairs bedrooms will not face ocean but look on conservation land....which I think is south. I am terrible with directions . Land is not near the ocean so no surging. Able to catch views by building up and adding rooftop viewing deck. Hope to use in summer but also fall and maybe even winter if it's not a blizzard. Empty nesters with grown children. Future spouses and friends to entertain No neighbors. South faces conservation land ( which limits our footprint) it is off a road ( which I think we will own). Upstairs kitchen faces south as well. I'm fine with that. Will try to download sketches so it's not confusing. Sunsets more important to us then sunrises. Hoping to catch some. Will have to look left I guess. Lol.i Not sure why front door faces north. No where else to put it. Needed garage doors and parking spaces closer to road (east). Instead of pulling all the way around the house. Appreciate everyone's comments. Thank you for taking an interest

No worries. Outdoor shower looks like it is outside side the laundry room! I hope that works.

And yes these are both first and second floor plans

Since it's only used by you and guests you entertain, that removes needs for owner's closets, maids closets etc. that come with many beach homes.

Would it be safe to assume first floor rooms will not be able to see the ocean?

You have an exterior stairs shown on the NE corner, the second floor doesn't show any sort of outdoor space there.

Your entry foyer is very large, would you anticipate guests entering through there or perhaps coming up the stairs to your deck and entering through a door there? If the former, consider putting the stairs closer to the door, so you could simply buzz people in and their natural instincts would be to head up the stairs.

The master has a screened porch over it, will this actually be a screened porch or more of a sunroom? If it's a screen porch where rain could potentially come in, will you have a low slope (flat) roof over the master?

There is not an elevator or lift, how long do you plan to live here?

Your kitchen is completely ignoring the south side of the house - which it sounds like you have pleasant views from. Not to mention, you're in the NE where I'm sure warmth is almost always welcome.

You have a massive table in your dining room, which is one thing for entertaining a large group or family dinners, but what if it's just you and your spouse, or you two and a couple friends? It would be awkward to eat at such a large table in such a large space (around 15'x16' is what the dining area appears to be) I'd much prefer a space more intimate.

I'm not sure if you have a detached garage, but you have nothing for outdoor storage, i.e. paddleboard, kayak, bicycles (I have no idea what beaches in Mass are like, but those are things I enjoy on beaches farther south!)

Would you ever desire a swimming pool or hot tub?

In contract to anglo's opinion, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing the outdoor shower closer to the front door as a matter of convenience. However, I only ever use the outdoor shower to rinse sand off me and anything I need to bring in the house (and I always have at least a bathing suite on...)

Overall there is ALOT of wasted space, yet some areas are very tiny, such as the laundry area, family room tv area etc. The sitting area outside of the living room also seems like a 'space filler' i.e. "I have this left over space so I'll just put some chairs there." I recommend hiring a person of talent or at very least, start over and start by using bubble diagrams to explore your site, views and spatial relationships.

Check the local zoning code for the height limit and if it measured from the mean grade or the average grade. Also determine how a roof deck is treated in the height limit section.

I appreciate your thoughts. Would love elevator but it's too costly. (Maybe if I built in a different part of the country I could afford more of what I want-- but I'm here). That table was apparently drawn in so I could see the usage of space. (I assume). It's not mine. Since the upstairs is open concept I assume I could change the space around to make intimate spaces within that larger space. Garage is attached. I believe part of it will be storage. Don't want pools or hot tubs. I would like a bigger laundry but I think it will take away from bedroom sizes. Will try to figure out how to do that. I was thinking outdoor shower outside laundryroom might not be too bad. Shower off ...drop dirty sandy towels in bin... and you are in house close to your bedroom. That downstairs "family room" is really a secondary area... since I'm hoping there will be more activity upstairs. It's just supposed to be another place to gather on the bedroom level (or maybe an area for future child guests) I could put a small fridge for waters and / or a coffee maker there too for guests as well. Remember all this furniture was just drawn in. I think we will have to come in the front door since the bedrooms are there. People can drop off luggage and pop upstairs to Living kitchen space. At least that's my thought. porch off master... haven't decided about porch or sunroom alternative. Either way will have to be winterized. Master is on first floor...no roof. Deck upstairs covers downstairs porch.

Is the outdoor shower located where it will be conveniently used? Most clients I have want it located along the shortest path from the body of water to the closest door into the house.

It would be nice to have the path from the bedrooms to the bathroom isolated from the path from the entry to the stairs.

