Many of us spend a lot of time focusing on what our homes look like on the inside. But, in truth, how they appear on the outside matters a great deal too.
In this post, we take a look at some drool-worthy exteriors and how you can emulate them.
Castle-Inspired
There’s always been something magical about castles. For hundreds of years, wealthy landlords have been trying to recreate the medieval era of turrets and battlements. But now, these exteriors are becoming accessible to regular people. The ideas are simple: just add things like crenelations and towers to your home and make it appear more like a medieval fortress of old.
French Chateau
Until recently, the only place you could find a French chateau-style home was in France itself. But now architects are getting to grips with the design concepts of the era and melding them into new builds.
You’d have to get some professional roofing estimates pre-build though; those beautiful turrets would take a lot of skill and work.
Chateau-style buildings have arched double doorways, lead-capped dormer windows, and beautiful blue slate roofs. Their walls often feature creeping vines, helping to create a sense of character and age for the property.
Until recently, the only place you could find a French chateau-style home was in France itself. But now architects are getting to grips with the design concepts of the era and melding them into new builds.
Chateau-style buildings have arched double doorways, lead-capped dormer windows, and beautiful blue slate roofs. Their walls often feature creeping vines, helping to create a sense of character and age for the property.
Palm Beach
For years, Palm Beach has been famous for its beautiful mansions and residents’ luxurious way of life. But today, you can build the perfect Palm Beach home pretty much wherever you like – even outside of tropical areas.
Palm Beach homes usually feature whitewash walls, shutters on the windows to keep the heat of the sun, and shallow gable roofs. They also use terracotta tiles, something you can learn more here about.
Spanish
Spanish exteriors are actually quite similar to Palm Beach, but much more understated. They usually feature orange-tiled roofs and orange-painted windows alongside whitewash walls. Again, the idea is to reflect as much of the sun’s light as possible, keeping the home and surrounding neighborhood cool.
Elevated Lake Home
Elevated lake homes not only offer wonderful settings, but they also look interesting architecturally too.
The basic concept is to leave a gap between the foundations and the first floor of the building, creating a kind of no man’s land in between. Some properties achieve this by allowing the basement to rise several feet above the ground while others do it by putting the homes on stilts. Many properties in this style feature enormous windows for gazing out across the lake and beautiful stone and woodwork to compliment the natural surroundings.
Historic Retreat
Historic retreats look a little bit like The Little House on the Prairie. These usually feature a traditional design, veranda and the front for saying hello to neighbors, and white cladding over all exterior walls.
London Townhouse
If you go to places like Mayfair in London, you’ll find what the Brits call a “London townhouse.”
They’re quite unmistakable. Usually, they feature large stone brick facades and big columns at the front door, supporting a porch. To the front, there are black-painted iron railings with intricate designs to prevent trespassing. Many also have a balcony at the upper level. On the inside, most examples are Georgian in style.
