Houses can be beautiful in a lot of different ways. Their cute style, architecture, the landscaping around them and many other details can influence our perception over the entire project.

Today we’re having a look at 30 beautiful houses from all over the world, each different and beautiful in its own unique way.

Common Building Construction Materials For a Beautiful House

The construction business utilizes a range of different building materials for various parts of home construction. Each offers a unique combination of durability and strength making it ideal for a variety of applications.

National standards and testing procedures oversee the usage of building materials used for different constructions, ensuring their structural integrity can be depended upon.

Concrete

Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregates that are held together using a liquid binder. The most popular type of cement is Portland cement, which is a fine powder made by burning clay and limestone components in a kiln and adding gypsum. Thus, Portland cement concrete is composed of mineral aggregate that has been joined together.

Due to its adaptability, affordability, and strength, it is the best material for a house foundation. A home foundation made from concrete is prevalent because it can support a big load and withstand the stresses of the surrounding environment.

Wood

Wood is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of construction materials and has qualities that make it a perfect building material, even in the era of manufactured and synthetic materials.

Dimensional lumber refers to wood pieces which are cut to standard sizes, ones that are normally used to make building plans. Larger pieces of wood are commonly referred to as beams and timber and are frequently used to frame massive structures such as multi-story buildings.

Certain tree species are more suited to certain applications and climates than others. Architects and engineers can select the best type of wood for a particular construction project.

Steel

Steel is a metal alloy composed of carbon and iron, with additional alloying elements added to make it stronger compared to iron. Due to the extra chromium in stainless steels, they resist oxidation and corrosion.

Due to its strength in relation to its size and weight, structural engineers employ it to frame tall modern structures and massive industrial complexes.

Steel is expensive in comparison to other metals. Structural experts can advise on the most cost-effective sizes to utilize in a house in order to support the building’s actual load.

Stone

The most durable building material is one that has been around for thousands of years. Indeed, the world’s oldest structures are composed of stone. It has numerous advantages, yet architects and engineers must take certain precautions when designing a structure made of stone.

For the longest time, dry stone walls constructed of thick rock have been employed. Later, several types of mortar were utilized to bind them together. Due to its density, stone can be difficult to deal with due to its weight and inability to be moved.

Because stone is difficult to keep heated, it is inefficient as an insulator. Diverse stone types are optimal for a variety of applications. Slate, for example, is resistant to fire. Granite is really durable and the Incas constructed their exceptionally sturdy structures using granite and limestone.

What Are the Permissions Required to Build a a Cute House?

It’s really important to note that the permissions required to build a house are different from one country to another, so it’s always important to verify what documentation you need for your specific country.

Zoning

Zoning regulations will specify how land may be used and the sort of structure that may be constructed on it. The public has access to zoning information.

Consult your local zoning office or the institution that’s responsible for this to gather zoning information for your lot. This will give you the information you need about potential regulations that might stop you from building in your intended location, and obtain their permission before you begin construction. This is distinct from a building permit.

Land approval

Possessing land does not imply that you may do whatever you want with it. Additionally, not everyone was as cautious as they should have been when building a new structure and rules change over time, thus the presence of an existing construction on a lot does not necessarily imply that it is lawful.

Keep in mind that property records are public. Before you build, you’ll want to obtain a parcel map, identify your assessor parcel number (APN), and confirm that your parcel is labeled as an approved building site.

You can conduct an online search to determine where to obtain records in your area. Typically, they take place at one of the following institutions: city hall, county recorder’s office, county courthouse, etc.

Building codes

While zones govern land use, building codes govern the physical structures that exist on the property and their specifics. These codes are normally specified in the International Building Code in the United States but each country should have its own equivalent.

While some of this relates to fire safety, these rules also refer to and include other standards, such as the International Plumbing Code. If your area adopts the IBC, it also adopts the other included codes.

Generally, your project’s contractor or engineer will ensure that all components of the construction comply with code, but you can and should conduct your own study.

Many codes are available online via a specialized search, but your city or municipality should have a building codes department if you are unable to locate what you are looking for.

Permits

If you’re building or modifying a house, you’ll need to obtain a building permit and submit your plans to your local code enforcement agency for approval. This comprises structural drawings, plans, measurement, the material that will be used for the exterior, plus the elevation view. FEMA provides an excellent checklist to assist you in comprehending the permits and approval procedure.

If you’re building a new home, you’ll likely need many additional permits for various systems. A plumbing permit is required if you are repairing obsolete pipes or building an underground sprinkler system.

Ordinances

Even minor laws and regulations can obstruct your construction. It is your responsibility to ensure that your proposed construction complies with applicable local rules and covenants.

While your zone may be permitted for a particular type of project, a municipal rule may restrict the structure’s height or size. You’ll want to seek written approval from your municipality’s planning commission to guarantee that you’re ready to proceed.

