Front of the new two-story home, with the attached garage and a paver driveway.
Large modern red two-story vinyl gable roof idea in Boston with a shingle roof

Mountain style two-story mixed siding brown front door photo with a glass front door

Alex Rodriguez
Front porch photo in DC Metro with a roof extension

Bernard Andre'
Large transitional lap and white backyard and two-story stone and rectangular exterior home idea in San Francisco

Jon Wallen
Inspiration for a large craftsman white two-story vinyl exterior home remodel in New York with a hip roof

Large elegant beige two-story stucco gable roof photo in Charlotte

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.

Ranch style house with white brick exterior, black shutters, grey shingle roof, natural stone walkway, and natural wood front door. Jennifer Vera Photography.

Example of a large classic two-story brick house exterior design in Houston

In reconceiving this façade, it felt most essential to give the front entry more presence, as a central anchor and focus. Toward that effort the front porch roof was torn out and enlarged, with pyramid column bases, 8x8 stained cedar posts, and 8x10 beams. The second floor gable, centered above the front porch roof, was also enlarged. Windows on both sides were all symmetrically aligned from this center. Through this alignment and centering emphasis the two-story portion of the house becomes the draw to the eye. New exterior cladding--smooth-finish stucco, painted shake siding, board & batten in the gable, and banding with knee braces, break the original monolithic facade into more pleasing proportions.

Nantucket Architectural Photography
Inspiration for a large coastal master white tile and subway tile medium tone wood floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Boston with a vessel sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops and white walls

jeremy bittermann
Contemporary exterior home idea in Portland

Inspiration for a cottage patio remodel in San Francisco with a fire pit and no cover

This second-story addition to an already 'picture perfect' Naples home presented many challenges. The main tension between adding the many 'must haves' the client wanted on their second floor, but at the same time not overwhelming the first floor. Working with David Benner of Safety Harbor Builders was key in the design and construction process – keeping the critical aesthetic elements in check. The owners were very 'detail oriented' and actively involved throughout the process. The result was adding 924 sq ft to the 1,600 sq ft home, with the addition of a large Bonus/Game Room, Guest Suite, 1-1/2 Baths and Laundry. But most importantly — the second floor is in complete harmony with the first, it looks as it was always meant to be that way. ©Energy Smart Home Plans, Safety Harbor Builders, Glenn Hettinger Photography

Designed By: Richard Bustos Photos By: Jeri Koegel Ron and Kathy Chaisson have lived in many homes throughout Orange County, including three homes on the Balboa Peninsula and one at Pelican Crest. But when the “kind of retired” couple, as they describe their current status, decided to finally build their ultimate dream house in the flower streets of Corona del Mar, they opted not to skimp on the amenities. “We wanted this house to have the features of a resort,” says Ron. “So we designed it to have a pool on the roof, five patios, a spa, a gym, water walls in the courtyard, fire-pits and steam showers.” To bring that five-star level of luxury to their newly constructed home, the couple enlisted Orange County’s top talent, including our very own rock star design consultant Richard Bustos, who worked alongside interior designer Trish Steel and Patterson Custom Homes as well as Brandon Architects. Together the team created a 4,500 square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom contemporary house where R&R get top billing in almost every room. Two stories tall and with lots of open spaces, it manages to feel spacious despite its narrow location. And from its third floor patio, it boasts panoramic ocean views. “Overall we wanted this to be contemporary, but we also wanted it to feel warm,” says Ron. Key to creating that look was Richard, who selected the primary pieces from our extensive portfolio of top-quality furnishings. Richard also focused on clean lines and neutral colors to achieve the couple’s modern aesthetic, while allowing both the home’s gorgeous views and Kathy’s art to take center stage. As for that mahogany-lined elevator? “It’s a requirement,” states Ron. “With three levels, and lots of entertaining, we need that elevator for keeping the bar stocked up at the cabana, and for our big barbecue parties.” He adds, “my wife wears high heels a lot of the time, so riding the elevator instead of taking the stairs makes life that much better for her.”

Pacific Northwest beach house, Pathway garden.
Inspiration for a mid-sized coastal gray two-story mixed siding gable roof remodel in Seattle with a shingle roof

Brett Zamore Design
Trendy backyard concrete paver patio photo in Houston with a pergola and a bbq area

Attractive living as an architectural experiment: a 136-year-old water tower, a listed building with a spectacular 360-degree panorama view over the City of London. The task, to transform it into a superior residence, initially seemed an absolute impossibility. But when the owners came across architect Mike Collier, they had found a partner who was to make the impossible possible. The tower, which had been empty for decades, underwent radical renovation work and was extended by a four-storey cube containing kitchen, dining and living room - connected by glazed tunnels and a lift shaft. The kitchen, realised by Enclosure Interiors in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with furniture from LEICHT is the very heart of living in this new building. Shiny white matt-lacquered kitchen fronts (AVANCE-LR), tone-on-tone with the worktops, reflect the light in the room and thus create expanse and openness. The surface of the handle-less kitchen fronts has a horizontal relief embossing; depending on the light incidence, this results in a vitally structured surface. The free-standing preparation isle with its vertical side panels with a seamlessly integrated sink represents the transition between kitchen and living room. The fronts of the floor units facing the dining table were extended to the floor to do away with the plinth typical of most kitchens. Ceiling-high tall units on the wall provide plenty of storage space; the electrical appliances are integrated here invisible to the eye. Floor units on a high plinth which thus appear to be floating form the actual cooking centre within the kitchen, attached to the wall. A range of handle-less wall units concludes the glazed niche at the top. LEICHT international: “Architecture and kitchen” in the centre of London. www.LeichtUSA.com

Alex Rodriguez
Inspiration for a front porch remodel in DC Metro with a roof extension