Long time lurker... I finally have a big project/big question to ask!

Our family lives on the shore, and we're planning to lift our little bungalow house over 20' in the air, to build a new garage/storage area and frame in a new first floor. (The existing house will become the third floor up - the top bedroom level.) This will put us well over the new flood height requirements. (Shew!)

It also technically puts our front door and main living area on the "second floor" of the house.

My husband and I are debating a traditional entry (a set of front stairs leading up to a landing and the front door) vs. a more beach house entry (enter into a finished space on the ground floor, with stairs up in the interior).

At first I thought I wanted stairs on the exterior - but now I'm rethinking the plan. There would be at least 14 risers - so in bad weather your guests are exposed to the elements, climbing wet/slippery stairs, with no cover. Plus, I didn't realize how steep they would look, considering our front yard set backs.

Inside stairs sound strange, but I'm thinking that we could make a really nice entry at ground level, with a bench and places to hang coats. Then an L-shaped stair with open railings up to the living area ("second" floor).

We're looking for any feedback or ideas you folks can provide. What are we missing/not considering? Let me know if there's more information I should have included!