Here are the remaining elevations.

"We’re designing a new custom beach home . . . "

Who is "we" ?

Designing the front elevation of a house is not designing a home.

Other relevant threads on the same project

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6525557/kitchen-design-island-or-peninsula

Sorry but the exterior and interior are designed together to make a perfect house . To me they all look really the same a big box on the beach but where is the architect that IMO is who designs the inside and the outside together . The "carriage " house is just an addon from what I see. Timeless design can be many things not just the same old same old on a beach. Timeless is ahome that is well designed for how you live .

@patriciacolwell, thank you for your reply. We have designed the interior & exterior together and it’s been a very cohesive process. My only question here is largely from an aesthetic perspective. Apologies for the confusion as I should have mentioned this in my initial post. We’re in a neighborhood that has very strict building requirements and the lot is limiting (45 x 90), so our primary objective is functionality for a short term rental (w/ some use for our family) and building a design that’s consistent with the neighborhood. The area has a strong coastal vibe, and I was hoping to get feedback from others as we narrow in on one of the designs.

I'm surprised your local code does not require the house to be elevated for hurricane flooding or storm surge?

45x90 lot that is smaller than any city lot and that house looks huge and I agree how do you not have to be on pillons for flood or surge. Waht is the actual size of that house foot print

I like the straight across roof on V2 and V5. It looks more like one house that way (to me.) Also, is there any concern about drainage and stuff getting stuck on the roof in the "dip" in the other styles (where the arrow is)? I know I'm just looking at flat renderings, but it seems like leaves and other debris could accumulate there.

Who is "we"? Do you have an architect?

Look for inspiration at the coastal homes built in Seaside.

Thank you all! I appreciate the feedback. Regarding flooding, the house is built up about 2’ and the neighborhood is one of the highest points along 30a (20’ above sea level). Additionally, there are other design feature incorporated to manage flooding/drainage.

The base floor of the main house that excludes the exterior porches is approximately 1350 ft.². The second floor of the main house is approximately 950 ft.². The carriage house which sits above the two car garage is approximately 510 ft.².

With a 2D drawing it is difficult to understand how planes are in relation to each other. This affects the massing and thus roof design.

I peeked at your other thread to see floor plans. I then shaded an elevation to indicate what portion of walls/porches/balconies are all in the same foremost plane, hopefully to illustrate my explanation:

From what I can tell:

• Version 3/4 are not possible with roofs.
• Version 5 is a bit "heavy-handed" in it's roof, and appears as a single home.
• Version 1, I do like the separation of (main) roofs which clearly define the carriage house vs the main house. However, the carriage balcony gable being in the same plane as the main house gable makes me think the carriage balcony is actually a back deck for the main house, which it is not. I might want to keep the stair as open, so the carriage gable is strictly within the limits of the carriage main roof similar to this:

• Version 2, if the one I chose for the shading didn't spoil it, makes sense to me that there are two complete porch/balcony entities, which signifies that this is a single, but 2-unit building. The multiple gables break up the "heavy-handed" roof in Version 5. Yet both masses are tied together, and the carriage stair has cover.

For the siding, you mention "timeless" and "elevated." So I interpret as high value, without being trendy. I do not see any board-n-batten as resembling that description. It is just the current trend of "modern farmhouse," painted white (or black, of all things chosen as popular), which was taken originally to emulate a barn and has just gotten out of hand.

I would also like to comment on the floor plans. I think they are done very well, and certainly by professionals. I would gladly rent with my family as a BNB, it works well for that. A couple comments though:

• I do not understand the 2nd floor porch and how that works with the main floor porch roof.
• The BBQ is in the back "alley like" area far away from Kitchen and in a convoluted path to get there. In vacation places I've rented, choosing to cook instead of eating out means BBQing is part of being together.
• The carriage house seems backwards. The Living and Kitchen should be flipped, so the Living is next to balcony and views.

I think I'd go for version 3. It's worth noting that channeling rain away from the roof valley in V1, 2, and 4 will be a challenge. In a downpour, there will be a lot of water in that valley and if it overwhelms your gutters, you'll have a waterfall on those stairs. That's why I like the version with one roof, not two. If you're planning to rent the upstairs unit separately, so there are no internal stairs, that's going to be a serious problem.

IMO, "timeless" is not a mix of 3 sidings, as found in V1, where you have horizontal, vertical and shingles in the gables. That's trendy. You have plenty of detail with the balconies that you don't need to gussy up your house with fussy windows, more than one type of siding or the trim in the gables. Simple is classic and timeless, when married to a nicely proportioned house.

I would simplify the windows. Those prairie style windows don't belong on a beachside house and they are fussy, rather than elegant. Just have plain glass. If they are double-hung, that's fine. Again, classic and timeless is simplicity and good design. Your windows are nicely proportioned, spaced and sized. You will, presumably have trim around them. That's enough.

Judging solely on the front elevation it gives me the impression of a townhouse (not a good look in my opinion) rather than a timeless high end residence. The siding needs to be simplified to a max of 2 choices not the current 3.

Julie Waids - Being familiar with your area, I agree with some others that the windows and siding should be less busy.

As far as timeless goes, I like V3 the best. Reminds me of the "Old Florida" look with the separate bungalows. I'd have to see how the two separate "homes" rendering are attached. Going to look at the other thread.

I also like the rendering that 3onthetree has done with the two separate homes.

My husband and I will be in Compass Point, on the ocean in Watersound, for two weeks beginning this coming Saturday. We always enjoy riding around and looking at the homes.

Would love to see yours when it is finished. We would also be interested in renting.

We are 4 years in our new home build in TN, but have been toying with the idea of moving down to the coast. Have fun!!!