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House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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View from curb side
View from curb side
OakwrightsOakwrights
Photo of a rural two floor front house exterior in Hampshire with mixed cladding.
Wimbledon Projects
Wimbledon Projects
Holden FordHolden Ford
Traditional house exterior in London.
The Old Rectory
The Old Rectory
Kit Peel GardensKit Peel Gardens
Photo of a red classic two floor brick detached house in Other with a pitched roof, a shingle roof and a black roof.
Find the right local pro for your project
Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz
Recent photography work
Recent photography work
Abode 360Abode 360
Classic house exterior in Hertfordshire.
Hesper Mews
Hesper Mews
Augustus Brown ArchitectsAugustus Brown Architects
Inspiration for a classic brick house exterior in London with three floors and a mansard roof.
Black Timber House
Black Timber House
HAPA ArchitectsHAPA Architects
Black Timber House is an award-winning eco home set within the South Downs National Park. Designed with sustainability in mind, it features locally sourced materials, passive energy strategies, and striking charred English larch cladding using the Yakisugi method. The house consists of two stacked volumes, creating dramatic overhangs and a sheltered veranda. Large picture windows frame views of rolling meadows, while a vaulted first floor reaches into the tree canopy. With a handcrafted kitchen made from surplus oak flooring and a zinc worktop, the home blends contemporary design with natural textures, ensuring harmony with its rural surroundings.
Surrey Cottage
Surrey Cottage
Aflux DesignsAflux Designs
This is an example of a traditional house exterior in London.
Seabreeze
Seabreeze
Richard Chivers Architectural PhotographyRichard Chivers Architectural Photography
Photo of a modern house exterior in Sussex.
Bath Country Home
Bath Country Home
Robin Quarrelle PhotographyRobin Quarrelle Photography
This is an example of a classic house exterior in Other.
Portfolio Works 2022-25
Portfolio Works 2022-25
Landmark DesignLandmark Design
Design ideas for a classic house exterior in Hampshire.
Lifestyle Garden
Lifestyle Garden
We Love Plants - Garden Design by Nic HowardWe Love Plants - Garden Design by Nic Howard
Photo of a white classic two floor detached house in Surrey with a pitched roof, a shingle roof and a red roof.
Denali Chalet Alps
Denali Chalet Alps
Clark Design Group LtdClark Design Group Ltd
Design ideas for a brown rustic detached house in Buckinghamshire with three floors, wood cladding and a grey roof.
Country Home, Gloucestershire
Country Home, Gloucestershire
Justin Van Breda LondonJustin Van Breda London
Photo of a beige rural detached house in Gloucestershire with three floors, stone cladding, a pitched roof, a shingle roof and a brown roof.
Holland Park
Holland Park
Simpson StudioSimpson Studio
This is an example of a traditional house exterior in London.
Sunroom extension, Sherborne
Sunroom extension, Sherborne
Brooks & Pointon ConstructionBrooks & Pointon Construction
B&P took on the renovation of this substantial period property in Sherborne, Gloucestershire. This extensive project included a new roof, loft conversion and complete internal re-structuring, to create open plan living. A separate Coach House to Guest House conversion was also completed as part of this project.
Glovers Barn
Glovers Barn
IQ Glass UKIQ Glass UK
A south facing extension has been built to convert a derelict Grade II listed barn into a sustainable, contemporary and comfortable home that invites natural light into the living spaces with glass extension to barn. Glovers Barn was a derelict 15th Century Grade II listed barn on the ‘Historic Buildings at Risk’ register in need of a complete barn renovation to transform it from a dark, constrained dwelling to an open, inviting and functional abode. Stamos Yeoh Architects thoughtfully designed a rear south west glass extension to barn with 20mm minimal sightline slim framed sliding glass doors to maximise the natural light ingress into the home. The flush thresholds enable easy access between the kitchen and external living spaces connecting to the mature gardens.
Frame Ho
Frame Ho
Studio AVCStudio AVC
Inspiration for a contemporary house exterior in London.
Devon Passivhaus
Devon Passivhaus
McLean QuinlanMcLean Quinlan
Inspiration for a house exterior in London.
Passive house in Exeter
Passive house in Exeter
SNT WINDOWS & DOORSSNT WINDOWS & DOORS
london architects, minimalist, minimalist windows, passie house, exterior design
Red modern bungalow brick detached house in London.

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.
Holly Lodge
Holly Lodge
Spatial Design ArchitectsSpatial Design Architects
Our client set out from the start that he did not want a traditional home and supported us in creating a home that would be interesting, tested the planning system and made use of the lie of the land and views into the forest to the rear, the forest connects to the ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’ of ‘Thorndon Country Park’. Spatial Design Architects undertook a full site analysis and feasibility study, that included a full understanding of the site and the local context, the existing dwelling was elevated 4m above the lower garden level, the plot was within a historic hamlet that dated back to the ‘Domesday Book’ of 1086, within the metropolitan greenbelt, conservation area and was adjacent to a Grade II listed dwelling. These were many points that we had to consider our design proposals upon and its impact. We developed many possible contemporary design forms and ideas; the main design principles were to create a dwelling that provided fantastic internal views out to the forest and garden. We formed an idea of a house that functioned with the main living spaces on the upper floor and the ancillary spaces on the lower ground floor. The main entrance would be via the upper level, an internal and external staircase would allow transition to the lower garden level, angled boundaries allowed a form that was fractured from the central core, that created two designated spaces. The use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) was suggested for the main upper-level structure, this was chosen for fast on-site construction and low environmental impact. We developed a pre-application design document showing our design ethos for the site with the potential mass and form. This began great pre-application discussions with the local planning authority and ‘Design Council’, from the presentation further height, volume and placement restrictions were confirmed. A final design was approved and developed further into technical design, 3 no. intersecting anthracite zinc pods, balanced upon the gabion clad wall podium. The front was designed as a subtle contemporary cottage with a bridged entrance and the rear with cantilevered a-symmetric gabled structures with glazed facades. Spatial Design Architects have project managed the design, detailing and delivery of this unique bespoke home.
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