What kind of plants do you plan on planting in the planters on the north side of the house? They will be in shade most of the time.

Where do the stairs go to on the north east corner of the first floor plan?

The laundry shoebox needs more space.

The dining area could be laid out more efficiently.

Make sure the floor of the screened porch, which is above the master bedroom, is waterproof for a very long time.

That's it for now. Do you have exterior elevations?

u know how much an elevator costs to put in new construction?

Here in NC I was told $20000-30000 for a home elevator.

I think an elevator is out of the question in this case sad to say. Mark as for your questions: The outdoor shower I believe is on a the North side of the house. ( you can't see the house from the road) Convenient? I don't know. It looks like you can walk from the outside shower into the house through that teeny tiny laundry room. But how you walk to the shower from the driveway? Not sure. The land is on a sort of bluff. It's a higher elevation then the road. Maybe a walk way? The stairs on the NE corner I believe go up to the front walkway and door. Plants-- well I guess they will have to be shade loving plants. The interior stairs are in the middle of the house. I don't know how exactly to make more room between bedrooms and bathrooms and stairs. Not sure what you mean. But will bring that up. I agree about laundry room being small and Dining area efficiency. Will keep a list of all suggestions. These were a set of plans from an architect I don't know and didn't choose...but who is trying to come up with a plan using our own suggestions. We have not been able to meet with him directly yet. I am trying to arm myself with information and ideas that make sense to help him give us what we want. It looks as though this is going to be a process

fYI a $25,000 elevator would add approximately $70 a month to your mortgage, but you don't have to put one in now. You can design the house with closets that could be turned into an elevator if ever needed

you sound like a wonderful architect. I wish you were mine. I would feel in very good hands. This young architect is "striking out on his own" I am told. If I had seen previous work he had designed that trust you spoke of would not be an issue. I agree completely with your sentiment and would love a professional to give me what I want in unexpected ways. I live for that ! I am excited by design ideas that hit the mark. This is his second set of drawings. The first set of plans didn't even look like a beach house! I will bring up the elevator (thank you Cpartist) and your other suggestions and perhaps he can think of a way to incorporate them. I know you have other things on your agenda then some strangers beach house anxiety..... but, I would love to know how you would separate the bedroom bathroom path from the path to the stairway --- and how you would utilize the Dining area in a better way. And why the space doesn't flow well . You mentioned these several times. They must have jumped right out at you immediately. If you get a chance.........I am listening and just so you know.....I am not looking for a faster horse.

" I would love to know how you would separate the bedroom bathroom path from the path to the stairway --- and how you would utilize the Dining area in a better way. And why the space doesn't flow well"

The underlying problem with the house and it's flow is the circulation. I've posted a list of "design stuff" here before and #56 on the list is "Let circulation define the floor plan" (And a great thread BTW, I suggest you read the WHOLE thread http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3285825/what-makes-a-house-have-good-design?n=39 ).

Look at the house I posted above that illustrated the future elevator example. See how simple the circulation is? In contrast, your circulation paths looks like the white squares on a crossword puzzle. Or go to any of the houses in my "ideabooks". For some I've even drawn in the straight lines that define circulation. Do that with your plan. The lines won't be as simple. You need to simplify the circulation and then everything good will follow.

He only sound like a wonderful architect because he is a wonderful architect.

I lived in an upside down house in a coastal community in the northeast (it was my year round/only home). Our home was smaller than the one proposed above but in some ways it was a similar layout. All in all I think it's a nice plan. My changes may be reflective of my year-round bias... I lived there in winter with all of the stuff that full time living entails. But perhaps worth considering nonetheless. Who knows how the home will be used in the future?!

1) Window in the master bath? Perhaps I misread the plans but looks like no window. I think you could swap the closet and bathroom and gain a window?

2) We used our outdoor shower as our daily shower for four or five months out of the year and of course for rinsing off after the beach or muddy bike rides. We loved it, our toddler loved it and our dog loved it. I would put it in a place that will be most convenient and not worry too much about modesty! Ours actually could be accessed straight from the master bedroom and it was fantastic.

3) One of the best things we did when we renovated our house was open up the entryway so that your eye was drawn up as soon as you entered. We also spent a little more money on making a beautiful staircase - again to draw your eye up instead of toward door after door of downstairs bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry, etc. It made the house feel less...basement-y and awkward when you entered. Some upside down houses feel really dark and closed in when you enter and this sort of sticks with you as a first impression. We had beautiful fir ceilings upstairs and you could see them from the front door. We lost a small amount of space upstairs but in my opinion, you have tons of space upstairs and could lose some for such an important design feature.

