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Small Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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House for Two Artists
House for Two Artists
TELFORD+BROWN STUDIO ARCHITECTURETELFORD+BROWN STUDIO ARCHITECTURE
This small house was designed as a retreat for an artist and photographer couple. To blend into the beautiful rugged setting the materials were selected to be basic and durable. Thick walls are finished with white interior plaster and black exterior stucco. Natural wood is layered at the ceilings and extend southward to shade the large windows. The floors are of radiantly heated concrete. Supplemental heat is provided by a Danish wood stove. The roof extends east covering a flagstone terrace for exterior gatherings and dining. Bruce Forster Photography
Metamorphic Canopy
Metamorphic Canopy
Wellstudio ArchitectureWellstudio Architecture
Monterey County Accessory Dwelling Units ADUs
Monterey County Accessory Dwelling Units ADUs
TEKTON CA, LLCTEKTON CA, LLC
Classic style meets master craftsmanship in every Tekton CA custom Accessory Dwelling Unit - ADU - new home build or renovation. This home represents the style and craftsmanship you can expect from our expert team. Our founders have over 100 years of combined experience bringing dreams to life!
Monmouth Residence
Monmouth Residence
Architecture OfficeArchitecture Office
Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form.
Additional Dwelling Unit at DC Alley
Additional Dwelling Unit at DC Alley
Ileana Schinder, PLLCIleana Schinder, PLLC
Conversion of a 1 car garage into an studio Additional Dwelling Unit
VistaFolia Faux Green Wall Garden Sitting Area
VistaFolia Faux Green Wall Garden Sitting Area
UpScapers - Authorized Vistafolia PartnerUpScapers - Authorized Vistafolia Partner
They began the project by paving an area of the garden with naturally beautiful stone paving to form the floor of the seating area. Once all this was in place, it was our turn to help transform the area into a relaxing oasis for the client to enjoy with friends and family. Vistafolia® artificial living green wall panels were assembled to form lush green walls to work alongside the cedar panels. UV protected, our green panels are perfect for outdoor use as they are weatherproof and, will not fade in strong sunlight. As we take environmental responsibility very seriously, our green walls are completely recyclable as well as helping to save resources such as water and, reduce the use of pesticides. The resulting effect was a modern yet sophisticated seating area, privacy protected and surrounded by vibrant greenery and set on a foundation of beautiful natural stone. The client was so pleased that he is already considering his next project in conjunction with Vistafolia®.
Ascot Vale
Ascot Vale
Grundella Constructions Pty LtdGrundella Constructions Pty Ltd
Tom Blanchford
Siga House
Siga House
Drawing DeptDrawing Dept
RVP Photography
Organic Contemporary Asheville Renovation
Organic Contemporary Asheville Renovation
Living Stone Design + BuildLiving Stone Design + Build
Tim Burleson
Tantallon
Tantallon
Symmetrys Structural EngineersSymmetrys Structural Engineers
garden house 1
garden house 1
e workshope workshop
complete tear down and expansion of small residence
Via-Hardwick Library Addition
Via-Hardwick Library Addition
The Stratford CompaniesThe Stratford Companies
Design by Eugene Stoltzfus Architects
Fire Island A-Frame
Fire Island A-Frame
Bromley Caldari Architects PCBromley Caldari Architects PC
Mountain Cabin
Mountain Cabin
Confluence ArchitectureConfluence Architecture
Front and south elevations of the home. The south elevation is glazed for passive solar gain.
Tanglin House
Tanglin House
rjharjha
Contemporary Residence & Pool House
Contemporary Residence & Pool House
Marc Newman ArchitectMarc Newman Architect
New pool house with exposed wood beams, modern flat roof & red cedar siding.
Vandalia Contemporary
Vandalia Contemporary
Moment Drafting & Design LLCMoment Drafting & Design LLC
Extior of the home Resembling a typical form with direct insets and contemporary attributes that allow for a balanced end goal.
COFFEE SHOP
COFFEE SHOP
Bryanoji Design StudioBryanoji Design Studio
Commercial interia design for a small coffee shop in the financial district in Boston MA.
Pool & Boat House "Casita"
Pool & Boat House "Casita"
AM ArchitectureAM Architecture
ER-AD
ER-AD
S&G wohnbau GmbHS&G wohnbau GmbH
S&G wohnbau GmbH

Small 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.
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