"This is a big national builder, so while some changes will be possible, we do not want to spec items that they will not be willing/able to do successfully. They are willing to change up materials, windows, door, etc."

At what cost? Generally when you make changes to a tract home, the builder charges you tremendously high prices for the "upgrades" and gives you no where near the complete credit value for what is removed. In my opinion this venture is set for a huge let down when you hear what this will cost you in changes. Big National Builders in general offer zero value once you get outside of the normal material and finishes they offer.

I appreciate your opinion, but so far we have not found that to be the case in the pricing. Also, as someone who built a home with a very talented architect and custom builder, I found the same to be true with their credits and pricing. I am actually pretty satisfied with their choice of materials. I have had the bespoke home before... not interested again. I just want a slightly more modern look to a home. For example, I like this home.... the color is different, and the roof doesn't match our plan, but I think it shows a good mix of materials and colors. Not really modern, but a good step in that direction. That is what I am shooting for, other ideas such as this.

Good luck with your project.

Well, looking at your inspiration pic, I would say change the arched window over the front door to a gang of rectangular windows. You could also make those windows smaller and add a small shed roof over the front door. Loose the shutters and get windows with black frames. Go with siding instead of all brick. Change the colors. Install the trim work in the gables. I don't think any of that would be too crazy or expensive

The builder's home is a little dated. They might be happy to make the changes to their plan to update their look. Who knows :-) It never hurts to ask.

@Suru11 I agree with all of your suggestions.. Do you think the shed roof over the door would have more of a modern esthetic than the curve in the inspiration photo?

Although it is a national builder, I am working with one of their smaller offices. So they have been very flexible and I haven't found the prices quoted too crazy..... yet, lol. I have also seen their work on a home with lots of small changes, and it was beautiful inside, but we must fix this dated exterior.Similar interior home by this builder

That roof doesn't say modern no matter what else you do to the house. Sorry the top hat roof is overpowering the rest of the house.

Have you shown your inspiration photo to the builder? I would be shocked if they entertained anything close to the photo. Most national tract builders make their living and profit by repetitious building of a few plans. While it is easy for them to change some finish materials, relocate some partitions, change out windows and the like, the major framing and roofing designs are another matter.

Further, most of their construction crews are so used to building the "builder" way for a give tract builder that they may not even know how to do some of the custom framing and detailing evident in your photo.

The builder's perspective you posted looks typical for an "upscale" builders production house: a large sprawling floor plan box covered with a huge roof constructed from roof trusses which make the house look terribly top-heavy. It's nothing like your inspiration photo.

You have had a custom design and build home, so you should understand the knowledge and skill required from both design and construction efforts to achieve the custom result. It's not something normal for large national tract builders.

I hope you can achieve something similar with a repetitive tract builder.

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks @Virgil. I have shown the photo to the builder. We would not be changing the roof line or gables if we chose something like the inspiration. We would not be duplicating that home. Just borrowing some of the materials. The board and batten and the shingle are fine, black windows fine, door change, fine. I was just looking to go a bit more modern. My first house I built 20 years ago, before the custom fiasco, was enjoyable and a generally pleasant process. Yes, a 'tract' house per se, but I still have the war wounds from my process on my second house which was the architectural custom process. IMHO, it is a beautiful home, but I am not willing to go through the process of full custom again. The same builder customized one of their models to this house This one.

More inspiration for houses with traditional bones made more modern.

Just changing the brick to siding like your inspiration pic will instantly modernize the exterior.

R&D the curved roof is called an "eyebrow" and it was a popular design on homes built 100 years or so ago. I wouldn't call it modern, but I like how it goes with your inspiration house. I'm sure it will cost more to build than a straight shed roof, because it so different and the typical tract framer might not know how to build it.

I have an "eyebrow" over my current door, and I love it. I guess that is what caught my eye. The contractors on my custom house were not necessarily more skilled, and had a bit of trouble with it. if you live in an area where there is little variety of building styles, as I do. People cannot gain skill on things they are rarely asked to build. Custom or otherwise.

The difference between your current house and the inspiration pic is exactly the difference between going custom and going production. You won't get there, and it's not as easy as tweaking a roof here and a set of windows there....

