Contemporary Home Front Elevation With Brick Porch

The centre of the house is clad in brick to mark the porch and the front door. Pushing the brick forward and wrapping the entry in it tells a visitor exactly where to head. The warm red also breaks up the grey so the facade is not one flat tone. Brick cladding weathers well outdoors and needs little upkeep once sealed, which is why it suits the most-used part of the front.

That is a decorative cut-out screen, a panel pierced with a repeating pattern that sits along the upper balcony. It filters harsh sun before it reaches the glass behind, so the rooms upstairs stay cooler. It also gives the people on the balcony some privacy from the street. Screens like this are a practical shading device dressed up as a feature, doing a real job while adding texture to the front.

The flat roof extends well past the wall to throw shade over the entrance and the balcony below. In a hot climate that deep overhang keeps direct sun off the door and windows, which cuts heat gain and protects the timber from weathering. It also shelters the entry in the rain. The reward is comfort and shade, and the cost is a larger cantilever that has to be built and waterproofed with care.

Recessed lights are set into the underside of the eave and the porch soffit, throwing light down the walls and across the entrance. Facade spotlights pick out the brick and the planting. Lighting the front this way turns the stepped blocks into a play of light and shadow after dark. It also makes the entry safe and easy to find. Keeping the fittings recessed means you see the glow, not the fixtures.

It is fairly low maintenance by design. Grey plaster wants a wash and the odd repaint, sealed brick needs almost nothing, and the timber door benefits from a coat of oil every year or two to hold its colour in the sun. The planters are the living part and need regular watering. Choosing weather-tough materials up front, as here, is what keeps a facade looking good with only light seasonal care.

The stepped massing and the deep cantilevered roof are the big-ticket items, since both need extra structure over a plain box. Brick cladding and a solid timber door add to the finish bill, and the cut-out screen is a fabricated panel. Plaster and paint are the cheaper base. The structural moves cost the most, so the shape of the house, more than the finishes, is what sets the figure.

They scale down well. The stepping, the shading roof and a brick-wrapped entry all work on a narrow house, just in smaller proportions. On a tight plot you would simplify to one forward block for the entrance and a single shaded window above. The cut-out screen is worth keeping even small, since it shades and adds privacy at once. Sticking to two or three materials, as here, keeps a compact front from looking fussy.