Some good examples here. It’s good to hear your openness to other ideas and suggestions. As a designer, I’m well-aware of the risk of “design by committee,” but it seems like you’re doing a good job of balancing the input of others with your needs.

On thing I find to be a key success of “alternative” materials like metal roofing and siding is the use of contrast. While Stefan Stindberg’s house (above) uses contrast of color, I think the other examples that contrast both color AND materials are more effective.

Some building get away with a more monolithic use of material when placed in context with other buildings. Your sixth example from the top, for instance, features a big metal grey building. However, by sandwiching it between other buildings of differing size/scale/materials, the project is mostly successful.

I also want to reiterate the merits of roof eaves. In addition to being a strong design elements, eaves serve an important function in relation to cooling the house in the summer.

If your looking for more modern inspiration, you might take a look at a blog I recently stumbled across. It highlights a sort of Pacific Northwest style that’s a bit different that your sources…but still, you may find the imagery inspirational. You can access the site through a blog post on my site: http://www.shawnbusse.com/private/houseblog/?p=262

Cheers!