I look around my neighborhood, and I just can’t imagine living anywhere else. From the parks to the Pacific and the accessibility of culture and technology, San Francisco has it all.
Part of loving it here really has to do with living here. And the home environment really matters. I find that in early conversations, most clients front-load inquiries with considerations about interior spaces (and that’s understandable). It’s pretty much what you experience 24/7.
Just as important, though, is the conversation about the exterior.
An exterior should be distinctive, but it also needs to serve a practical purpose: protection from the environment in a sustainable and durable way (while adhering to neighborhood and city requirements).
In this article, I’m going to case-study four modern home exteriors, their neighborhoods, occupant goals, and the exterior materials used not just for design’s sake, but also for lasting value.
The truth is, most homeowners are thinking about permits, timelines, views, and features. But it’s also important to consider things like fog, salt air, soot, algae, UV exposure, possible fires, and so much more. Few think about this. But it makes all the difference.
When modern home exteriors can be distinctive, maintenance-free, and resilient, you’ve really achieved something important. So let’s examine these four homes and see what that means for you.
Bernal Heights: The Rule Of Three Exterior Materials
The goal at this Bernal Heights address was to update a facade in a way that felt contemporary without breaking the rhythm of the surrounding streetscape. Taking a look at what this place looked like at the start, the constraints might appear obvious (especially against the outcome). Traditional materials take a beating, and this tiny home was being swallowed alive by its neighboring dwellings.
This place needed to compete with adjacent homes’ massing, but it also needed to do it in a way that offered a sense of continuity and elegance.
Why is this important? San Francisco’s planning department pays close attention to massing and material continuity because the visual coherence of our neighborhoods is part of what makes them worth living in.
The solution was a trio of materials that honored neighboring design narratives while creating distinction and durability. Fiber-cement panels, integral-color acrylic stucco, and cementitious strip siding were chosen. Three materials, three textures, with three distinct visual identities that worked together.
This is a principle worth naming: using the same material in two different colors almost always looks like a mistake. Using three genuinely different materials, each earning its place, is intentional and adds a signature that gives your space significance.
The fiber cement panels (the blue panels wrapping the bay window) are the standout element for me on this home. A rainscreen system with an open joint grid that reads as a strong visual counterpoint to the softer stucco base. Rainscreen systems are standard practice in the Pacific Northwest for good reason: they’re the highest-performing exterior cladding system in wet, foggy climates.
The cementitious strip siding adds another visual reference, and it reads like painted wood siding from the street. But it’s not anything like wood in terms of durability. Modern home exteriors accented with this material last without the rot, warping, or maintenance that wood demands in this climate. It’s made from fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion. This material is one of the more sustainable (as long as there is continued use of coal anyway) modern home siding options available at a price point that doesn’t require a second conversation about budget.
The stucco, with an integral color acrylic over a cement basecoat, anchors the triptych.
Acrylic topcoat doesn’t develop the hairline cracks that plague traditional cement stucco, doesn’t absorb moisture, and cleans up easily. In a city where facades start looking dingy within a few years, that matters.
The outside story is that of symmetry, accent, and confidence.
Then… you get to pass through a warm wood door… and are treated to what’s inside.
Outer Richmond: Breaking Out Of The Fog
This project underscores the importance of material selection and resilience, perhaps more than any of the others. We started with an Edwardian-style exterior that had seen way too much soot and fog over the years, and a roof that had just about had it with the California sun. The neighborhood had a mixed feel with some charming Victorians and some mid-century dogs. So the question became: how do we fit in to the neighborhood while elevating things? And satisfy planning requirements?
There was another consideration: a client non-negotiable. Extremely low maintenance. They’d watched neighboring facades accumulate soot and algae and turn green-gray over the years. They didn’t want to have that conversation again in five years (if ever).
The solution was a contemporary, modern-style exterior that signals clean, organized, resilient living, but also relates to its older neighbors in rhythm and massing.
“Modern” doesn’t have to mean uniform, cold concrete, and glass. In fact, many homeowners find extraordinary lifestyle benefits with modern architecture. Through texture, we created a layered narrative that takes you on a visual journey from top to bottom, and then in.
