The owners are restaurateurs with a special passion for preparing and serving meals to their patrons. This love carried over into their new outdoor living/cooking area addition. The project required taking an existing detached covered pool pavilion and expanding it into an outdoor living and kitchen destination for themselves and their guests. To start, the existing pavilion is turned into an enclosed air-conditioned kitchen space with accordion French door units on three sides to allow it to be used comfortably year round and to encourage easy circulation through it from each side. The newly expanded spaces on each side include a fireplace with a covered sitting area to the right and a covered BBQ area to the left, which ties the new structure to an existing garage storage room. This storage room is converted into another prep kitchen to help with support for larger functions. The vaulted roof structure is maintained in the renovated center space which has an existing slate roof. The two new additions on each side have a flat ceiling clad in antique tongue and groove wood with a lower pitched standing seam copper roof which helps define their function and gives dominance to the original structure in the center. With their love of entertaining through preparing and serving food, this transformed outdoor space will continue to be a gathering place enjoyed by family and friends in every possible setting.

Floreat

Devrite Homes of Distinction

Double storey home

Modern Cotswold Custom On Tyng Way

Linnane Homes

Harbor Lakes Contemporary

Bohannon Design Team

Detail view looking up toward clerestory windows.

Nashwood

LaFortune Interiors

Cape Dutch Residence | Burr Ridge, IL

Charles Vincent George Architects, Inc.

Burr Ridge, IL Home by Charles Vincent George Architects. Photography by Tony Soluri. Two-story white painted brick, home. Has multiple gables, dormers, arched doorway with a curved gate leading to a charming dutch door. This elegant home exudes old-world charm, creating a comfortable and inviting retreat in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Creamy Contemporay Cape on 22nd

FitzHarris Designs, Architects + Designers

Major renovation and addition to an existing brick Cape style home. Creamy contemporary style with large porch and low slung roof lines to compliment the neighborhood.

Mid century home

USI Design & Remodeling

Dallas home reconstructed after a Tornado.

Custom Homes

Benvenuti and Stein

Award winning home transformations and new home construction projects in the Chicago North Shore area. This Winnetka Home Renovation Award Winner was originally built in the 1950’s. The challenge was to transform the home from it’s current condition and add charm, character and create living spaces that would fit our clients’ needs. It received awards the Winnetka Home Preservation Award for Rehabilitation, Professional Remodeler Magazine Design Award and Marvin Integrity Red Diamond Achiever Award. Norman Sizemore photographer

Bell Residence - Exterior Remodel

WSB Homes, LLC

Painted Brick | Understated Class

DeFalco Home Design

ASC Margaritaville

Amy Storm & Company

Hyde Park Exterior Renovation

The English Contractor & Remodeling Services

The back yard patio is the new living room. Let’s discuss. If you’ve tried to purchase an outdoor, propane heater, new grill, or even outdoor seating in the past six months, this is not news to you. We’re all doing our best to manage through the pandemic while still enjoying social connections and time with family and friends. The solution that so many of us have adopted is to spend more time outside. There’s a Norwegian saying that says, “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” It’s a mantra worth adopting these days. We have a lot of customers who are ready to bundle up and enjoy their back yards as much as they enjoy their living rooms. But these lucky homeowners have had that opportunity for the past six months. Reading any further may make you pretty jealous, but we hope that it inspires you for a future project in your own back yard.

City Modern Farmhouse Town & Country Charlotte

Linnane Homes

Private Waterfront Residence on the Chester River

Purple Cherry Architects

The approach to the house offers a quintessential farm experience. Guests pass through farm fields, barn clusters, expansive meadows, and farm ponds. Nearing the house, a pastoral sheep enclosure provides a friendly and welcoming gesture.

Abbesses

Cocottes Studio

Cape Dutch Residence | Burr Ridge, IL

Charles Vincent George Architects, Inc.

Burr Ridge, IL home by Charles Vincent George Architects. Photography by Tony Soluri. Two-story white painted brick, home. Has multiple gables, dormers, arched doorway with curved gate leading to a charming dutch door. This elegant home exudes old world charm, creating a comfortable and inviting retreat in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Twin Creeks

Lori Lynn Designs

Updating of a beautiful traditional home by changing the brick color, trim color, and architectural accents.

Bogart 2

Studio Design Elements

Exterior Design Ideas with Painted Brick 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.