Design ideas for a contemporary three-storey brown house exterior in Los Angeles with wood siding and a flat roof.

2016 Coastal Living magazine's Hamptons Showhouse // Exterior view with pool
Inspiration for a large traditional three-storey white exterior in New York with wood siding and a gable roof.

Urban Four-Square

Moore Architects, PC

While cleaning out the attic of this recently purchased Arlington farmhouse, an amazing view was discovered: the Washington Monument was visible on the horizon. The architect and owner agreed that this was a serendipitous opportunity. A badly needed renovation and addition of this residence was organized around a grand gesture reinforcing this view shed. A glassy “look out room” caps a new tower element added to the left side of the house and reveals distant views east over the Rosslyn business district and beyond to the National Mall. A two-story addition, containing a new kitchen and master suite, was placed in the rear yard, where a crumbling former porch and oddly shaped closet addition was removed. The new work defers to the original structure, stepping back to maintain a reading of the historic house. The dwelling was completely restored and repaired, maintaining existing room proportions as much as possible, while opening up views and adding larger windows. A small mudroom appendage engages the landscape and helps to create an outdoor room at the rear of the property. It also provides a secondary entrance to the house from the detached garage. Internally, there is a seamless transition between old and new. Photos: Hoachlander Davis Photography

Historic Sea Cabins

St. Pierre Construction

Custom home with cedar lap siding, vertical painted lattice, hand-crimped metal roof and beautiful landscaping featuring shellstone pavers
Inspiration for a beach style three-storey white house exterior in Charleston with wood siding, a metal roof and a grey roof.

Copper Mountain Residence

PLAAD

Large modern three-storey brown house exterior in Other with wood siding, a gable roof, a metal roof, a grey roof and board and batten siding.

Construction d'une maison ossature bois avec piscine couverte

Les Charpentiers du Morvan

Large contemporary three-storey brown house exterior in Dijon with a gable roof, a tile roof, a red roof, wood siding and clapboard siding.

Shingle Style Beach House with Gambrel Roof - Pleasant Heights - Cape Cod, MA -

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

Pleasant Heights is a newly constructed home that sits atop a large bluff in Chatham overlooking Pleasant Bay, the largest salt water estuary on Cape Cod. - Two classic shingle style gambrel roofs run perpendicular to the main body of the house and flank an entry porch with two stout, robust columns. A hip-roofed dormer—with an arch-top center window and two tiny side windows—highlights the center above the porch and caps off the orderly but not too formal entry area. A third gambrel defines the garage that is set off to one side. A continuous flared roof overhang brings down the scale and helps shade the first-floor windows. Sinuous lines created by arches and brackets balance the linear geometry of the main mass of the house and are playful and fun. A broad back porch provides a covered transition from house to landscape and frames sweeping views. - Inside, a grand entry hall with a curved stair and balcony above sets up entry to a sequence of spaces that stretch out parallel to the shoreline. Living, dining, kitchen, breakfast nook, study, screened-in porch, all bedrooms and some bathrooms take in the spectacular bay view. A rustic brick and stone fireplace warms the living room and recalls the finely detailed chimney that anchors the west end of the house outside. - PSD Scope Of Work: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Construction | Living Space: 6,883ft² | Photography: Brian Vanden Brink |

extension chalet contemporain

Thedition - Nicolas Baleydier

extension en ossature bois de 50 m² attenant à un chalet contemporain en remplacement d'un garage. Création d'une chambre avec dressing et salle de bain, modification de l'entrée. Contrainte PLU de tuile et pente de toit, intégration de l'extension au style du chalet. Changement de couleur des façades, modernisation de l'aspect général.

Charcoal and Gold Paint Scheme, Exterior Project, Newton, MA

ProTEK Painters

In this close up view of the side of the house, you get an even better idea of the previously mentioned paint scheme. The fence shows the home’s former color, a light brown. The new exterior paint colors dramatically show how the right color change can add a wonderful fresh feel to a house.

Gambrel

Violanda Franzese Architect P.C.

Inspiration for a large beach style three-storey multi-coloured house exterior in New York with wood siding, a gambrel roof and a shingle roof.

Passarelli Custom Homes - Lake Norman home

Nedoff Fotography

Immaculate Lake Norman, North Carolina home built by Passarelli Custom Homes. Tons of details and superb craftsmanship put into this waterfront home. All images by Nedoff Fotography

Domaine Verdier

Hut Architecture

Projet réalisé à titre de chargé de projet et concepteur pour le compte de JBCArchitectes. . . Crédit photo: Daniel Herrera .
Inspiration for a large country three-storey brown house exterior in Montreal with wood siding, a clipped gable roof and a metal roof.

Cunningham Renovation

splyce design

Sama Jim Canzian
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary three-storey brown house exterior in Vancouver with wood siding and a shed roof.

