So how do you expect the architect to design a house when you do not knw what you want? Cabinet makers are not KDs and so get one ASAP but really until you decide on the style ther eis no point is designing a kitchen .

That’s kinda the whole reason I’m asking for advice? My architect and builder have been great so far and we’ve gotten to a great place with the design. If we were to start building today then I’m be happy with that floor plan. But there are very few small Mediterranean style houses on pilings so I’m just kinda brainstorming - it’s hard for me to really picture it so just wanted to ask other professionals before going back to the architect and builder.

The kitchen is a not a concern tbh.When I said ignore the kitchen layout, I meant because I’ve already made minor changes and they aren’t reflected on this floor plan. I’m 100% happy with the layout so I don’t need any advice on that. I’ve already had an initial consult with the cabinetry company that works closely with my builder. They offer design services so I’m all set there.

Will the house be on the shore of the Mediterranean?

Mark, I wish! It’ll be in coastal North Carolina (US). Most of the older houses here are the typical beach/cottage style but most of the new builds have Mediterranean influences (lower pitched roofs, clay-style roofing, arches, etc) mixed with modern (clean lines, large windows, asymmetry, contrasting black/white, etc). My difficulty is that most of the new builds are 2-3x larger than my house so it’s hard to picture for my size home; but as I see more new builds it’s made me want that style more and I hadn’t considered it previously.

Get rid of the barn doors

Do not access the clothes closet through the bathroom

Get rid of the barn doors

Get rid of the 'open balcony'

Get rid of the barn doors

Have access to the screen porch from kitchen

Get rid of the barn doors

Use pocket doors only where the door will rarely be used

Get rid of the barn doors

Provide windows across the full width of the rear elevation

Get rid of the barn doors

Have reach-in closet doors no less than 12" narrower than the closet

Get rid of the barn doors

Eliminate angled door on shower

Get rid of the barn doors

Here are the other elevations. We started this from a floor plan that I found online (that I really liked) so that’s what he used as a guide then we started making adjustments.

I’m not worried that I don’t live in the Mediterranean. That style is just something I really gravitate to and I realized that every time I paused to look at a house that I thought was gorgeous - it had Mediterranean influences. If I’m going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on this house I want it to be something I enjoy. It doesn’t necessarily need to be 100% Mediterranean but I would like some Mediterranean influences like the ones I mentioned.

No dining room?

Modern barn doors could go with modern coastal, but no barn door style would ever look mediterranean.

Hi Melissa, is the elevation shown in your pic facing towards the water/view? Is this a view-based property? If I have incredible views, personally, I want higher elevations available to breathe it all in. If I don't have a view-oriented property and want to maximize a sense of coziness and privacy, I like lower elevations (mid-century modern type, lower elevation simplicity or bungalow type/privacy/non-showy vibes). For design choices and how far out you are from breaking ground, I applaud you for stepping back now and reflecting on the exterior's theme (then carrying that into interior decor). The exterior renderings shown seem to be just the initial mock up since the interior layout (other than elevations) are now determined. Nice. So, here's a possible tool in your decision: when you close your eyes and imagine your dream home what do you feel? Is it featured rooms with dome ceilings reminiscent of an estate overlooking the Med? Or possibly high ceilings, big spaces for big ideas and beautiful long, straight lines? Is it a cozy lower ceiling height, favorite reading nooks, with a sense of grounded-ness? Are their bright pops of color anywhere for whimsy and playfulness or is it more neutral and spa-like? Are there curtains closed during the day? How about night? Are there no curtains and just natural exposure to the outside? Does it make you smile when you think of curved archway entrances or does your heart long for nice long straight lines? Also, eyes open, do you personally appreciate a mediterranean design aesthetic in areas where it isn't "expected"/"traditional"? If you enjoy that trend happening in your area and want to be part of that evolving aesthetic, that may be a good sign to go that direction. If that trend doesn't resonate personally for you then don't join it. I'm in the Pacific Northwest in a development only 10-20 years old and find it personally weird to see the Tuscan estate type designs commonly found in my area. They are beautiful but just feel misplaced for me. Design themes are so individual to each person and you have choices you get to make at this point in your project. This is the fun part of projects because you get to imagine so much and the many possibilities. It sounds like you are in a beautiful space and will probably love living in it, no matter which design style you select. Good luck!

