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House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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101 - 120 of 1,478,669 photos
Shah Residence
Shah Residence
E3 Architecture IncE3 Architecture Inc
Merle Prosofsky
Inspiration for a contemporary two floor house exterior in Edmonton with mixed cladding and a lean-to roof.
Exterior Radius Arch custom cedar Shutters Advantage Shutters
Exterior Radius Arch custom cedar Shutters Advantage Shutters
Advantage ShuttersAdvantage Shutters
Custom cedar exterior radius arch shutters from Advantage Shutters manufactured locally in Middle Tennessee
Inspiration for a gey classic two floor brick house exterior in Nashville with a pitched roof.
Majestic Oaks Residence
Majestic Oaks Residence
Cockfield Jackson Architects, APACCockfield Jackson Architects, APAC
Don Kadair
Design ideas for a large classic two floor brick house exterior in New Orleans with a pitched roof.
Find the right local pro for your project
Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz
Facade Switcharoo
Facade Switcharoo
Kipnis Architecture + PlanningKipnis Architecture + Planning
Close up of the entry
Photo of a medium sized and beige retro two floor detached house in Chicago with stone cladding, a hip roof, a shingle roof and a grey roof.
Mequon Mid Century Modern
Mequon Mid Century Modern
JFK Design-Build, LLCJFK Design-Build, LLC
Photo of an expansive and beige midcentury two floor detached house in Milwaukee with stone cladding, a hip roof, a shingle roof and a brown roof.
Whitetail Crossing Project
Whitetail Crossing Project
Executive Developers, LLCExecutive Developers, LLC
modern farmhouse w/ full front porch
Large and white classic two floor concrete detached house with a hip roof and a shingle roof.
Lake Oconee Residence
Lake Oconee Residence
Architectural CollaborativeArchitectural Collaborative
We designed this 3,162 square foot home for empty-nesters who love lake life. Functionally, the home accommodates multiple generations. Elderly in-laws stay for prolonged periods, and the homeowners are thinking ahead to their own aging in place. This required two master suites on the first floor. Accommodations were made for visiting children upstairs. Aside from the functional needs of the occupants, our clients desired a home which maximizes indoor connection to the lake, provides covered outdoor living, and is conducive to entertaining. Our concept celebrates the natural surroundings through materials, views, daylighting, and building massing. We placed all main public living areas along the rear of the house to capitalize on the lake views while efficiently stacking the bedrooms and bathrooms in a two-story side wing. Secondary support spaces are integrated across the front of the house with the dramatic foyer. The front elevation, with painted green and natural wood siding and soffits, blends harmoniously with wooded surroundings. The lines and contrasting colors of the light granite wall and silver roofline draws attention toward the entry and through the house to the real focus: the water. The one-story roof over the garage and support spaces takes flight at the entry, wraps the two-story wing, turns, and soars again toward the lake as it approaches the rear patio. The granite wall extending from the entry through the interior living space is mirrored along the opposite end of the rear covered patio. These granite bookends direct focus to the lake. Passive systems contribute to the efficiency. Southeastern exposure of the glassy rear façade is modulated while views are celebrated. Low, northeastern sun angles are largely blocked by the patio’s stone wall and roofline. As the sun rises southward, the exposed façade becomes glassier, but is protected by deep roof overhangs and a trellised awning. These cut out the higher late morning sun angles. In winter, when sun angles are lower, the morning light floods the living spaces, warming the thermal mass of the exposed concrete floor.
Menlo Park Farmhouse
Menlo Park Farmhouse
Tektive DesignTektive Design
Design ideas for a large and white farmhouse two floor detached house in San Francisco with mixed cladding, a pitched roof and a metal roof.
Beach Style Exterior
Beach Style Exterior
UserUser
New custom beach home in the Golden Hills of Hermosa Beach, California, melding a modern sensibility in concept, plan and flow w/ traditional design aesthetic elements and detailing.
Mid-Century Modern Prairie
Mid-Century Modern Prairie
Elite Design GroupElite Design Group
Design ideas for a retro house exterior in Charlotte.
Timber detail Craftman
Timber detail Craftman
Oakwood Custom HomesOakwood Custom Homes
Inspiration for a medium sized and gey classic two floor detached house in Detroit with a pitched roof, a shingle roof and wood cladding.
Mandeville
Mandeville
Lewis / Schoeplein architectsLewis / Schoeplein architects
Marisa Vitale Photography
Photo of a white retro bungalow render detached house in Los Angeles with a flat roof.
Custom Arts and Crafts Net Zero Home
Custom Arts and Crafts Net Zero Home
Authenticity, LLCAuthenticity, LLC
Jackson Studios
Design ideas for a large and blue classic two floor detached house in Omaha with mixed cladding, a pitched roof and a shingle roof.
Linn Ranch
Linn Ranch
Brombal USABrombal USA
Photo: Audrey Hall. For custom luxury metal windows and doors, contact sales@brombalusa.com
Design ideas for a rustic detached house in Other with stone cladding, a pitched roof and a metal roof.
Green Mountain Getaway - Guest House
Green Mountain Getaway - Guest House
Flavin ArchitectsFlavin Architects
The guesthouse of our Green Mountain Getaway follows the same recipe as the main house. With its soaring roof lines and large windows, it feels equally as integrated into the surrounding landscape. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography
Birches
Birches
Lake Geneva ArchitectsLake Geneva Architects
Jason R. Bernard
Inspiration for a blue and large classic two floor house exterior in Milwaukee with wood cladding and a half-hip roof.
The Acacia
The Acacia
Biringer Builders, Inc.Biringer Builders, Inc.
Photo of a large and red traditional two floor house exterior in Richmond.
Rye in town residence
Rye in town residence
Southwick Construction, Inc.Southwick Construction, Inc.
southwick const inc
This is an example of a medium sized and gey traditional two floor house exterior in Boston with wood cladding and a pitched roof.
Clover
Clover
TM Vavra AssociatesTM Vavra Associates
Awards at 2014 Homearoma include "Best Curb Appeal"
Design ideas for a large and blue classic two floor detached house in Richmond with mixed cladding, a pitched roof and a shingle roof.

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 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 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 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 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 exterior architecture choices for your house designs.
Presidio in Fremont, CA
Presidio in Fremont, CA
Robson HomesRobson Homes
Design ideas for a classic house exterior in San Francisco.
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