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House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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An Italian Villa, Carmel, California
An Italian Villa, Carmel, California
John Malick & AssociatesJohn Malick & Associates
Architect: John Malick & Associates Photographer: Russell Abraham
Inspiration for a large and white mediterranean two floor render detached house in San Francisco with a pitched roof and a tiled roof.
HHTA Exteriors
HHTA Exteriors
Hiland Hall Turner Architects, P.A.Hiland Hall Turner Architects, P.A.
Inspiration for a small classic house exterior in New York.
Whisper Rock Custom
Whisper Rock Custom
CW Architecture, Inc.CW Architecture, Inc.
Photo Credit: Larry Kantor
This is an example of a large and beige mediterranean bungalow render house exterior in Phoenix.
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Kayenta Desert Modern
Kayenta Desert Modern
Jay Vanos ArchitectsJay Vanos Architects
Desert Modern
Photo of a bungalow house exterior in Los Angeles.
Street view
Street view
Tim Andersen ArchitectTim Andersen Architect
New second floor does not extend full width of bungalow, but projects two feet beyond front allowing lower roofs to abut its sides. New covered porch at entry provides shelter and helps to reduce scale as one approaches. Custom entry door is 42 inches wide. Materials and details closely match existing for a seamless addition. Exterior colors are: body, Miller Paint "Newbury Moss;" trim, Miller Paint "Wooden Nutmeg;" sash, Lowe's American Traditions "Jekyll Club Cherokee Rust." David Whelan photo
Rivendell
Rivendell
BC Custom ConstructionBC Custom Construction
Design ideas for a beige and large classic two floor detached house in Portland with stone cladding, a hip roof and a tiled roof.
Jug Mountain
Jug Mountain
Interior ExpressionsInterior Expressions
Photo of a brown rustic two floor detached house in Boise with mixed cladding, a pitched roof and a shingle roof.
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Nisswa Lake
Nisswa Lake
Big Wood Timber Frames, Inc.Big Wood Timber Frames, Inc.
Nor-son, Inc.
This is an example of a rustic two floor house exterior in Minneapolis with stone cladding.
WAYNE RESIDENCE
WAYNE RESIDENCE
Tate Studio ArchitectsTate Studio Architects
Exterior of house with cantilevering roof / Interior Designer - Tate Studio / Builder - Madison Couturier Custom Homes / Photo by Thompson Photographic
Mebane
Mebane
Bark HouseBark House
The large gable to right of the house was once a garage. The masterful addition of a pop out with a grand bank of windows and bark shingles completely redefines this space. Todd Bush Photography
HARBINGER
HARBINGER
YS BUILT, LLCYS BUILT, LLC
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in Seattle with mixed cladding.
Spanish colonial
Spanish colonial
Vanguard Studio Inc.Vanguard Studio Inc.
Photo of a mediterranean two floor house exterior in Austin.
Exterior - Classic Traditional Tudor
Exterior - Classic Traditional Tudor
Ron Brenner ArchitectsRon Brenner Architects
Eloquent and beautifully proportioned Tudor Home. Photography: Phillip Mueller Photography
Photo of a classic render house exterior in Minneapolis.
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Mid-Country Greenwich
Mid-Country Greenwich
DeRosa Builders LLCDeRosa Builders LLC
Inspiration for a traditional two floor house exterior in New York with wood cladding.
Sedona Total Remodel with Deck and Master Addition
Sedona Total Remodel with Deck and Master Addition
Sustainable SedonaSustainable Sedona
An older exterior style was update to a contemporary southwest style.
Inspiration for a brown bungalow detached house in Phoenix with a flat roof.
2013 Parade Home Moose Ridge Cabin Log Home
2013 Parade Home Moose Ridge Cabin Log Home
Mountain Life and Home of ColoradoMountain Life and Home of Colorado
Photo of a rustic two floor house exterior in Denver with wood cladding.
Olsen Residence
Olsen Residence
WORKSHOP8 architecture planning designWORKSHOP8 architecture planning design
Dan O'Connor
Inspiration for a medium sized retro split-level house exterior in Denver 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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Omaha Home
Omaha Home
LK DesignLK Design
Thom Neese
This is an example of a medium sized and gey traditional two floor detached house in Omaha with concrete fibreboard cladding, a pitched roof and a shingle roof.
Exterior over Desert
Exterior over Desert
CSE & Associates, INC.CSE & Associates, INC.
Photo by Mark Boisclair
Photo of a two floor house exterior in Phoenix.
Green Construction, Adobe
Green Construction, Adobe
Highland GroupHighland Group
This is an example of a medium sized two floor clay house exterior in Salt Lake City.
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