Raised mediterraneans are usually on a hillside, so they are also stepped back. Since you have to be on pilings right off the bat, that could be a challenge for you. Here is one example:

A more housing-develoment style is the next one. It probably has living spaces behind the garage, but in an elevated house they could simply be above. The lower level space could be open for your area’s water issues, but the arch could be charming, leading to the stairs that go to the front door. I love a courtyardy feel like that.

No barn doors.

Bigger open balcony. Six feet isn’t comfortable for anything.

Maybe show a photo of a house you would describe as "modern Mediterranean" style, so we know what you mean.

I built what I call a "modern Spanish". Kept some exterior Spanish elements like barrel roof tiles and window lintels, but did not include any arches, which in my area are found in too many 1990s faux Mediterranean houses. I would probably have built a more modern coastal exterior if my HOA would have allowed a metal roof.

No barn doors (just to add a vote)

Can you specify location at least generally?

Cost for certain things depends on wind speed design. More expensive in Miami than Seattle despite both being coasts.

If the lot is shallow, why does the front bedroom protrude so much?

It might be helpful to be less restrictive when considering Mediterranean style (modern or more traditional). It doesn't have to mean brown (think the beautiful whites and eye-catching blues of Santorini). A Mediterranean-inspired style doesn't have to exclude well-placed doors that move along a top rail that would never be in a barn but could be in almost any style of tasteful home if the homeowner desired it, be it farmhouse, traditional, modern, and, yes, Mediterranean. Melissa, this is going to be your house and we all have our opinions which you are readily finding here on Houzz. And apparently there are a lot of folks tired of "barn-doors". I get it. I'm tired of farmhouse vibes, never had them, but have loved the unique offering that a beautiful sliding door on a nicely designed top rail offers in my current home to allow a separate family area to be open or made private from the nearby family areas. In another home, a "barn door" separated two of my kids bedroom and bathroom areas and from a loft space that was open to the two-story open family room below. It was gorgeous and functional from every angle. They can be perfect in the right space, including classy stables for actual horses.

Looks good to me.

Melissa - how exciting for you! I’m no pro, but I am kind of a stickler for houses looking like “they belong.” I think a Mediterranean seems unlikely in NC, but I don’t know your area, so I hope you ultimately settle on what you really want. I’ll add my No vote for barn doors. As far as a closet through the bathroom- I have had that 3 times and currently, and found it no problem. My closets and houses were huge (Texas) so maybe that has a bearing on it, on functionality, I dunno. But I have had no issue with humidity or otherwise. Good luck and I’m rooting for you to get what you want, Mediterranean or otherwise!

How many raised Mediterranean houses have you seen? There's a reason...!

I like Porsches, but I don't drive one.

Stick with a "modern coastal house"...

Your house is not huge. The style shown - more cottage-y "works". I really like the shingle style- I think you can fo that with Hardie too. It fits both the location AND the size. Overall the plan is quite efficient and seems like it also works.

I'd add a vote for more / larger windows across the back for the view and access the screened porch directly.

The kitchen seems HUGE for the size of the house. If you are foregoing dining or using the island for only eating / seating - then I'd want to face the view at the very least.

I'd reconfigure the bathroom to not have to walk through it to get to the closet.

Hi, Melissa,

My wife and I enjoy spending time in the Outer Banks. We love coastal NC vernacular architecture. Mediterranean? Not so much. If you aim to make the home look like something that's been there for 100 years it will be an enduring style, in my opinion. I'll second RES2architect's advice to ditch the gable end vent and the decorative truss. I don't find the windows as currently designed to be objectionable.

Here is an example of a new build in my area that would be what I consider “modern Mediterranean”. It is on pilings however the ground floor will be considered unfinished (no AC/heating/plumbing) upon completion due to regulations/code. A lot of the new builds are similar to this but some lean more modern (metal roofing, no arches) while some lean more Mediterranean (clay-like tiles, terracotta colored roof, more natural elements).

This house has Mediterranean influences such as the exterior tile, stucco-look exterior, arches, and low roof pitch. But then brings in modern elements such as the clean lines, black/white contrast and large windows.

Beautiful! I can see why you like this style 👍🏻

I knew everyone was going to HATE the barn doors and I get it. But for me it’s more about functionality. All the interior doors will be kept open 90% of the time. And I despise having doors that open and block access to other parts of the room (for example if my laundry room had a regular door it would make moving around it very awkward and annoying). That’s why I’m leaning towards pocket/barn doors. I will probably swap the laundry to a pocket door. Then swap the closet locations in bedrooms 2/3 so that when you open the door to bedroom 2 it won’t hit the closet door. The barn doors for the bedroom 3 are staying though lol they will be glass/frosted glass to mimic the look of French doors (without having to compromise for the door opening radius). This will be my office and I want tons of light and openness.

