Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

Outdoor teak/cement seating area with custom made fireplace. By L.A. Remodeling Co.
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in Los Angeles.

Custom Fence & Panels

User

An example of a custom privacy fence for an urban backyard. All of our designs are unique to your property and we will work within your budget.
Photo of a medium sized contemporary house exterior in St Louis.

Battersea House

Brian O'Tuama Architects

Ed Park
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in London.

Plexiglass Fences

Harwell Fencing and Gates Inc

Arian Harwell
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in Los Angeles.

Codrington Street - Barrie, Ontario

Level Design Build

This walkout brick bungalow was transformed into a contemporary home with a complete redesign of the front exterior and a second floor addition. Overlooking Kempenfelt Bay on Lake Simcoe, Barrie, Ontario, this redesigned home features an open concept second. Steel and glass railings and an open tread staircase allow for natural light to flow through this newly created space. The exterior has a hint of West Coast Modern/Contemporary finishes, with clear cedar accentuating the resized garage. James Hardie Panel and painted aluminum channel combined with black framed EVW Windows compliment this revitalized, modern exterior.

Northbridge - New home construction

Beecraft Pty Ltd

This new home build is an architecturally designed and constructed home in Northbridge, Sydney. Upon entry, you’ll find sandstone, cedar and timber accents, as well as a tidy garden where all plants were sourced from the Beecraft Nursery. The home features everything you need and want from an awesome swimming pool and entertainment area, right through to finer detailed design elements. You’ll find a sneak peak of the home here but for more, jump over to the beecraft website to see it all.

Danube Residence

FLUX modern

Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in Atlanta.

Alex and Sam - Hertfordshire Contemporary Home

MODEL Projects Ltd

Chris Snook
This is an example of a medium sized and white contemporary two floor house exterior in London with wood cladding and a pitched roof.

Malibu, CA / Brick & Hardscape Installation / Whole Home Remodel

ING Construction

Malibu, CA - Entire Exterior Remodel For the exterior remodeling of this home, we installed a new concrete staircase to the street, brick columns, all new windows around the entire home, a complete roof replacement, the re-stuccoing of the entire exterior, replacement of the window trim and fascia, and a fresh exterior paint to finish.

Glen Lake Tower

Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects

Steve Keating - http://www.steve-keating.com/
This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in Seattle.

Croydon

User

Authentic Gates Pty Ltd
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in Sydney.

1, 2, 3, Aspen Mews, Penge West. SE20 7

Your Architect Ltd

Your Architect Ltd
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in London.

Nature Playground

The Landscape Guys

Nature Playground at a local primary school
Contemporary house exterior in Perth.

Modern Mountain Chalet - Exteriors

Urban Chalet Inc.

Photography by Dana Hoff
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in San Francisco.

Ecohabit Modular House

Ecohabit

This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in Perth.

Winbi House

Lloyd Sage Design Studio

Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in Other.

Haus Summt

Müllers Büro

Photo of a brown and medium sized contemporary two floor detached house in Berlin with wood cladding and a flat roof.

Немного фото из реализованных проектов

Savenkova Tatyana

This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in Other.

Anaqua Springs Ranch

Todd Glowka Builder, Inc.

This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in Austin.

Modern Steel Clad

SkiHome Limited

Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in Calgary.

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.

United Kingdom

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