Ipswich Hill

Kaplan Thompson Architects

A young family with a wooded, triangular lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts wanted to take on a highly creative, organic, and unrushed process in designing their new home. The parents of three boys had contemporary ideas for living, including phasing the construction of different structures over time as the kids grew so they could maximize the options for use on their land. They hoped to build a net zero energy home that would be cozy on the very coldest days of winter, using cost-efficient methods of home building. The house needed to be sited to minimize impact on the land and trees, and it was critical to respect a conservation easement on the south border of the lot. Finally, the design would be contemporary in form and feel, but it would also need to fit into a classic New England context, both in terms of materials used and durability. We were asked to honor the notions of “surprise and delight,” and that inspired everything we designed for the family. The highly unique home consists of a three-story form, composed mostly of bedrooms and baths on the top two floors and a cross axis of shared living spaces on the first level. This axis extends out to an oversized covered porch, open to the south and west. The porch connects to a two-story garage with flex space above, used as a guest house, play room, and yoga studio depending on the day. A floor-to-ceiling ribbon of glass wraps the south and west walls of the lower level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and linking the entire open plan to the yard beyond. The master suite takes up the entire top floor, and includes an outdoor deck with a shower. The middle floor has extra height to accommodate a variety of multi-level play scenarios in the kids’ rooms. Many of the materials used in this house are made from recycled or environmentally friendly content, or they come from local sources. The high performance home has triple glazed windows and all materials, adhesives, and sealants are low toxicity and safe for growing kids. Photographer credit: Irvin Serrano

North Salem Shingle Style Home

Sequoia Contracting Company, LTD

Tim Lenz Photography
Design ideas for an expansive transitional three-storey brown house exterior in New York with wood siding, a gambrel roof and a shingle roof.

Fox

North Construction & Restoration

Photo of a large traditional three-storey blue house exterior in Minneapolis with wood siding, a gable roof and a tile roof.

Terrasse de réception

Marc Loustalot - Feelink

L'ensemble de l'aspect exterieur a été modifié. L'ajout de la terrasse et du majestueux escalier, le carport pour 2 voitures, les gardes corps vitrés et le bardage périphérique de la maison.

Sunset Ridge Home 2

Tim Hollerbach Designs, LLC

Becky Hollerbach
Inspiration for a large traditional three-storey grey house exterior in St Louis with wood siding, a gable roof and a shingle roof.

Rear Elevation

Tindall Architecture Workshop

Photo by Fisheye Studios
Photo of a large country three-storey brown house exterior in Other with wood siding, a gable roof and a shingle roof.

Aerial photo of exterior

Joyce Marie Interiors

This aerial view highlights the interesting roofline and the incorporation of porches on every level of the three-story home creating many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Bee Creek Photography

Three-storey Exterior Design Ideas with Wood Siding

The front exterior of your home – the driveway, front yard, verandah and entrance – is a fantastic place to start making that all-important first impression on house guests. Even mailboxes and house numbers can have a wonderful way of grabbing people’s attention. The architectural design should reflect the overall style of your house and the family that live there; while your choice of materials will help your house blend in with its surrounds. Browse the photos on Houzz for ideas and inspiration for the exterior of your house, and strike up a conversation with the architects and designers of your favourite picks. You’ll find house designs for contemporary, eclectic, modern, traditional styles and more.

How do I decide on the exterior style of my home?

Your location, overall sense of style, budget and current home layout will dictate the style of your exterior. If you’re renovating a period home, the materials and features you use should reflect the date in which it was built, while a unique colour scheme could add contemporary flair. New homes may prefer to look to modern or contemporary designs with structural simplicity, whereas, if you live by the ocean, a beach-style design may better suit your locale. That’s not to say you can’t build a new home that has period influences. If you’re a traditionalist, you can borrow architectural details from the Art Deco period, for instance, or use finishes that reflect more of a Scandinavian style, too.

What exterior house colours and materials should I use?

Traditional homes typically use brick and timber building materials, while stone, board-formed concrete and metal cladding are popular contemporary options. Again, the materials you use will depend on your location and the statement you want to make. Your budget will also affect your choice. Vinyl siding is affordable and easy to install, while stone is more expensive but durable and low maintenance. If you’re not ready to renovate but want to update the exterior of your home, you can still paint it. Look to your neighbours when choosing exterior house colours. Consider the streetscape and what type of colours are already in use, firstly, so you don’t replicate next door’s shade; and secondly, so you don’t stand out like a sore thumb. If you’re renovating a period home, you could paint features or intricate details in a bold, standout hue. Front doors, garage doors and window trims also look great in eye-catching colours, even if the rest of the house’s facade is neutral.

How can I maximise my home’s street appeal?

To spice up your home’s architectural design, landscape the surrounding area with plants and pathways that accent the style of your home. If you just need a quick revamp, look at your cement and pavers – these can split and crack over time; and repairing or replacing them can do wonders for your street appeal, especially if it’s a large area like your driveway. Plants, garden paths or low walls can can also add structure to your front yard. Light up your home with sufficient outdoor lighting to make walking up to the front door easy at night. You could use bollard lights along your entry path, or replace tiny wall sconces with statement pendant lighting at the entrance or on your verandah. Decorative elements such as house numbers, mailboxes and doormats will also add character. And if you're looking to sell your house, it may be worth hiring a stylist to help make the most of your property.