When you're in the market for a new home, there are many aspects to consider. You want to find your dream home – with the perfect floor plan on the right block that fits within your budget.
While the interior of the home and the land you purchase are essential, we believe there's a third major consideration – your home's facade.
Street appeal is becoming a top focus for new home buyers and will impact the resale value of your home. It's also nice to pull into your driveway each night after work and feel proud of your new home.
Metricon has both the style options and flexibility to deliver the look you want to achieve. Whether you want a Hamptons style weatherboard home, a modern dark grey colour scheme or classic brick with large windows, we're the home builder who has something for everyone.
Here are some general exterior home design tips and facade ideas for your new home.
Street appeal
As important as it is to ensure that you love the look of a facade, you also want to choose a design that will complement your location. When selecting a facade, it's worth researching the look and feel of your neighbourhood. You don't even have to leave the comfort of your couch – use Google Maps to tour your new street.
Although it's great to choose a design that's in style, you want to be smart about your decision, especially when it comes time to sell your home. Metricon Design Director, Adrian Popple, says, "Over the last couple of years, we're seeing customers pay particular attention to how their home presents from the street."
A modern home needs a modern exterior. Whether you achieve that through a flat roof, a uniquely landscaped front yard, materials and cladding, or a Hamptons style home is up to you.
Colours
Metricon gives you the option to alter the colour of the paint and tiles used on your new home. Facade colour is a great option to add your unique sense of style and personalisation.
However, we do recommend you stick to classic facade colours – something that will stand the test of time – both in terms of style and home maintenance. "Anything too out-there will date," Adrian advises, "and you might have to repaint the exterior before you sell, which is costly. Similarly, while we use the best quality paints available, some colours will appear to wear more than others and require more maintenance."
A simple way to add your flair to the house facade is to introduce pops of colour. Painting the front door allows you to flaunt your favourite colours and ensure you're not up for a considerable task when you eventually move on!
Materials
If maintenance is not your thing, your choice of materials is crucial. You don't want to be out every weekend looking after your home's facade! While you may want to achieve a specific look, it's essential to consider the longevity of your build materials and the time you must spend maintaining the look. After all, street appeal is vital - you want your home to be looking fabulous all the time, even if you're not continually cleaning.
For example, cladding is an excellent alternative for those looking to build with timber, especially for the very reason that it requires little to no maintenance – at least not for a long time.
"Facade materials have evolved greatly over the past ten years. Previously, complete brick homes were common. Today, with the emergence of new-age cladding materials, facades of homes are being enhanced by the use of different materials," says Adrian.
Focal points
We've already mentioned pops of colours or material like cladding; however, adding some focal points to your facade will help to elevate the look and feel. Focal points are an opportunity to play with different textures or mix materials and colours to make something unique. These focal points are already present in many of our designs; however, don't be afraid to chat with us about ways to make your home stand out. Roofing is another excellent opportunity to make an impact. First impressions matter!
Lighting
When you pick your facade and have decided on a focal point, you should think about how your home will look at night. Arriving home at night to a completely dark facade will make it lose a lot of its appeal. Adrian’s tip is to “strategically position lights to illuminate key features both on the facade and in the landscaping to bring it to life at night.”
Tie it to your favourite look
Anyone versed in interior design will try to bring the outside in, which means they'll consider the look of the home exterior and gardens when styling the inside. When you're picking a home facade, choose colours and materials that will represent the inside of the home too. You should have an idea of how you'll style the house – so style the facade in a similar fashion!
When building with Metricon, not only do you have a wide selection of single storey and two storey home designs to choose from, but a fantastic range of facade options for each design. From timeless Hamptons style to bold contemporary looks to Australian country designs, Metricon has a home facade design to suit every style. Once you have made your home facade selection, you can head into Studio M to see how you can change up the colours and materials to make it uniquely yours.
To find the perfect home and facade to suit your lifestyle, explore Metricon's home designs today. There, you'll be about to browse modern house facades as well as classic weatherboard looks. If you find one you like, make sure to check if it has a display home. Visiting a display home is a great way to check out the exterior design and get some facade ideas. Metricon has single storey and double storey display homes available to see in person. If you find something you like, check to see if it's available within our home and land packages!
For inspiration on how to achieve a particular look - whether that be for the interior or the exterior of your home, Metricon's Lookbook is a great place to start. For more inspiration, we have Studio M Selection centres in Melbourne, Victorian regional hubs, Sydney, NSW regional hubs, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Adelaide. To find the closest Studio M centre, click here.