Typically, the best source of this information is your town’s city hall, housing department, local government office, or mayor’s office.

The Most Popular Types of Houses

If you’re on the road to buying or making your first home or if you’re on the market looking for a place to live, we’ve put together a list of house types that you definitely should know about.

Apartments

An apartment is one of a group of comparable units contained within a single building structure. A critical aspect is that you must rent the space from a landlord. Generally speaking, apartments provide numerous conveniences such as on-site maintenance, gym facilities, laundry, and a pool.

While you will lose some solitude and will not be creating equity in your home, there are numerous extra advantages and disadvantages to consider when considering whether to rent or buy.

Tiny homes

The popularity of tiny homes has soared in recent years, igniting what has been dubbed the “tiny home movement.” These little dwellings typically range in size from 60 to 400 square feet. Certain tiny homes are prefabricated, while others are entirely custom built.

They have grown in popularity among single adults and couples seeking greater financial and physical independence, as some tiny homes are transportable and can be relocated.

Town homes

Townhouses or townhomes are privately owned dwellings that share at least one wall with another unit and have their own street entrance. They are particularly popular in densely populated areas.

Townhomes usually utilize vertical space by having multiple floors yet conserve horizontal space by being adjacent to other dwellings. Occasionally, a collection of townhouses would share amenities.

Detached homes

Also known as a detached home, a single-family home is totally self-contained. The vast majority of residences in the United States are single-family dwellings.

They are less prevalent in densely populated areas and are more prevalent in suburbs. Single-family homes are typically more private and offer more customization possibilities.

Ranch-style homes

Ranch-style homes first appeared in the 1930s, but they experienced a rise in popularity in the 1950s. These homes are primarily single-story in design and include low-pitched roofs, expansive windows, large backyards, open living spaces, sliding glass doors, and attached garages.

Split-level homes

Split-level homes evolved from ranch-style homes. What distinguishes a split-level home is the separation of the living spaces. Split-level residences feature various floors connected by short flights of steps.

While some appreciate the unusual division of space, others can feel inconvenience when it comes to the high number of short flights of stairs.

30 Beautiful big houses and their designs

A 19th-century beautiful house from Paris

Old structures are beautiful through the fact that they take us back in time and they inspire us to learn from our history. This house was originally built in the 19th century and is located in Paris, France. It definitely had a dated look which it still preserves but rather than looking out of place or deprecated it’s a wonderful gem.

The house was renovated in 2015, a project conducted by studio 05AM Arquitectura the goal of which was to make it more functional as a whole and better suited for a current lifestyle. The original charm and style of the building was preserved as best as possible and the modifications done to the floor plan were carefully designed so that they don’t stand out in a way which doesn’t suit the house.

An art collector’s beautiful house in Kansas

In each case when designing or building a house architects have in mind a main goal which can differ every time based on their clients’ needs and preferences. This is a house located in Kansas, United States. It was designed by studio Huff Projects and it’s intended to serve as a home but also as a space where the owners can display their extensive art collection.

As a result, it had to be able to showcase all these pieces in flattering and interesting ways but also feel like an inviting and comfortable home at the same time. Needless to say, it turned out great.

A repurposed old barn in Österlen

Old barns are quite charming and not always in a the same way for everyone. The new owners of this one for example wanted to move in here and to make it their home. The really high ceilings made the conversion fairly simple as well as interesting.

Architect Jonathan Andersson managed to completely transform the place. It went from being just another old and abandoned barn to becoming a loving modern home. It was originally built in 1901 but it definitely doesn’t look its age. It’s very inviting both inside and out and it has a lot of character.

A secluded family home in Hampton Bays

Choosing a great location is very important when building a house from scratch. Of course, great can mean very different things for different people. When architecture studio Mapos started work on the Peconic House project, their clients had in mind a very special location for their new dream home.

It was a piece of land in Hampton Bays, United States in a forest clearing with lots of vegetation around it and with a view of the Peconic Bay. Here a beautiful multi generation family home was built, one which maintains a lovely relationship with its surroundings, respects nature and coexists with it in harmony.

A modern house surrounded by trees in Vilnius

A strong and harmonious relationship with nature is what makes a lot of projects successful and inspiring. A beautiful example is a house designed and building by ArchLAB studio. It occupies a piece of land in Vilnius, Lithuania which has a river running through.

This was a dream come true for the owners who always wanted to be able to feel close to nature and to live in harmony with it. Their new house has a modern design and doesn’t disturb the land around it. Several tall pine trees can be seen growing right through the house, a great way to incorporate nature into the design and make it a physical part of the house.

A rough stone house that blends into the landscape

A desire to reconnect with nature was also at the core of a magnificent project conducted by architect Luis Arturo Garcia of EDAA. His task was to come up with a design for a house that would be able to seamlessly blend in with its natural surroundings.

