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Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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Wandsworth contemporary bespoke grey kitchen
Wandsworth contemporary bespoke grey kitchen
Brayer DesignBrayer Design
Photography by Nick Smith
Inspiration for a contemporary rear extension in London.
Rear extension
Rear extension
SxS Design & Build LtdSxS Design & Build Ltd
Simon Maxwell
This is an example of a contemporary rear extension in London with three floors and mixed cladding.
9th Street House
9th Street House
Tom Hurt ArchitectureTom Hurt Architecture
Landscaping gave the street view a more modern appearance. Photo: Ryan Farnau
This is an example of a white and large contemporary split-level detached house in Austin with a hip roof, mixed cladding and a metal roof.
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Coastal Contemporary
Coastal Contemporary
Studio 6 ArchitectsStudio 6 Architects
This is an example of a large and beige contemporary render detached house in Orange County with three floors and a flat roof.
Emeryville Residence
Emeryville Residence
Moderna Homes, Inc.Moderna Homes, Inc.
Simpatico Homes and Swatt/Meiers Architects, prefab and general construction by Moderna Homes
Photo of a contemporary two floor house exterior in San Francisco.
Lobster Boat Residence
Lobster Boat Residence
chadbourne + doss architectschadbourne + doss architects
The exterior of this Seattle modern house designed by chadbourne + doss architects is a composition of wood, steel, and cement panel. 4 floors and a roof deck connect indoors and out and provide framed views of Portage Bay. Photo by Benjamin Benschneider
ChiaroScuro
ChiaroScuro
Ectypos ArchitectureEctypos Architecture
The entry from the street looking to the westerly view. The house steps down the hill capturing light, breezes, views on every level. Photo by: Daniel Sheehan
Moderne Linienführung
Moderne Linienführung
Waldvogel LandschaftsarchitekturWaldvogel Landschaftsarchitektur
Design ideas for a white and medium sized contemporary two floor house exterior in Frankfurt with a flat roof and mixed cladding.
Wandsworth Common
Wandsworth Common
Ensoul LtdEnsoul Ltd
Work involved creating a new under garden basement with glass rooflights shown here. Glass cube covers the staircase to the basement and frameless bi-folding glass doors open up the house and create a complete outdoor indoor living space within.
Shaiman Residence
Shaiman Residence
Juan Felipe Goldstein Design Co.Juan Felipe Goldstein Design Co.
Location: Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, CA, USA Total remodel and new steel carport. The carport was inspired by the great 1950's gas station structures in California. The original house had a very appealing look from the1960's but was in disrepair, and needed a lot of TLC. Juan Felipe Goldstein Design Co.
Maryland Proto Home
Maryland Proto Home
Proto Homes, LLCProto Homes, LLC
Proto Homes, LLC
This is an example of a large contemporary detached house in Los Angeles with a flat roof.
Byrne Road, London
Byrne Road, London
POW ArchitectsPOW Architects
POW Architects
Design ideas for a medium sized and gey contemporary two floor house exterior in London with metal cladding and a lean-to roof.
The Boulevard
The Boulevard
Mills Gorman ArchitectsMills Gorman Architects
Photo of a contemporary two floor house exterior in Melbourne.
Lanoma Place
Lanoma Place
Impress PhotographyImpress Photography
Blue contemporary house exterior in Melbourne with mixed cladding and a flat roof.
700 Palms Residence
700 Palms Residence
Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney ArchitectsEhrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects
Three garden courtyards embrace three 60-year-old trees. The courtyards afford privacy and enhance the well being of its occupants. (Photo: Erhard Pfeiffer)
East Live
East Live
Twist Tours Real Estate and Portfolio MarketingTwist Tours Real Estate and Portfolio Marketing
Allison Cartwright
Inspiration for a contemporary detached house in Austin with mixed cladding and a pitched roof.
Grandio at South Miami
Grandio at South Miami
GC3 DevelopmentGC3 Development
Photo of a black contemporary two floor house exterior in Miami with mixed cladding.
Modern Heavy Timber Curved Wall Home
Modern Heavy Timber Curved Wall Home
Tomecek Studio ArchitectureTomecek Studio Architecture
Photo by Raul Garcia Project by Studio H:T principal in charge Brad Tomecek (now with Tomecek Studio Architecture). This urban infill project juxtaposes a tall, slender curved circulation space against a rectangular living space. The tall curved metal wall was a result of bulk plane restrictions and the need to provide privacy from the public decks of the adjacent three story triplex. This element becomes the focus of the residence both visually and experientially. It acts as sun catcher that brings light down through the house from morning until early afternoon. At night it becomes a glowing, welcoming sail for visitors.
Screen house
Screen house
Chioco DesignChioco Design
Photo of a contemporary bungalow house exterior in Austin.

Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

With so much attention devoted to interior design, the exterior of a home can often get overlooked, but as the first thing that welcomes both us and our guests, it is worth devoting some time tending to the outside of your house. Furthermore, focusing on the contemporary kerb appeal of your home can add significant value if and when it comes time to sell up. Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian homes, with their bay windows and elegant plasterwork, often benefit from built in architecture advantages, but even if your house design is unassuming from the outside, small decorative and structural improvements to the contemporary exterior of your home can equal huge impact. Key areas of building design to focus on are the front door, the driveway or approach to your home, the porch area, the windows, the facade and the roof. And just a note of caution... before any significant contemporary exterior architecture gets under way, check first whether you need planning permission for your exterior house designs– this applies particularly to listed houses or buildings in a conservation area, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Take a look through the house designs, exterior architecture and images of front doors and driveways on Houzz to inspire your facade or building design, or read on for a few more pointers when it comes to redesigning your exterior.

How do I give my home an exterior facelift?

You may feel like your home’s exterior architecture is unalterable but there are a wide range of options available to improve its external building design, no matter what raw materials you begin with. Begin with the front door and the pathway or driveway that lead up to your home as these are easy to improve without huge budgets. A driveway or pathway must be kept neat and tidy and you can consider replacing tarmac with attractive tiles or gravel. Repainting or replacing the fence, wall or gate that fronts your home can also offer an overnight transformation without breaking the bank. An area to not cut corners however is the front door, where spending a little extra can make a huge difference in quality, and painting it in a colour you love will pay you back every time it welcomes you home! Updating your windows can be a significant building design project but it is one that has benefits both inside and out, as well as potentially saving you money on energy later. If you are lucky enough to have period windows such as bay windows with sash or leaded windows, then maintaining them should be a top priority, but if they are beyond repair then there are plenty of window professionals that will offer modern, double or triple glazed equivalents that could still work in your bay window. Working with uPVC? Not a problem – the best improvement you can make is to ensure your windows are the right size and shape for your home's overall proportions.

How do I update my home’s facade?

When it comes to updating the facade of your home, painting is the quickest and most affordable way to achieve a contemporary makeover, and if you opt for a colour other than white it can really make a statement (although sticking within the palette of your road and local area is advisable). A makeover that requires a bit more patience but can add romance and character to the most mundane of homes is to adorn the walls with climbing plants – delicate trailing wisteria is ever a British favourite, whilst roses and jasmine offer fragrance as well as beauty. If you’re looking to make more significant changes to the exterior of your home, whether that is adding timber cladding, hanging tiles, installing a bay window or rendering, then you should first check whether your house designs require planning permission. A New England style wood boarded home is beautiful and bright, but remember that it will need frequent repainting if it is going to stay looking its best, whilst stucco render or Tyrolean render can tidy up a home's exterior but think carefully before covering over original brickwork.

What should I consider if building a home from scratch?

If you’re working with an architect on a brand new build, the options are endless when it comes to deciding on the exterior architecture. But first things first, you will need to check planning permissions, building regulations and local restrictions, such as being in a conservation area, to make sure your plans for your exterior house designs will meet stipulations. If you are building in a street with predominantly Victorian facades, with bay windows and side returns, you might need to ensure your house designs fit in with the rest of the homes on the street, but if you’re building in a more remote area you’ll probably have more freedom for your building design. There are many architectural decisions to make, do you want a flat, gabled, hipped, mansard or perhaps even a curved roof? Do you want bay windows? Crittall windows? Perhaps external shutters? Do you want glass walls? Do you want wood cladding? Do you want a very symmetrical building design or something more contemporary? The decision is all yours but remember to consider the benefits of various materials over others and the effects that some architecture styles will have on everyday life, for example glass walls will look attractive but will give you less privacy. Your architect or builder will be able to guide you through the best contemporary exterior architecture choices for your house designs.
Schmitz Park House
Schmitz Park House
Ryan Rhodes Designs, Inc.Ryan Rhodes Designs, Inc.
Design ideas for a contemporary two floor house exterior in Seattle.
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