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Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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New Age Farmhouse - Boulder CO
New Age Farmhouse - Boulder CO
Jon Eady Photographer LLCJon Eady Photographer LLC
2011 Jon Eady Photographer
This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in Denver with wood cladding.
St. Paul Minnesota Home
St. Paul Minnesota Home
CITYDESKSTUDIO, Inc.CITYDESKSTUDIO, Inc.
This is a new home built in a turn of the century neighborhood. Drawing on utility farm buildings, the design of this house is direct in it’s form and organization. Located in St. Paul Minnesota on a narrow 39’ wide lot, the house draws equally from the older homes on the block for scale and materiality. The 20’ wide shotgun structure allowed the house to be pushed to the east, opening up the west wall for large windows and the opportunity for an outdoor room. This changed what is normally “nowhere” space between houses into an active extension of the home used to BBQ, play catch, and afford pleasant transition from front to back. Life plays out in the home within three space, the living/dining, the kitchen/breakfast, and the porch/outdoor room. All three are used daily either actively or borrowed. Each is clearly defined and connected to the others through the careful placement or absence of walls or corners, and made more expansive by increased height, defined sightlines, and exposed structure. Photos by Sara Rubinstien
Joshua Nimmo
Joshua Nimmo
NIMMO ArchitectureNIMMO Architecture
Rural, Studio, Metal, Barn, Sustainable, Affordable
Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in Dallas with metal cladding.
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Bank Barn Renovation
Bank Barn Renovation
christopher jeffrey architects pllcchristopher jeffrey architects pllc
Bank Barn Renovation: Wynnewood, Pennsylvania As Project Architect with Michael ryan Architects Thick fieldstone stone walls and a solid hand hewed chestnut post and beam frame provide the existing structure. The Barn, built in 1862, is set into a gentle slope with an entry court and koi pond providing a new foreground to the house. The existing two story wood frame space, that once contained bails of hay, is enclosed to become the new entry, gallery and dining room. A large opening in the south facing stone wall connects the interior of the house to the landscape. The interior of the house plays like a big tree house. Lighted from above, all the rooms of the house are placed in this space using walls and volumes to partition public from private spaces.
A New American Farmhouse
A New American Farmhouse
Cushman Design GroupCushman Design Group
Carolyn Bates
Design ideas for a contemporary house exterior in Burlington with wood cladding.
Brittas Bay Passive House
Brittas Bay Passive House
UserUser
Gareth Byrne Photography
Photo of a large and white contemporary split-level house exterior in Dublin with mixed cladding and a half-hip roof.
Wickets
Wickets
Boutique HomesBoutique Homes
Simon Eldon Photography Interior design by Carine Harrington
Design ideas for a contemporary two floor house exterior in London with mixed cladding.
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New Edinburgh Project
New Edinburgh Project
Christopher Simmonds ArchitectChristopher Simmonds Architect
http://doublespacephoto.com/
Contemporary house exterior in Ottawa.
Gables
Gables
Balancing Barn by MVRDV Photo by Flickr user Artur Salisz, used under Creative Commons License
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in Other with metal cladding and a pitched roof.
Einfamilienhaus 46
Einfamilienhaus 46
Planungsbüro i21Planungsbüro i21
Design ideas for a white contemporary bungalow house exterior in Frankfurt with a pitched roof.
Barns and Outbuildings
Barns and Outbuildings
Birdseye DesignBirdseye Design
Agricultural Barn Birdseye Design
Photo of an expansive contemporary house exterior in Burlington.
Lake Home
Lake Home
BRAD RABINOWITZ ARCHITECTBRAD RABINOWITZ ARCHITECT
Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in Burlington.
Joshua Nimmo
Joshua Nimmo
NIMMO ArchitectureNIMMO Architecture
Rural, Studio, Metal, Barn, Sustainable, Affordable
Inspiration for a contemporary bungalow house exterior in Dallas.
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Joshua Nimmo
Joshua Nimmo
NIMMO ArchitectureNIMMO Architecture
Rural, Studio, Metal, Barn, Sustainable, Affordable
This is an example of a contemporary glass house exterior in Dallas.
Gables
Gables
Balancing Barn by MVRDV Photo by Flickr user Artur Salisz, used under Creative Commons License
Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in Other with metal 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.
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