This national builder wants to bring several collections of existing plans to a new signature community, but they want to bring a fresh, modern aesthetic to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Our approach wasn’t just to design a handful of new elevation styles, but to create an entire design language intentionally crafted so that each style is unique yet works with all the others. To achieve this, we developed cohesive material palettes, complementary massing and forms, and high-impact color schemes that tie the entire family together.
To demonstrate our concept, we developed one new elevation style for one house in each of the five collections. This established the aesthetic for each style to be mixed and matched across individual collections, resulting in a broad diversity of looks.
22′ Wide Alley-load SFD – Transitional
The transitional style blends classic and contemporary design elements, creating a home that feels both timeless and current. We merged traditional gabled roof forms and classically balanced massing with modern fenestration patterns, simplified trim, and intentional asymmetry. This style offers a flexible, approachable aesthetic that appeals to homeowners seeking the comfort of tradition alongside the clarity and openness of modern architecture.
For this smaller home intended for the attainable housing buyer, we needed to keep direct costs as low as possible while reimagining the elevations to achieve a fresh look that would attract more buyers. We accomplished this by designing a very simple roof, keeping eaves minimal, standardizing windows, and using cost-effective siding options. Even the masonry, required by city regulations, is applied in a way to meet minimum standards while making a major impact.
24′ Wide Alley-load Duplex – Contemporary
The contemporary style represents a pure expression of modern construction free from historical references. It features bold shed roof forms and dynamic silhouettes that emphasize clean, angular geometry. The design balances horizontal and vertical articulations through thoughtful massing and material changes that maintain simplicity without adhering to rigid symmetry. With modern application of materials and fenestration patterns, we delivered a forward-thinking aesthetic tailored for homebuyers seeking clarity, openness, and a distinct visual character.
The key to differentiating this duplex product with identical units side-by-side was the decision to treat the front elevation of each unit independently. Three simple moves made this possible. We added a 1’ bump out in the study and bedroom on one side, rotated shed roof forms, and applied differing fenestration patterns in key areas, while keeping the rest of these mirrored units identical.
35′ Wide SFD 2-Story – Modern Farmhouse
The modern farmhouse style blends familiar gabled rooflines and simple, vertical building forms with updated materials and thoughtful detailing to create a fresh, distinctive look. While honoring its agrarian roots, our version of the modern farmhouse moves beyond the commonplace by embracing modern takes on shiplap and board & batten siding. This approach respects the farmhouse’s welcoming character while offering homebuyers a more design-forward interpretation that is both enduring and genuinely contemporary.
Simple moves go a long way toward creating a distinctive style while keeping direct costs low. A properly steep gable is mated with the simplest possible roof design and modest eaves. By strategically raising the top plate, the vertical form of the front gable is accentuated at very minimal cost, while also allowing for transom windows and higher ceilings in the loft and primary bedroom. A simple metal shed roof over the front porch adds a sense of luxe style and detail to a home that is intentionally spare.
40’ Wide SFD Ranch – Mid-Century Modern
The mid-century modern style emphasizes clean lines, functional design, and a strong connection to nature. Hallmarked by low-sloped roofs, expansive glass, and clerestory windows, the style expresses horizontality through extended roof overhangs and linear forms. This updated interpretation maintains the original spirit—simple, light-filled, and livable spaces—through the use of selectively vaulted ceilings, large windows, and modern materials.
Providing drama and simplicity at the same time, the 2:12 slope shed roofs are extended forward. Layered rooflines on the two main masses of the house and the front porch, coupled with trapezoidal windows, create human-scaled forms that express function and link the inside to the outside. Siding and trim are kept simple, while masonry is applied where it can make the most impact.
50′ Wide SFD 2-Story – Modern Prairie
The modern prairie style expresses horizontality through extended eaves, banded windows, low-profile forms, and hip roofs. Expansive windows enhance natural light and visual connection to the outdoors. Strong stone elements and slender horizontal siding allow the home to hunker down in the landscape, maintaining a grounded organic feel that balances historical roots with visual simplicity to create a contemporary feel.
The strategic use of raised roof elements adds dynamism to the front façade and increases ceiling height in the study and 2nd-floor loft. Large windows with mulled transoms are deployed asymmetrically to create patterns that add character without blowing out the budget. A spare material pallet of flat panels, 4” lap siding, and strategically positioned stone gives definition to an otherwise straightforward massing.
Streetscape
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