Again, we use proven favorites to achieve this effect and create a look that the owners wanted. We started with fiber-cement panels and integral-color stucco, but added a color-coated standing-seam metal roof.
This is perhaps the signature element worth examining with respect to modern home exteriors.
The metal roof is factory-finished steel: sustainable, durable, and maintenance-free for life. Not to mention fire resilience. Metal is non-combustible and a perfect shield for any flying embers that might settle from a surrounding fire.
Lastly, note the expanse of the windows compared with those of the neighbors (the biggest that planning would allow). Counter to the structure we started with, this new feature breathes life and light into the space, illustrating modern house exterior design at work!
The massing and rhythm still satisfy city planning while creating something that stands out from neighboring structures.
Owners receive a warm welcome as they pass through the horizontally arranged wood front door.
Noe Valley: Where “No” Helped Set A New Standard
As a contemporary architect, it’s a joy to help homeowners realize their perfect living environment. But sometimes, we have to step in and offer an opinion that doesn’t necessarily sit right at first. Not to argue and fight for “our design,” over a client’s wish, but rather to support an outcome they haven’t considered.
The owners really wanted to create a powerful, modern look. But they didn’t want to fall into the trap of stereotypical “modern home exteriors” that were just statements of steel and glass.
They wanted warmth. Something that felt natural and aligned with biophilic design. The owners wanted wood slat siding. They’d seen it on a project they loved, had the images saved, and came to the first meeting knowing what they wanted.
Saying no to natural wood took a moment to land. But there was a good reason for it, and the result includes a pioneering material that we haven’t seen used before in the city.
Synthetic wood composite is the hero of this facade. Both for its ability to achieve the desired look while doing it in a way that made the planning department happy.
Made from a mixture of natural and post-consumer waste products, this material has a pretty low carbon footprint while offering homeowners durability over time, further reducing the need for new materials and their associated environmental impact.
This home got the texture and visual warmth of wood slats without any of the long-term side effects that cedar and other natural woods would have left them with.
Modern home exteriors don’t have to fall into stereotypical notions of endless concrete. They can be textured, layered, and very warm.
We love this particular home because it shows a path for other homeowners to follow. The Bay Area is full of aging, stained cedar facades that nobody is happy about. And we can do better with the right sustainable materials.
Buena Vista: A Cultured, Considered Neighbor
We loved this project because there was a sleeping beauty here. We’re focusing on it last in our list because this one isn’t about transformation through material selection, but rather enhancing what was already there.
When we got the call, the homeowner was intrigued by the cleanliness of modern home exteriors, but didn’t want to depart from the look of their familiar home base.
The exciting part of this project had to do with the reality that the existing proportions would allow us to bring things current, with a bit of old-world charm.
If this design seems familiar somehow and you can’t quite put your finger on it, that’s because it echoes European village living. Specifically, that roof is known as a Mansard Roof (or French Roof) — celebrated for hiding vertical living spaces under the appearance of a roof.
This style was copied throughout most of Europe for hundreds of years and is seen in villages where occupants avoided being taxed on such vertical additions. Architecturally, the goal was a design narrative that made another floor appear to be the attic!
The charming effect here is one of humble confidence, and something totally unique on the street. Note the way the light plays with the colors. The rake and hues make it feel like we might just be standing in a French village.
The style is reminiscent of what we might see in France with its Mansard roof. But the materials don’t help it. It is pretty amazing what a refresh did to this façade.
Our exterior materials for this one include integral color acrylic stucco, cement, and of course, the standing seam metal roof.
This piece is a favorite because it shows how adaptable modern home designs can be, and we’ve captured something from the old world, and made it new — exactly what the homeowner wanted.
What These Four Modern Home Exteriors Have in Common
None of these material choices were arbitrary. Every decision came out of a real conversation about climate, maintenance, budget, and what the neighborhood actually needs.
Modern home exteriors in San Francisco work when they’re designed with tomorrow in mind, while honoring a cadence that is still very much the signature of the city.
If you’re planning an exterior renovation or a full redesign and want to understand what’s right for your site, your neighborhood, and your budget before any decisions get made, that conversation starts with a free 40-minute Design Discovery Session.