Here is an example of a smaller Mediterranean style house that is on pilings. This is actually two stories though & I don’t want to go this route BUT I did want to show that it is possible. I don’t want to go FULL Mediterranean, just have SOME Mediterranean influences.

Some of those houses might be more West Indies inspired than Mediterranean. The West Indies inspired styles became quite popular in SW FL in the last few years.

I guess if you like Mediterranean you need a big rework on the elevation. I personally find it to look odd for NC, being from there myself. However, I do want to mention the hip roof style in your inspos are way better if you are building in a hurricane prone area. So, that might be something to discuss with your architect even if you don't add other mediterranean elements

Have you shown the photo above to your architect? I've seen tons of these houses on beaches in Florida and Southern California, so it's not entirely unusual. Coastal NC tends to be pretty eclectic in terms of style as houses get rebuilt following storms, etc.

My only feedback is to go with your gut and ditch the useless balcony off the back - it's far too narrow to be useful. Get more square footage (if the setbacks allow for it, that is) and put in floor to ceiling windows if you have a view. If you go with something more in line with your inspiration photo, the screened porch may prove challenging. These are expected and fit in with a bungalow/beach cottage style, but may need to be tweaked to be visible on the front elevation of a Mediterranean home. Board and batten siding won't work with that style either - it will most likely be stucco.

Mediterranean style is completely out of context for coastal NC. It will be dated at some point.

Pocket is not the same as barn of course. Both can limit switch location although pocket has options.

One thing I haven't thought of - we are not allowed to have electrical outlets low on the pilings but an elevator is ok. Sort of strange. We have to elevate the HVAC units also even if the house is fairly high.

Not on the ocean?

Have you researched what partial enclosures due to your flood insurance rates? And realize that non ocean fronts got a big increase recently. Shockingly we went way down on the ocean.

Each county varies in their tolerance and/or interpretation of CAMA codes. None of what you are showing would be allowed near me (on the ocean at least).

That last picture really doesn't look code compliant to me - mostly because there doesn't appear to be a dune (is that the sound in the background).

I missed the NC location earlier - did I also miss whether it was oceanfront or soundside or other?

Just to clarify, I’m not in the Outer Banks. The houses here are all very eclectic; my immediate neighbors are modern Mediterranean/West Indies, Tuscan, cape cod, transitional, craftsman and beach cottage. There’s hexagonal, circle and triangular houses - fitting in is not a concern lol

I’m not on the ocean but a street over from a waterway and about a 15 minute walk to the beach. I don’t have direct water views from the house. My back views aren’t awful but just standard wetlands/wooded area.

Thanks for all of the advice. I’m going to think on this some more but I have a lot to discuss with my architect and builder!

You have an American Coastal Home. Changing this to Mediterranean involves more than adding arches to the inside. A Coastal Cottage is the right solution for where you are. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses.

I’m not trying to keep up with the Joneses lol I’m just trying to decide on a architectural style that fits into the type of home that I need and includes elements that I like. I’m sorry but the “American Coastal” with the nautical themes and coral/seashells is definitively NOT my style but I appreciate the response. I also mentioned that if I go the modern Mediterranean route I would be adding more than just arches so I understand that. And as I mentioned before, I don’t need the house to be an exact replicable of a Mediterranean house - just use some Mediterranean influences and combine it with modern elements as well.

I know this turned into primarily a debate on whether or not I should do something other than a beach cottage. But I really do appreciate the feedback/advice. For all my other questions I initially posted, I’ll just discuss with my builder lol I will be going to my architect/builder and seeing what we can do to. I think I’ve decided on bringing in at least Mediterranean influences. For those interested, this is the exterior elevation that I’m going to use as a reference - thank you to whoever mentioned West Indies style as that makes sense with the Spanish influences to the West Indies; and the similarities in Spanish/Mediterranean. I will want to add a dormer, maybe play around with some type of combination roof, add an arched door or windows - but I’ll work with my builder/architect on that. And here is the inspiration for the interior design, if anyone is interested. This is considered “European organic modern”.

The house is cute but doesn't need the doo-dads. I don't see modern mediterranian.