4) Do you really need the office upstairs? It seems like it's crammed in there and you could open up the whole space and modify your kitchen plan if you got rid of it.

5) Even if you don't really care, for the purposes of resale and potential year round living, I would create a proper laundry room with more space and closing doors.

6) Why a full bath upstairs?

7) Seems like you don't have linen closets?

I think you have a great start here! Good luck and enjoy your new home!!

Here's a picture of the fir ceilings.

Thank you Jake. Appreciate your suggestions. That laundry room is an issue!

What a wonderful project. I'm wondering if a north-facing porch in that climate may not be very usable a good part of the time, yet it will be there 100% of the time, blocking light and view across that side of the house.

Any chance of sliding part of it down past the west corner so that part could enjoy lots of sun and views (and winds no doubt) from the S and W (sunsets much of the year arc south of course), as well as N?

Will you really use the porch's full length a lot, enough to justify having it between you inside and what you are building there to enjoy? Remember, from inside, its floor will block all near view of the land dropping away on that side of the house. Your view of necessity will trade the near view for the porch floor, porch furniture (including a bunch of table and chair legs, porch railing, etc.) and only beyond all that will be the ocean.

Could you improve your inside relationship to the ocean, as well as view, by shortening the porch and perhaps planning for additional outdoor living area on a patio when having a lot of guests at once?

North is Toward the ocean. So we are using that as focal point ( I think). The land is sort of long rectangle bordered by conservation land ( that's west and south) So we can only go so far in those directions. We are def thinking about shortening porch. Seems way to big to us as well. I believe there is outdoor patio space for guests. I like the idea of moving porch west. Thank you so much for suggestions! I want to put elevation drawings up but don't know how. My son put the drafts up for me. Not a tech mom ,.....

Exciting project. Love that it is also bordered by conservation land.

It's good and kind of a pain because we are bound in our design plans somewhat. But it's a nice view to wake up to .......

All - see attached elevations of the provided plans to get a better picture of the outside.

@Mark Bischak isn't it redundant to use the words "wonderful" and "architect" in the same sentence?

The big problem is the side that should have the most windows to take advantage of passive solar heating and cooling has the least

You mean the side with those little windows. We didn't like those either but architect was trying to give wall space for furniture. They tell us. We could just make them regular big windows--- I might be missing the point. Not sure The south side has windows and that porch off the deck. Is that the side you mean? I might need an interpreter.....sorry. Thank you Drew!

No wait. The porch is on the west side

Something is bothering me about the exterior design. It may be that it is not a far departure from a box, or the windows look to have little thought behind their design. I feel like it is trying to be modern form with traditional windows dragging it into colonialism.

Part of the house is missing from the east elevation.

You are right-- basically it's two rectangles. Because of the land. We were hoping for some design aspects to keep it from looking like that. The windows I want are the three over one style which I had hoped would be in keeping with the rest of the Island. And whats missing from the east elevation?.....

The master bedroom, screened porch, and roof deck is missing.

The east elevation with the garages? The MB Sp and Rd are on a the west side facing conservation woods

We do not have a laundry room in our beach home and do not miss it one bit. The stacked washer and dryer as in a nook off of one of the bathrooms. We use that nook for linen storage as well. That being said we have plenty of storage and closet space in the home which is helpful.

In the east elevation, the master bedroom, screened porch, and roof deck should be able to be seen projecting to the right beyond the pergola.

The west elevation appears to show a projected wall and roof that casts a shadow on the west wall surface of the big box that is not shown on the plan.

Brn, I'm thoroughly confused on your site. What direction is north on the plans, what direction is the ocean, where is the road and where is the conservation land?

My immediate reaction was that I liked the north elevation as I see the modern direction they're going but based on other sides and window patterns I'm not entirely sure that was intentional.

The elevations doe explain the site, I never understood the garage was in the basement (as empty nesters you'll have to take groceries up 2 flights of stairs... and how do you get to that outdoor shower? climb the retention wall?)

However, seeing potential in the elevations does not make me see the potential in your plans. They look like they came from 2 entirely different designers with completely different skill levels. Back to the drawing board.

There appears to be a lot of retaining wall (cha-ching). Might there be a better way to take advantage of the natural topography?

I would highly suggest you do a google search on passive heating and cooling.