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Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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frying pan valley pop top
frying pan valley pop top
AXIS ProductionsAXIS Productions
A detail shot of the cement fiber board siding, also known as Hardy board.
Lopez Island Compound
Lopez Island Compound
Mohler + Ghillino ArchitectsMohler + Ghillino Architects
One emerges from the forest and first comes upon the artist's studio with north facing clerestry windows and large french doors opening out onto the work terrace. photo: Adams Mohler Ghillino
Carmel Residence
Carmel Residence
Dirk Denison ArchitectsDirk Denison Architects
Photography: David Matheson
Find the right local pro for your project
Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz
Exterior View, Backyard
Exterior View, Backyard
ODS ArchitectureODS Architecture
Backyard view shows the house has been expanded with a new deck at the same level as the dining room interior, with a new hot tub in front of the master bedroom, outdoor dining table with fireplace and overhead lighting, big French doors opening from dining to the outdoors, and a fully equipped professional kitchen with sliding windows allowing passing through to an equally fully equipped outdoor kitchen with Big Green Egg BBQ, grill and deep-fryer unit.
Seidenberg House
Seidenberg House
Metcalfe Architecture & DesignMetcalfe Architecture & Design
Barry Halkin Photography
Red Hook Town House
Red Hook Town House
KIM Architecture + DesignKIM Architecture + Design
LoHi Private Residence
LoHi Private Residence
Andrea Schumacher InteriorsAndrea Schumacher Interiors
Raul Garcia
Prairie style home
Prairie style home
VanBrouck & Associates, Inc.VanBrouck & Associates, Inc.
Brad Ziegler Photography
Russian Hill Residence
Russian Hill Residence
Charlie Barnett AssociatesCharlie Barnett Associates
Matthew Millman
Book Loft
Book Loft
CAST architectureCAST architecture
CAST architecture
Magnolia Residence
Magnolia Residence
Ryan Rhodes Designs, Inc.Ryan Rhodes Designs, Inc.
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill
Prentiss Balance Wickline ArchitectsPrentiss Balance Wickline Architects
With a compact form and several integrated sustainable systems, the Capitol Hill Residence achieves the client’s goals to maximize the site’s views and resources while responding to its micro climate. Some of the sustainable systems are architectural in nature. For example, the roof rainwater collects into a steel entry water feature, day light from a typical overcast Seattle sky penetrates deep into the house through a central translucent slot, and exterior mounted mechanical shades prevent excessive heat gain without sacrificing the view. Hidden systems affect the energy consumption of the house such as the buried geothermal wells and heat pumps that aid in both heating and cooling, and a 30 panel photovoltaic system mounted on the roof feeds electricity back to the grid. The minimal foundation sits within the footprint of the previous house, while the upper floors cantilever off the foundation as if to float above the front entry water feature and surrounding landscape. The house is divided by a sloped translucent ceiling that contains the main circulation space and stair allowing daylight deep into the core. Acrylic cantilevered treads with glazed guards and railings keep the visual appearance of the stair light and airy allowing the living and dining spaces to flow together. While the footprint and overall form of the Capitol Hill Residence were shaped by the restrictions of the site, the architectural and mechanical systems at work define the aesthetic. Working closely with a team of engineers, landscape architects, and solar designers we were able to arrive at an elegant, environmentally sustainable home that achieves the needs of the clients, and fits within the context of the site and surrounding community. (c) Steve Keating Photography
Avon Avenue
Avon Avenue
ODAA design & architectureODAA design & architecture
Tamara Leigh Photography
West Van Residence
West Van Residence
Warline Painting Ltd.Warline Painting Ltd.
Ina VanTonder
Queen Anne Residence
Queen Anne Residence
Lee Edwards - residential designLee Edwards - residential design
Custom Contemporary Home in a Northwest Modern Style utilizing warm natural materials such as cedar rainscreen siding, douglas fir beams, ceilings and cabinetry to soften the hard edges and clean lines generated with durable materials such as quartz counters, porcelain tile floors, custom steel railings and cast-in-place concrete hardscapes. Photographs by Miguel Edwards
Ipe Siding and Ipe Decking Project
Ipe Siding and Ipe Decking Project
Mataverde DeckingMataverde Decking
Ipe hardwood siding and Ipe decking were used to create this lovely rainscreen wood siding project
Frelo
Frelo
ROM architecture studioROM architecture studio
Architect: Carol Sundstrom, AIA Photography: © Dale Lang
Park Street - Garden Facade
Park Street - Garden Facade
Studio Sarah Willmer ArchitectureStudio Sarah Willmer Architecture
View of rear facade with a combination of corrugated metal siding and wood siding. Windows and doors are aluminum. Photographed by Ken Gutmaker
Street Facing Exterior
Street Facing Exterior
Andrew Snow PhotographyAndrew Snow Photography
Photo: Andrew Snow Photography ©2012 Houzz

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.
Hill Country Residence
Hill Country Residence
Cornerstone ArchitectsCornerstone Architects
Nestled into sloping topography, the design of this home allows privacy from the street while providing unique vistas throughout the house and to the surrounding hill country and downtown skyline. Layering rooms with each other as well as circulation galleries, insures seclusion while allowing stunning downtown views. The owners' goals of creating a home with a contemporary flow and finish while providing a warm setting for daily life was accomplished through mixing warm natural finishes such as stained wood with gray tones in concrete and local limestone. The home's program also hinged around using both passive and active green features. Sustainable elements include geothermal heating/cooling, rainwater harvesting, spray foam insulation, high efficiency glazing, recessing lower spaces into the hillside on the west side, and roof/overhang design to provide passive solar coverage of walls and windows. The resulting design is a sustainably balanced, visually pleasing home which reflects the lifestyle and needs of the clients. Photography by Andrew Pogue
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