I would however seriously consider a hipped roof since you're in hurricane country.

In the kitchen, I think you could have a better workflow, Maybe incorporate that too small balcony as part of the house and make the kitchen and living room larger. This would then give you room for a dining table as well as your island.

I moved the screened porch down a bit and rearranged the kitchen to be at the back of the house with a better workflow. When we cook, we take food out of the fridge (zone), bring it to the sink (zone) to rinse and then prep (zone) between sink and stove before bringing it to the stove to cook. We ideally don't want the dishwasher in the prep area and ideally don't want to cross zones.

I also turned the island so people sitting at the island could now look out the rear window which I included over the sink area in place of the sliders.

I also wonder if you'd be better off with reach in closets for the master on either side before the bathroom. This way someone going to the bathroom in the middle of the night will have the "closet hallway" as a buffer between the bathroom and bedroom so you don't get the glare of the bathroom light coming on. It's what we have and it works well since any light that does escape is basically buffered by the closets.

The other issue with the bedroom is how will you get large objects (the bed for example. Dressers for another example) around the corner into the bedroom? I'm wondering if there's a better way to arrange all that.

And don't forget windows on 2 walls in the corner bedrooms and an extra window in the second bedroom.

Thanks for the rearrangement but unfortunately that doesn’t work. I already mentioned in the initial post to ignore the kitchen layout; I’m good with that and that’s already changed a bit. I don’t want a dining space, it’s just a waste for me. I actually took it out of the initial plan. The screen porch needs to be at the back of the house due to the size/shape of the side lot - putting it there gives me that awkward extra space behind the porch. I also had windows that opened into the screened porch so that I could prep drinks/snacks there and have that as a pass through, which I loved. It’s more important to me that the windows in the kitchen look into the side yard; like I said the view out back isn’t an awesome view it doesn’t need to be a focal point. I also had a small cabinet section by the fridge/pantry for a coffee station. I also lost a ton of storage and counter space And having the fridge as the focal point when you enter the room is just not flattering - I liked it better as glass sliders on that wall. I don’t want windows on the other wall of Bedroom 2 because that will be my office and I want flexibility on whether I center the desk in the room or do something along that wall - plus the windows would cause too much glare in the background for zoom meetings. The other bedroom could probably use another window though. I prefer the master closet at the back of the bathroom - I’ve had it both ways and I don’t like if a guest needs to use my bathroom they have to go through my closet nor do I want a hallway and then more doors that enter into the closets. I do agree about extending the house (as I mentioned in the original post) so my question about that was how to estimate the cost of that.

Prepare a set of drawings (site plan, floor plan of each level, four exterior elevations, building section) based upon what you want. The more complete the drawings, the more accurate the estimate will be. Have a builder that will potentionally build the house give you an estimate on the drawings.

Based upon the estimate you receive, make any necessary adjustments and proceed.

Mark, I have a great relationship with my architect and builder. As I mentioned multiple times; I will ultimately go to them for the final discussion. I’m not asking anyone to be my builder, architect or kitchen designer. I’m just asking for general advice such as “since it’s only about 100 sq feet; if your house currently is $250/sq ft then you should expect to pay $25,000 but keep in mind XYZ will affect the price”. Or “it might actually be cheaper to build a second story and decrease the footprint of the first floor”. I just want to have a game plan when I go to them and not just throw a million things at them. And I also want to ensure I’m thinking through things because everything has a ripple effect (if I add the extension I’ll need to decrease costs somewhere else).

The only person who can give you cost estimates is your builder.

The best people to address your concerns is your architect and builder.

By asking your questions here, it is as if you are asking the people here to be your architect, builder, or kitchen designer.

Make your game plan to work with your architect and builder to address all your concerns and answer all your question. If they are any good, they have a wealth of experience of having a million things thrown at them, navigating ripples and rough seas.

Those pics you posted in the recent comment are so beautiful, Melissa! I am so excited for you and hope you post pics when your home is finished. So happy you have your building team (and hoping they are kind professionals who respect you and your thoughtful questions).

Jill, thank you so much! This is my first house so I’m very excited. I’m doing it on my own, so it’s also somewhat overwhelming (but in a good way). As great as my building team is, they can’t read my mind so I’m just trying to figure it all out. I’m also the type of person that just needs to have a plan and I can’t magically change that part of my personality lol I’ll definitely post pictures once construction is completed. I’ll just be sure to blur out any barn/pocket doors lololol