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House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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Item 1 of 11
Misty Valley
Misty Valley
Wright DesignWright Design
This eclectic mountain home nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains showcases an unexpected but harmonious blend of design influences. The European-inspired architecture, featuring native stone, heavy timbers and a cedar shake roof, complement the rustic setting. Inside, details like tongue and groove cypress ceilings, plaster walls and reclaimed heart pine floors create a warm and inviting backdrop punctuated with modern rustic fixtures and vibrant bohemian touches. Meechan Architectural Photography
Custom Craftsman Home Exterior
Custom Craftsman Home Exterior
Great Rooms Building GroupGreat Rooms Building Group
Photo by Linda Oyama-Bryan
Design ideas for a large and blue classic two floor detached house in Chicago with wood cladding, a pitched roof, a shingle roof, a black roof and shiplap cladding.
Johnson
Johnson
Frederick + Frederick ArchitectsFrederick + Frederick Architects
Inspiration for a farmhouse house exterior in Atlanta with wood cladding.
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Lake Cherokee Custom Home
Lake Cherokee Custom Home
Alair Homes ClemsonAlair Homes Clemson
Classic meets modern in this custom lake home. High vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows give the main living space a bright and open atmosphere. Rustic finishes and wood contrasts well with the more modern, neutral color palette.
Exterior Entrance
Exterior Entrance
Kim WoodsKim Woods
Lane Ditto
Photo of a white coastal two floor brick detached house in Orange County with a shingle roof.
Isleworth Model Show Home 119
Isleworth Model Show Home 119
Design Studio 15Design Studio 15
White mediterranean two floor detached house in Orlando with a tiled roof.
Cooper Woods Modern Tudor
Cooper Woods Modern Tudor
Havlicek Builders Inc.Havlicek Builders Inc.
This 2 story home with a first floor Master Bedroom features a tumbled stone exterior with iron ore windows and modern tudor style accents. The Great Room features a wall of built-ins with antique glass cabinet doors that flank the fireplace and a coffered beamed ceiling. The adjacent Kitchen features a large walnut topped island which sets the tone for the gourmet kitchen. Opening off of the Kitchen, the large Screened Porch entertains year round with a radiant heated floor, stone fireplace and stained cedar ceiling. Photo credit: Picture Perfect Homes
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Steel Windows & Doors by FireRock
Steel Windows & Doors by FireRock
FireRock Building MaterialsFireRock Building Materials
Photo of a beige and medium sized contemporary bungalow render detached house in Dallas with a shingle roof and a hip roof.
Ratio House
Ratio House
Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl ArchitectureGelotte Hommas Drivdahl Architecture
Seattle architect Curtis Gelotte restores life to a dated home.
Design ideas for a medium sized and multi-coloured retro detached house in Seattle with mixed cladding, a hip roof and a metal roof.
urban infill homes
urban infill homes
kevin akey - azd associates - michigankevin akey - azd associates - michigan
Photo of a contemporary two floor detached house in Detroit with mixed cladding and a lean-to roof.
Coronado Farmhouse
Coronado Farmhouse
Christian Rice Architects, Inc.Christian Rice Architects, Inc.
This is an example of a medium sized and white rural bungalow house exterior in San Diego with wood cladding.
Farmhouse Exterior
Farmhouse Exterior
White farmhouse two floor house exterior in Dallas.
Holly Ridge Farmhouse
Holly Ridge Farmhouse
SALA ArchitectsSALA Architects
Troy Thies Photography
White country two floor house exterior in Minneapolis with wood cladding and a pitched roof.
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Charming Cape Cod
Charming Cape Cod
Sicora Design/BuildSicora Design/Build
Brandon Stengel
Inspiration for a gey classic split-level house exterior in Minneapolis with wood cladding and a pitched roof.
Coastal Living Magazine Showhouse
Coastal Living Magazine Showhouse
Flagg Coastal HomesFlagg Coastal Homes
Entrance to the 2014 Coastal Living Showhouse O McGoldrick Photography
Photo of a blue nautical two floor house exterior in San Diego with a pitched roof and a mixed material roof.
Craftsman Revival
Craftsman Revival
Onju Updegrave, ArchitectOnju Updegrave, Architect
Dan Friedman Photography www.DanFriedmanPhotography.com
This is an example of a traditional bungalow house exterior in San Francisco with wood cladding.
Majestic Oaks Residence
Majestic Oaks Residence
Cockfield Jackson Architects, APACCockfield Jackson Architects, APAC
Photo of a classic brick house exterior in New Orleans with a pitched 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.
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The Willow, a Custom Home by Hanson Homes, Inc.
The Willow, a Custom Home by Hanson Homes, Inc.
Hanson Homes, Inc.Hanson Homes, Inc.
Elizabeth Kelley Photography
Design ideas for a gey country two floor house exterior in Grand Rapids with board and batten cladding.
East Hampton Artist Studio
East Hampton Artist Studio
BWArchitectsBWArchitects
Photo: Bilyana Dimitrova Photography ©2007
This is an example of a modern house exterior in New York with wood cladding.
Mountain Top Residence
Mountain Top Residence
Appalachian Antique HardwoodsAppalachian Antique Hardwoods
Featuring the use of antique timbers and timber veneers for exterior walls. Bark siding in the gables. Twig railings and twig accents in the gables. And a rusted tin porch roof and shed dormer roof. This home features all natural and reclaimed materials designed for sustainability and to blend in to it's surroundings. Reclaimed materials provided by Appalachian Antique Hardwoods. Photo Credit - Erwin Loveland. Home Design by MossCreek.
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