skip to main content
Photos
Photos
Advice
Stories From Houzz
Houzz Discussions
Houzz Research
Sign In
Houzz Logo Print
  1. House Exterior
  2. Size: Expansive

Expansive Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

All Filters (2)
Refine by:
1 - 20 of 5,272 photos
Item 1 of 3
Infinity House
Infinity House
THE UP STUDIOTHE UP STUDIO
Infinity House is a Tropical Modern Retreat in Boca Raton, FL with architecture and interiors by The Up Studio
Inspiration for an expansive and white contemporary two floor render detached house in Miami with a flat roof and a green roof.
FOR SALE: Tanglewood Transitional Estate
FOR SALE: Tanglewood Transitional Estate
Frankel Design BuildFrankel Design Build
Photo of an expansive contemporary two floor brick detached house in Houston with a pitched roof and a tiled roof.
Modern Lakeview
Modern Lakeview
Sophisticate InteriorsSophisticate Interiors
Photo of an expansive and white contemporary two floor render detached house in Los Angeles with a flat roof.
Barton Creek Builder Spec Home
Barton Creek Builder Spec Home
Dawn Hearn Interior DesignDawn Hearn Interior Design
This wonderful home was a group effort! Home design and initial interior selections by LaRue Architects. Construction by Rivendale Homes. We were hired for additional design finish and fixture selections. The beautiful staging for placing the home on the market is by John-William Interiors. Photography by JPM Real Estate Photography
Contemporary European Farmhouse
Contemporary European Farmhouse
Nick Lee ArchitectureNick Lee Architecture
Expansive and white contemporary detached house in San Francisco with three floors, a pitched roof and a metal roof.
Texas Hill Country Residence
Texas Hill Country Residence
UserUser
The 5,000 square foot private residence is located in the community of Horseshoe Bay, above the shores of Lake LBJ, and responds to the Texas Hill Country vernacular prescribed by the community: shallow metal roofs, regional materials, sensitive scale massing and water-wise landscaping. The house opens to the scenic north and north-west views and fractures and shifts in order to keep significant oak, mesquite, elm, cedar and persimmon trees, in the process creating lush private patios and limestone terraces. The Owners desired an accessible residence built for flexibility as they age. This led to a single level home, and the challenge to nestle the step-less house into the sloping landscape. Full height glazing opens the house to the very beautiful arid landscape, while porches and overhangs protect interior spaces from the harsh Texas sun. Expansive walls of industrial insulated glazing panels allow soft modulated light to penetrate the interior while providing visual privacy. An integral lap pool with adjacent low fenestration reflects dappled light deep into the house. Chaste stained concrete floors and blackened steel focal elements contrast with islands of mesquite flooring, cherry casework and fir ceilings. Selective areas of exposed limestone walls, some incorporating salvaged timber lintels, and cor-ten steel components further the contrast within the uncomplicated framework. The Owner’s object and art collection is incorporated into the residence’s sequence of connecting galleries creating a choreography of passage that alternates between the lucid expression of simple ranch house architecture and the rich accumulation of their heritage. The general contractor for the project is local custom homebuilder Dauphine Homes. Structural Engineering is provided by Structures Inc. of Austin, Texas, and Landscape Architecture is provided by Prado Design LLC in conjunction with Jill Nokes, also of Austin. Cecil Baker + Partners Photography
2015 Midwest Home Luxury Home #1 - Denali Custom Homes
2015 Midwest Home Luxury Home #1 - Denali Custom Homes
Spacecrafting / Architectural PhotographySpacecrafting / Architectural Photography
Builder: Denali Custom Homes - Architectural Designer: Alexander Design Group - Interior Designer: Studio M Interiors - Photo: Spacecrafting Photography
Mountain Star Contemporary Home
Mountain Star Contemporary Home
RA Nelson LLCRA Nelson LLC
Inspiration for an expansive and brown contemporary split-level house exterior in Denver with mixed cladding.
LA VINYA
LA VINYA
Lagula ArquitectesLagula Arquitectes
Mauricio Fuertes
Expansive and white contemporary two floor house exterior in Barcelona with mixed cladding and a flat roof.
Cor-Ten Cattails Sculptural Fence
Cor-Ten Cattails Sculptural Fence
Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.
Tom Crane
Design ideas for an expansive contemporary house exterior in Philadelphia.
New Custom Modern Single Family Home in Mountain View
New Custom Modern Single Family Home in Mountain View
MESH dbsMESH dbs
raftermen
Photo of an expansive and multi-coloured contemporary two floor brick and rear detached house in San Francisco with a flat roof, a metal roof and a black roof.
Kooyong Residence
Kooyong Residence
Matt Gibson Architecture + DesignMatt Gibson Architecture + Design
Shannon McGrath
This is an example of an expansive and brown contemporary two floor house exterior in Melbourne with wood cladding and a flat roof.
Waters Edge Front Elevation
Waters Edge Front Elevation
Sater Design Collection, Inc.Sater Design Collection, Inc.
Modern luxury home design with stucco and stone accents. The contemporary home design is capped with a bronze metal roof.
Inspiration for an expansive and multi-coloured contemporary two floor render detached house in Miami with a hip roof and a metal roof.
(Custom Home) Ultimate Contemporary in Gig Harbor
(Custom Home) Ultimate Contemporary in Gig Harbor
Sockeye HomesSockeye Homes
Expansive and multi-coloured contemporary two floor detached house in Seattle with mixed cladding and a flat roof.
Heber, UT
Heber, UT
Timber Creek ConstructionTimber Creek Construction
Design ideas for an expansive and white contemporary two floor detached house in Salt Lake City with mixed cladding, a pitched roof and a mixed material roof.
Rancho Bernardo Extended Roof Patio Cover with Front Entrance Gate
Rancho Bernardo Extended Roof Patio Cover with Front Entrance Gate
Classic Home ImprovementsClassic Home Improvements
This Rancho Bernardo front entrance is enclosed with a partial wall with stucco matching the exterior of the home and gate. The extended roof patio cover protects the front pathway from the elements with an area for seating with a beautiful view od the rest of the hardscape. www.choosechi.com. Photos by Scott Basile, Basile Photography.
Belvedere Waterfront Retreat
Belvedere Waterfront Retreat
Integrated Design Studio, Inc.Integrated Design Studio, Inc.
Jeff-Zaruba
Design ideas for an expansive and brown contemporary two floor house exterior in San Francisco with mixed cladding and a pitched roof.
2010 Luxury Tour - Mountain Modern
2010 Luxury Tour - Mountain Modern
Peter Eskuche, AIAPeter Eskuche, AIA
AJ Mueller
Photo of an expansive and brown contemporary house exterior in Minneapolis with stone cladding and three floors.
The Delhi | Bellevue, Greater Seattle Area
The Delhi | Bellevue, Greater Seattle Area
JayMarc HomesJayMarc Homes
The Delhi is designed by Dahlin Group Architecture + Planning and resides in Clyde Hill, WA.
Design ideas for an expansive and gey contemporary two floor detached house in Seattle with mixed cladding, a pitched roof and a shingle roof.
Custom Mountain Modern
Custom Mountain Modern
TKP ArchitectsTKP Architects
Playful colors jump out from their white background, cozy outdoor spaces contrast with widescreen mountain panoramas, and industrial metal details find their home on light stucco facades. Elements that might at first seem contradictory have been combined into a fresh, harmonized whole. Welcome to Paradox Ranch. Photos by: J. Walters Photography

Expansive 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.
1
123456789Next Page
United Kingdom
Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.