Expansive modern three-storey grey duplex exterior in Munich with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof and a green roof.

Donna Guyler Design
Design ideas for a large beach style white house exterior in Gold Coast - Tweed with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof and a tile roof.

Luxury side-by-side townhouse. Volume Vision
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern two-storey white duplex exterior in Melbourne with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof and a metal roof.

Brian Thomas Jones, Alex Zarour
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary three-storey black house exterior in Los Angeles with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof and a green roof.

Photo of a large traditional three-storey grey exterior in New York with concrete fiberboard siding and a flat roof.

Modern House Productions
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary one-storey grey exterior in Minneapolis with concrete fiberboard siding and a flat roof.

This house is adjacent to the first house, and was under construction when I began working with the clients. They had already selected red window frames, and the siding was unfinished, needing to be painted. Sherwin Williams colors were requested by the builder. They wanted it to work with the neighboring house, but have its own character, and to use a darker green in combination with other colors. The light trim is Sherwin Williams, Netsuke, the tan is Basket Beige. The color on the risers on the steps is slightly deeper. Basket Beige is used for the garage door, the indentation on the front columns, the accent in the front peak of the roof, the siding on the front porch, and the back of the house. It also is used for the fascia board above the two columns under the front curving roofline. The fascia and columns are outlined in Netsuke, which is also used for the details on the garage door, and the trim around the red windows. The Hardie shingle is in green, as is the siding on the side of the garage. Linda H. Bassert, Masterworks Window Fashions & Design, LLC

Our Houston landscaping team was recently honored to collaborate with renowned architectural firm Murphy Mears. Murphy Mears builds superb custom homes throughout the country. A recent project for a Houston resident by the name of Borow involved a custom home that featured an efficient, elegant, and eclectic modern architectural design. Ms. Borow is very environmentally conscious and asked that we follow some very strict principles of conservation when developing her landscaping design plan. In many ways you could say this Houston landscaping project was green on both an aesthetic level and a functional level. We selected affordable ground cover that spread very quickly to provide a year round green color scheme that reflected much of the contemporary artwork within the interior of the home. Environmentally speaking, our project was also green in the sense that it focused on very primitive drought resistant plant species and tree preservation strategies. The resulting yard design ultimately functioned as an aesthetic mirror to the abstract forms that the owner prefers in wall art. One of the more notable things we did in this Houston landscaping project was to build the homeowner a gravel patio near the front entrance to the home. The homeowner specifically requested that we disconnect the irrigation system that we had installed in the yard because she wanted natural irrigation and drainage only. The gravel served this wish superbly. Being a natural drain in its own respect, it provided a permeable surface that allowed rainwater to soak through without collecting on the surface. More importantly, the gravel was the only material that could be laid down near the roots of the magnificent trees in Ms. Borow’s yard. Any type of stone, concrete, or brick that is used in more typical Houston landscaping plans would have been out of the question. A patio made from these materials would have either required cutting into tree roots, or it would have impeded their future growth. The specific species chosen for ground cover also bear noting. The two primary plants used were jasmine and iris. Monkey grass was also used to a small extent as a border around the edge of the house. Irises were planted in front of the house, and the jasmine was planted beneath the trees. Both are very fast growing, drought resistant species that require very little watering. However, they do require routine pruning, which Ms. Borow said she had no problem investing in. Such lawn alternatives are frequently used in Houston landscaping projects that for one reason or the other require something other than a standard planting of carpet grass. In this case, the motivation had nothing to do with finances, but rather a conscientious effort on Ms. Borow’s part to practice water conservation and tree preservation. Other hardscapes were then introduced into this green design to better support the home architecture. A stepping stone walkway was built using plain concrete pads that are very simple and modern in their aesthetic. These lead up to the front stair case with four inch steps that Murphy Mears designed for maximum ergonomics and comfort. There were a few softscape elements that we added to complete the Houston landscaping design. A planting of River Birch trees was introduced near the side of the home. River Birch trees are very attractive, light green trees that do not grow that tall. This eliminates any possible conflict between the tree roots and the home foundation. Murphy Mears also built a very elegant fence that transitioned the geometry of the house down to the city sidewalk. The fence sharply parallels the linear movement of the house. We introduced some climbing vines to help soften the fence and to harmonize its aesthetic with that of the trees, ground cover, and grass along the sidewalk.

Nearing completion of the additional 1,000 sqft that we Studio MSL DESIGNED & BUILT for this family.
This is an example of a large midcentury one-storey black house exterior in DC Metro with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof, a white roof and board and batten siding.

The cedar ceiling of the living rom extends outside, blurring the division of interior and exterior. The large glass panes reflect the forest beyond,
Inspiration for a mid-sized country three-storey black house exterior in Chicago with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof and a green roof.

This is an example of a mid-sized modern two-storey grey exterior in Chicago with concrete fiberboard siding and a flat roof.

Front east elevation reveals main public entry and new stepped retaining walls from parking area. Original limestone and roof overhangs were maintained, while siding and some details were enhanced. - Architecture + Photography: HAUS

Photograph © Richard Barnes
Design ideas for a large modern split-level grey exterior in New York with concrete fiberboard siding and a flat roof.

McNichols® Perforated Metal was used to help shade the sunlight from high glass balcony windows, as well as provide privacy to occupants. The sunscreens also diffuse heat, protect the interior and conserve energy.

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary three-storey multi-coloured house exterior in Atlanta with a flat roof and concrete fiberboard siding.

Luksussommerhus i Hornbæk Sommerhus på internationalt niveau, opført i materialer fra øverste hylde såvel indvendigt som udvendigt, og som er stort set vedligeholdelsesfrit. Det er beliggende på en fuldstændig ugenert grund med et utrolig smukt og meget letholdt haveanlæg med adskillige store solterrasser, og mange eksklusive detaljer. Huset er aldeles velegnet til udlandsdanskere og andre der værdsætter et stort, helt ugenert og unikt sommerhus, hvor kun de bedste materialer og gennemtænkte arkitektoniske løsninger er benyttet.

Francesca Anichini
This is an example of a large industrial two-storey grey exterior in Bologna with concrete fiberboard siding and a flat roof.

Photo of a scandinavian three-storey multi-coloured house exterior in Ottawa with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof, a mixed roof and a black roof.

Exterior refresh in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood.
Design ideas for a large arts and crafts two-storey blue house exterior in San Francisco with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof and a shingle roof.