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  1. House Exterior
  2. exterior lighting

Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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Item 1 of 12
Fire Lane Retreat
Fire Lane Retreat
Wheeler Kearns ArchitectsWheeler Kearns Architects
structural - enspect engineering mep - midwestern engineering, renewable energy - ibc engineering construction - lakeshore enterprises, landscape - green mansions photography - christopher barrett
SI.House
SI.House
UserUser
SI.House - 愛媛県四国中央市川之江町の住宅
This is an example of a white contemporary bungalow house exterior in Other with a flat roof.
Moonah Links House
Moonah Links House
BD Building DesignBD Building Design
Inspiration for a medium sized and gey contemporary two floor detached house in Melbourne with mixed cladding, a flat roof and a metal roof.
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Texas Residence
Texas Residence
Domiteaux Garza ArchitectureDomiteaux Garza Architecture
Charles Smith Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary two floor house exterior in Dallas.
Calistoga Residence
Calistoga Residence
Strening ArchitectsStrening Architects
This project was a residence for a couple from the Washington D.C. area. The original house was a poorly conceived series of stucco boxes with no relationship to the outdoor spaces, or the distant vistas. These qualities were some of the more spectacular aspects of the 25 acre site. Our design response was to create two distinct outdoor ‘loggias’ on the front and back of the house to take advantage of wine country indoor/outdoor living, and to completely re-imagine the front of the house to allow the spectacular view of the Napa Valley to become part of their living experience. The simple palette of materials, stone, stucco, wood and steel are used in a way to bring some refined elegance to the property; reflecting the sophisticated vision of the clients. Photography: Emily Hagopian
FORMA Design
FORMA Design
FORMA DesignFORMA Design
Inspiration for a contemporary bungalow house exterior in DC Metro.
Shell House
Shell House
Dipen Gada and AssociatesDipen Gada and Associates
Photography: Tejas Shah
Large contemporary house exterior in Ahmedabad with a flat roof.
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West Street View
West Street View
Krueger ArchitectsKrueger Architects
Ulimited Style Photography http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/49412194/list/patio-details-a-relaxing-front-yard-retreat-in-los-angeles
Russian Hill Residence
Russian Hill Residence
Charlie Barnett AssociatesCharlie Barnett Associates
Matthew Millman
Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in San Francisco with wood cladding.
Street Facing Exterior
Street Facing Exterior
Andrew Snow PhotographyAndrew Snow Photography
Photo: Andrew Snow Photography ©2012 Houzz
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in Toronto with three floors and mixed cladding.
Royal
Royal
L. Lumpkins Architect, Inc.L. Lumpkins Architect, Inc.
A modern take on an Italian renaissance home
This is an example of an expansive and beige contemporary two floor detached house in Dallas with stone cladding, a hip roof and a shingle roof.
Villa Sud Ouest
Villa Sud Ouest
JPEG StudioJPEG Studio
Inspiration for a large and multi-coloured contemporary two floor detached house in Paris with mixed cladding and a flat roof.
Front
Front
Mountain Sun Building & DesignMountain Sun Building & Design
Design ideas for a gey and medium sized contemporary two floor render detached house in Other with a lean-to roof and a metal roof.
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No 86 House
No 86 House
Greg Shand ArchitectsGreg Shand Architects
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in Singapore with a flat roof.
Suffolk
Suffolk
Miller HomesMiller Homes
Design ideas for a large and gey contemporary two floor detached house in Other with mixed cladding, a lean-to roof and a grey roof.
van Adelsberg Grant Art Studio
van Adelsberg Grant Art Studio
Giulietti Schouten Weber ArchitectsGiulietti Schouten Weber Architects
Photo of a black contemporary house exterior in Portland.
KRJZ Residence
KRJZ Residence
Stephenson Design CollectiveStephenson Design Collective
Miguel Edwards
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in Seattle with mixed cladding.

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.
Avenue Road, Regent's Park mansion
Avenue Road, Regent's Park mansion
Wolff ArchitectsWolff Architects
Wolff Architects
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in London.
Front Yard Design
Front Yard Design
UserUser
This is an example of a large and gey contemporary two floor house exterior in Perth with a flat roof.
The Hillside House
The Hillside House
SB ArchitectsSB Architects
This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in San Francisco with wood cladding.
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