As always, the inspiration came from the site, the topography and nature itself. That’s how this house came to be built out of rugged stone and concrete and to have such an organic look while at the same time featuring a modern architecture and a very stylish interior.

A contemporary ranch house in Texas

Ranch-style house have a charm of their own and often look and feel very welcoming and inviting. The original style however is quite dated and doesn’t necessarily suit the current lifestyle of many of us. There is of course a way to make the best of both world by renovating and transforming an existing ranch house.

A great example is a project completed by Root Design Company outside Austin, in Texas. Their task was to remodel a ranch which has a main house, a guest house and a chicken coop and to extend it by adding a new poolside pavilion. The new area adds an outdoor kitchen and dining area and allows the owners to spend more time outside.

A barn-style house in Portland

As we mentioned earlier, barns are very charming and beautiful in their own unique way. Their rusticity and the fact that they have high ceilings but a cozy interior makes them the perfect place to call home. This style has been used by studio Olson Kundig who worked on a very special project in Portland, Oregon.

This is where this beautiful house was built. As you can see, it shares some base similarities with an old barn but it’s also refreshingly modern, clean and simple. Large glass walls and windows frame the wonderful views and allow the outdoors to become a part of the interior.

A beautiful cottage in the English countryside

From a distance this looks like a charming and well-preserved cottage house, the kind that you see in historic movies. To some degree, that’s true. This is a structure is located in the English countryside and for the most part it has been preserved as best as possible in its original state. You can see that the exterior has a nice patina and ivy covers the roofs and walls. What’s less apparent is the fact that recently Stephen Marshall Architects added an extension, a glass-encased section with a very modern vibe to it. The new space makes a huge difference because it allows the interior layout to be reorganized and to become more practical and better suited for a contemporary lifestyle.

A triangular house in Famalicão

Every project has its own set of challenges. In the case of this magnificent house from Famalicão, Portugal, the difficult part was dealing with the unusual shape of the site. It was a triangular piece of land on a slope which made things difficult.

On top of that, there was an old structure on it. Studio NOARQ got rid of the old house but didn’t demolish the whole thing. They kept some of the stone walls which now create a border around the new house. They definitely contrast with the new and very clean and minimalist architecture and that’s part of what makes this house so special and beautiful in the first place.

A house on a steep slope in Jaraguá do Sul

Location is always important when designing and building a house. The topography pretty much changes everything. This house from Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil is a wonderful example. It was built on a site with a steep slope which made the design and planning phases quite difficult and challenging.

The easy option would have been to go with a typical flat design that aims to tame the slope but instead studio PJV Arquitetura decided to embrace this landscape. They came up with a modern design on two main floors which follows the shape of the land and interacts with it in a natural and beautiful manner.

A cute house in Rotterdam

What immediately stands out upon looking at this house is the roof. It has a very interesting look in the sense it’s a turf roof, a style which was very popular in Scandinavian houses back in the 19th century. Today it definitely has an uncommon look but it’s also a part of history which is what allows it to look fairly natural in this design.

The house was designed by architect Fillie Verhoeven who faced the challenge of incorporating the turf roof style into a modern structure. The asymmetrical shape of the building, the black exterior and the minimalism of the design as a whole really make this a spectacular project.

An asymmetrical house on a small site

It’s quite often that architects have to deal with all sorts of challenges related to either the size or shape of the plot of land that the want to build on. In this case studio Beczak had to work with a small and irregularly-shaped site and their way of overcoming this challenging was by designing an asymmetrical house. They came up with a floor plan that’s practical and that suits the site in a nice way and that meant having two distinct roof elevations for different sections of the house.

A modern house in Lisbon with two pools

A swimming pool is a really nice extra feature that a house can have and it’s typically something that’s found in the backyard. However, for this house in Lisbon the pool is a centerpiece. It’s actually not just one but two pools that were integrated into the design of this house in a really cool and unusual way.

There’s one fairly traditional pool that stretches at the back of the house beyond the deck and another suspended pool on the second story just above it. The second pool has a glass bottom which allows the sunlight to filter through the water and to reach the area underneath it, creating a really cool and unique pattern. This amazing project was done by Guedes Cruz Arquitectos.

A futuristic house in Moscow

This is definitely a house like no other. It was designed by architect Zaha Hadid and it’s her only private residence project. That already makes it masterpiece and, as expected, the design is out of this world. The house rises like a giant sculpture among the tall pine and birch trees that surround it on this beautiful plot of land outside Moscow, in Russia.

It has a very sculptural and futuristic look like everything else designed by the talented architect and its design is inspired by the beautiful natural surroundings.

