Not a pro but i vote for consistency - we rarely regret going simpler (landscaping can add drama and interest)

When I think of classic beach houses, I think of shingle siding. Not hortiontal and not board and baton. I am on Long Island where there are tons of these classic beach homes.

I'd go with simple. You have plenty of "dimension and interest." At some point, adding more becomes visual clutter, not dimension or interest.

Don’t you have another similar post from awhile back about your home and simplifying g it and what not?

Board and batton as an accent is a fairly current trend that ties into the "Modern Farmhouse" aethetic that we have all seen too much of. If you look at beach homes that have been around forever they rarely combine siding styles. They are either all board and batten, all horizontal siding or the classic shingle. I would ask yourself whether you want a home that portrays the feeling it has been there for centuries , tried and true or if you want something that twenty years from now people might say "that was built in the 2020's another "modern farmhouse" For me, I want a home that looks like I inherited it from my great, great, great grandparents! When thinking about this I would also ponder the interiors. Will they be timeless and classic and have that Nancy Meyers aesthetic or will they be the current trend? Your home should flow seamlessly inside and out and feel effortless.

Which of these look timeless and have weathered their age well and which look new years from now will date themselves?

So, you are daydreaming, which is fun, but there is no building plan for the new build? Why not get going on the design with your architect and then post again. Go with a local architect, as location for beach house makes for very different styles.

Meanwhile, your other posts, how did you do with your dilemmas?

@oncape, thank you for your feedback. We have a full design that has been approved by the DRB and we are moving forward with a builder and county permits:-) This is a minor design choice and one that I was struggling with, so wanted to ask for friendly feedback.

I’m confused. Is what you refer to as a ”carriage house” the portion on the left? I could be wrong but I think of carriage houses as being a separate structure, yours is more what I would refer to as a duplex or shared wall home, both common where I live. In any event, I think it should all be the same , either vertical or horizontal.

In the 2nd pic you have "isolated" the center massing, beyond just the 2nd floor bay window, with board&batten. That is incongruous, as that siding should then wrap around the sides of that massing, which would lead to uncomfortable transitions to horizontal lap siding. And, the hip roof ties that center massing in to the adjacent balconies, so it's not a separate massing to accentuate. Further, you already have a lot of vertical lines with the ballusters and roofing seams.

If you were to introduce somethng different than lap siding, the 2nd floor bay window offers a chance for solid stucco (e.g. HardiePanel to match siding). However, I believe this is the only bay window and the remainder of house is devoid of signaling importance to areas (e.g. you removed the gables, I believe there is nothing calling attention to the front door location), so calling attention to only this 2nd floor bedroom bay window on the side of house may not warrant outsized attention to it (not sure, haven't seen other elevations).

Most of the housing along 30A is lap siding or stucco. A smattering of B&B on some breakaway walls and upper gables, and you can place those in the 2020s.