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  1. House Exterior
  2. exterior lighting

Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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Casa Blanca
Casa Blanca
Jamie HerzlingerJamie Herzlinger
I love the use of trellising on large expanses of wall. This works for interior walls as well All furnishings available through JAMIESHOP.COM
Contemporary bungalow house exterior in Miami.
Wheelers Hill
Wheelers Hill
JJC DesignJJC Design
Mathew Mallet
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in Melbourne with wood cladding.
Finished Projects
Finished Projects
RCS Pro Build ConstructionRCS Pro Build Construction
Inspiration for a large and brown contemporary two floor detached house in San Diego with mixed cladding and a hip roof.
Find the right local pro for your project
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Yaroomba
Yaroomba
Murphy HomesMurphy Homes
Photo of a large and multi-coloured contemporary two floor detached house in Sunshine Coast with mixed cladding and a hip roof.
Elena Nova
Elena Nova
Bay State ConstructionBay State Construction
Design ideas for a large and gey contemporary detached house in Newcastle - Maitland with three floors and a flat roof.
Colorado Contemporary Custom Home
Colorado Contemporary Custom Home
KGA Studio Architects, PCKGA Studio Architects, PC
Photo of a large and red contemporary two floor detached house in Denver with mixed cladding and a lean-to roof.
ミライブ
ミライブ
株式会社タキナミ株式会社タキナミ
Design ideas for a brown contemporary house exterior in Other with wood cladding and a pitched roof.
Toronto Residence by Belzberg Architects
Toronto Residence by Belzberg Architects
Alina PAlina P
Inspiration for a large and gey contemporary detached house in Toronto with three floors, mixed cladding and a flat roof.
Freshwater Custom Build
Freshwater Custom Build
Patterson Built Pty LtdPatterson Built Pty Ltd
Large and multi-coloured contemporary two floor detached house in Sydney with mixed cladding and a flat roof.
Robin Road
Robin Road
Dennis Mayer - PhotographerDennis Mayer - Photographer
Dennis Mayer Photography
Inspiration for a large and brown contemporary two floor house exterior in San Francisco with mixed cladding and a flat roof.
Modern Desert 136
Modern Desert 136
Soloway Designs Inc | Architecture + Interiors AIASoloway Designs Inc | Architecture + Interiors AIA
Design ideas for a contemporary two floor house exterior in Phoenix.
Two Story Canal
Two Story Canal
Pacific BluePacific Blue
Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in Sunshine Coast.
Omaroo
Omaroo
WeststyleWeststyle
Photo of a medium sized and white contemporary two floor detached house in Perth with a flat roof.
Jalan Pintau
Jalan Pintau
Renaissance Planners & Designers Pte LtdRenaissance Planners & Designers Pte Ltd
Kelvin Bing
Multi-coloured contemporary detached house in Singapore with three floors, mixed cladding and a lean-to roof.
Redwood House
Redwood House
Zak Johnson ArchitectsZak Johnson Architects
Design ideas for a contemporary two floor house exterior in San Francisco.
上目黒の家
上目黒の家
Hiroshi TsujitaniHiroshi Tsujitani
設計：リカルド・トッサーニ
This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in Tokyo.
Spindrift
Spindrift
Studio SchicketanzStudio Schicketanz
Robert Canfield Photography
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in San Francisco with mixed cladding.
Private Home
Private Home
Radiant LightingRadiant Lighting
Design ideas for a medium sized and white contemporary two floor detached house in Perth with a hip roof.
Chee Hoon House
Chee Hoon House
HB Design Pte LtdHB Design Pte Ltd
Design ideas for a contemporary two floor house exterior in Singapore with mixed cladding and a flat roof.

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.
Setsugen, Japan
Setsugen, Japan
Sticks + Stones Design Group Inc.Sticks + Stones Design Group Inc.
The North Island of Hokkaido receives a generous amount of the white stuff making Niseko's annual snowfall of 13 to 15m a prominent design challenge. Other elements that challenged this project included a constricted property within a congested neighbourhood, but with proper placement of the new design one realizes the potential and impressive views of Mount Yotei, an active volcano, to the east and Niseko Ski Hill to the west. To overcome the properties limitations, the roof of the new six bedroom home, is a low sloped shed roof which allows for snow management to the north end of the lot and as the roof gently slopes up to the south, tall walls were created over the living areas for ample glazing to capture day time light and views of the ski hill and Mount Yotei.
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