A cantilevered cliff house in California

Building a house in a place that has amazing views often means sacrifices have to be made and challenges have to be overcome. This sort of sites are usually secluded, far away from settlements, in the middle of nature and that’s exactly what allows them to be so beautiful and extraordinary in the first place. That in turn means the house is off the grid and in some cases transporting all the materials on site is very challenging. In response to all these limitations, studio Anacapa Architecture came up with a really cool design for a modern house in Santa Barbara, California. The house cantilevers off a cliff and blends in with the landscape around it in a wonderful way.

A timeless house in the rainforest

What sets this project apart from a lot of the others is the owner’s desire for a house that would be able to last for multiple generations and to resist both structurally and aesthetically for a long long time. That alone was a big challenge and in addition the house occupies a site surrounded by a subtropical rainforest which meant that the design and the materials and techniques used had to be chosen in relation to these factors.

The project was completed by studio CHROFI in 2018 and, as you can see, the house has a modern but also abstract vibe to it. It’s built of stone and concrete which gives it a very solid and sturdy look and inside it has a flexible floor plan which allows for versatility.

A concrete house in Brasilia

You can’t always judge a house by the way it looks from the outside. In many cases the exterior and the interior of the house have contrasting designs and styles and each is meant to address a series of unique challenges and requirements. For this house from Brasilia, Brazil, Studio [+] Valéria Gontijo used concrete and wood to create a very simple shell on the outside and a very warm and welcoming space on the inside.

The house engages with its surroundings on a lot of different levels. Large sliding doors and numerous pivoting panels open up the living spaces to the beautiful garden and to the outdoors but can also just as easily conceal and separate the two environments. 

A rustic cute mountain house in Wyoming

Mountains have always been fascinating. They’re really imposing and mysterious and they offer the most amazing views. That makes houses like this one truly special. This is a structure designed by Peter Zimmerman Architects and what makes it charming is its modest and simple design.

It’s a rustic-looking building built out of wood, which gains a lovely patina over time and ages in a beautiful way. It serves as a getaway home and it suits its location really well. The materials used and the overall design complement the natural surroundings and don’t stand out too much and the interior is really cozy and welcoming. Nature and architecture complement each other just right in this case.

A corten steel house in Colorado

Sometimes what makes a house stand out is not necessarily the style of size or design but the materials used in its construction. Corten steel is one of those materials that always stands out. It’s very different from most of the other more common building materials like concrete, stone or wood and it has a very distinctive look.

It was used here in a really cool project, a mountain house located in Snowmass, Colorado designed by Skylab studio. Although it has a very distinctive look, the weathered steel actually helps the house look timeless. It changes patina over time and as it gets older it also becomes more interesting visually.

An A-frame cabin in Vancouver

This is a house that looks different depending on where you’re standing when looking at it. That’s because it’s composed of two very different and contrasting sections. One is the original structure and the other is an extension that was added at the back.

The owners liked the original mid-century design of the house but they also wanted this to be a modern home for them so they gave it a complete makeover but preserved the mid-century design as best they could. The original cabin was built in 1974 and although the newly added extension doesn’t really match the original style it suits it quite well in a strange way. The simple A-frame design adds a modern twist to the building but at the same time has a classic feel to it.

A large concrete and wood house in Durban

This house from Durban, South Africa is beautiful in a way that feels familiar and comfortable. It’s a large structure with 400 square meters of living space disposed on two floors. It’s organized into three large sections and it’s built out of concrete and wood, two materials that contrast with one another on multiple levels but that also complement each other in a way that feels natural.

The project was done by studio Bloc Architects who found a cool way to strengthen the relationship between the house and its surroundings. They designed an indoor-outdoor swimming pool that acts as a link between these environments.

A minimalist house in Brazil

It’s always important to design a house based on the personality and style of those using it and since each person is unique that makes each project amazing in a completely different way from the rest. For this house from Brazil the goal was to create an environment where the owners can be comfortable and which would showcase their love and passion for art.

They also wanted this to be a practical and function-oriented house, a place that they can call home in every sense of the way. It was up to Padovani Arquitetos Associados to find the perfect design that reflects all these details. They chose a modern and minimalistic style which puts an emphasis on the decorations.

A tall house on a small plot in Singapore

Faced with the challenge to build a multi-generation family house on a small residential plot, architecture and design studio ONG&ONG Pte Ltd came up with a plan that would ultimately allow their clients to take maximum advantage of this location and the immediate surroundings.

They structured the house on four levels, expanding upwards in order to include all of the different rooms and to offer enough space for lots of different types of activities. That way they maintained a small footprint but didn’t make the house feel tiny inside. they also worked on connecting the interior and exterior spaces and gave the house a perforated facade that lets in lots of light as well as large windows and terraces that frame the views and bring the outdoors in.

A circular dune house in Victoria

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