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Small Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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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
The Lawns - Kudos
The Lawns - Kudos
Ray Schram - Professional PhotographerRay Schram - Professional Photographer
Ray Schram
Tiny Home
Tiny Home
Arbor South ArchitectureArbor South Architecture
Erik Bishoff Photography
SteelHouse 1 & 2
SteelHouse 1 & 2
Jim ZackJim Zack
Bruce Damonte
Front Elevation
Front Elevation
ESTATA Custom HomesESTATA Custom Homes
ÁPH80. ©Juan Baraja
ÁPH80. ©Juan Baraja
ÁBATONÁBATON
ÁBATON's Portable Home ÁPH80 project, developed as a dwelling ideal for 2 people, easily transported by road and ready to be placed almost anywhere. Photo: Juan Baraja
Muro tradicional de piedra basáltica y de piedra pumítica
Muro tradicional de piedra basáltica y de piedra pumítica
AMA Arquitectura y Medio Ambiente s.l.AMA Arquitectura y Medio Ambiente s.l.
En la parte baja la piedra basáltica resiste el desgaste producido por la arena arrastrada por el viento. La parte alta de piedra pumítica, más ligera, es más fácil de trabajar y se integra con el paisaje. La cubierta es ondulada, acabada en madera. Fotografía: Cortesía del ITER
Light House
Light House
Coda WorkshopCoda Workshop
Extension and internal refurbishment in Kings Heath, Birmingham. We created a highly insulated and warm environment that is flooded with light.
Contemporary New Construction in New Orleans
Contemporary New Construction in New Orleans
Perle Construction LLCPerle Construction LLC
Contemporary with a courtyard
Contemporary with a courtyard
Ironwood Residential DesignIronwood Residential Design
Really wanted to keep the entry simple & eliminated a post at the stair landing by hanging the porch beam off the carport beam. Notice the balcony above....drain was hidden in the porch post.
Garden House
Garden House
Keith Anding ArchitectKeith Anding Architect
Michael Hospelt Photography
Ridge House
Ridge House
GriD architectsGriD architects
Paul Burk Photography
Hilltop, Linlithgow
Hilltop, Linlithgow
:thatstudio chartered architects:thatstudio chartered architects
A modest single storey extension to an attractive property in the crescent known as Hilltop in Linlithgow Bridge. The scheme design seeks to create open plan living space with kitchen and dining amenity included. Large glazed sliding doors create connection to a new patio space which is level with the floor of the house. A glass corner window provides views out to the garden, whilst a strip of rooflights allows light to penetrate deep inside. A new structural opening is formed to open the extension to the existing house and create a new open plan hub for family life. The new extension is provided with underfloor heating to complement the traditional radiators within the existing property. Materials are deliberately restrained, white render, timber cladding and alu-clad glazed screens to create a clean contemporary aesthetic.
Compact 1-Bedroom ADU in Portland, Oregon
Compact 1-Bedroom ADU in Portland, Oregon
SQFT Studios LLC & SQFT Studios Architecture LLCSQFT Studios LLC & SQFT Studios Architecture LLC
Rustic Rural Australian Courtyard Design
Rustic Rural Australian Courtyard Design
House of Manuela Landscape DesignHouse of Manuela Landscape Design
Our client brief was to design a sheltered courtyard linking the architect designed solar passive home to the games room. Immediately we were struck by the harsh, raw beauty of the natural landscape and modern clean lines of the building. Our concept design uses recycled hardwood timbers to create a generously sized rustic pergola structure with decking linking the two buildings. The deciduous, self-clinging vine Parthenocissus tricuspidata creates a cooling, dappled shade in summer, while allowing the winter sun to filter through. We opted for raised planter beds (rendered brick, painted with Dulux Design Rust Effect) as the granite soil was poor and heavily compacted. Decorative pea gravel and recycled hardwood railway sleepers were chosen over paving to reduce costs. A small citrus tree planting and a herb + vegetable garden feature on the sunny side of the courtyard. Rounded forms of Raphiolepis create a strong foundation planting, contrasting beautifully with the upright strappy foliage of Lomandra. A combination of Callistemon plantings and the installation of Out Deco 'Daintree' screening provides shelter from prevailing winds and hide utilities. Indian summer Crepe Myrtles were chosen for their vibrant blooms and long flowering season. We 3D model all our concept landscape designs in SketchUp. Design Visualisation is the ultimate communication tool.
MLK. Jr. Way Guest House, Berkeley
MLK. Jr. Way Guest House, Berkeley
Studio Robbins CortinaStudio Robbins Cortina
Northside Townhomes
Northside Townhomes
MMW ArchitectsMMW Architects
Photo by Hixson Studio
Courtyard Garden Design
Courtyard Garden Design
The Garden BuildersThe Garden Builders
Wide hardwood decking steps on a powder-coated steel frame create grand access from the upper level of the property to elegant courtyard space.

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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