The features that make the inspiration picture so pleasing to the eye are the things like the sloping roof ends, the hardscape / brickwork, the tops of the chimneys, etc- that you are unlike to get as changes in a production environment. (as well as what appears to be "real" cedar shakes on a large part of the front, too)

Thank you to everyone who has commented. Does anyone have ideas on how to make the house elevation more modern? Pretend the house is being built by a custom builder, and not a production builder, lol. What would you change to make it more modern and less production?

Further, most of their construction crews are so used to building the
"builder" way for a give tract builder that they may not even know how
to do some of the custom framing and detailing evident in your photo.

+1

I wouldn't be able to trust a national builder to correctly implement changes, largely because my husband and I just had a tract/production house built (we've been in it for less than 2 months) -- in which we didn't/couldn't deviate from "the norm" -- and it is amazing how many things were messed up, despite being standard/familiar building practice for the builder.

We knew this going in, though, and expected to change/repair things ourselves, as well as forgive obvious flaws and poor design elements.

That said, if I had to pick a few things to modernize, I'd get rid of the shutters, like you said, as well as the gables (make the roof all hipped). ER's recommendation to nix the brick will also help.

And aside from squaring off the arched center window upstairs, I would hesitate to make any other design-related changes to windows (like size), because I fear potential poor execution from the builder. Muntins are an important detail in style -- Carefully study what you like, and ask if they can be done.

I agree with all of suru11 suggestions and would add to remove the detailing over each window and attic vents, as well as removing the shutters.

Good luck and wish you great success with your builder! *fingers crossed*

Thank you @One Devoted Dame! I agree that I know what I am getting into. This will be my third house build and 7th home overall. Just looking for ideas and the ones you have highlighted are all good ones. Thanks for the hipped roof ideas on the gabled ends. Totally doable.

See if some of those gables could be shed roofs instead. Simpler to frame too.

Does anyone have ideas on how to make the house elevation more modern? Pretend the house is being built by a custom builder, and not a production builder, lol. What would you change to make it more modern and less production?

The roof line changed to a simple roof would do wonders.

No shutters. No brick.

Larger windows ganged together instead of separate windows.

Get rid of the silly arched window over the front door that looks like a throwback to the 90's.

Get rid of the pork chop returns.

Bottom line though is you won't get from what is drawn to what you want.

Does your builder have other plans that more closely suit your style?

Changing the roof would only change the truss order. I honestly think that would be the least likely to get messed up!

@Jensen they have more interesting plans, but this plan gives us some of the room sizes and amenities we need. @Cpartist, here is the same house plan in vinyl, and one that they completed in brick. Neither modern, but changes can be made and the cost of doing so is not astronomical. I just need to lead them to what I want. Some of the suggestions on this post have been great.

The exterior drawing for the "Southampton D" version looks to have some of the changes mentioned above while maintaining the same interior floor plan i.e. one of the gable roofs is switched to hipped; the steepness of the roof looks less intense; fewer pork chop eave returns

https://www.americashomeplace.com/houseplans/models/622/mediterranean_southampton_d

@Damiarain! You are the best! That is not even showing up for me on my side of the website. I think they present different elevations for different regions. Thanks so much that is golden! I am sure the local office would have no problem with this.

Many true architectural designs go deeper than the facades. Certain features such as Spatial relationships, massing, details, form, and more determine a home's style. When the stylistic features get mixed, the prefix "pseudo" is appropriately applied. In some cases a house's architectural style can best be labeled "Builder's Special", and trying to change its style makes it a "Builder's Special".

Greatest improvements, in order of priority:

1. Get rid of the overwhelming high hip roof in the center of everything;

2. Make the roofs of a common vernacular--no mixed hips and gables; no stacked gables. Make it one thing or another, but not something that looks like it used all the construction scraps left on site.

3. Get rid of the brick and make the exterior façade one major, properly proportioned and used material. Some accents or contrasting materials are OK, as in damiarian's photo for that style of house, if used with limitations. Never mix brick and stone. Never. Ever.

4. Design windows whose style and proportion match the architectural style. Place them in ways to make the exterior inviting and well designed. Look at the very strong visual differences in the two photos above you posted, with the two "white" houses. The top one is good. The bottom one not so much. Shutters are non grata.

5. Same for entry area and doors/glazing. Look at the very strong differences in the same two photos. Top is interesting. Bottom not so much.

Everyone knows the old saying about putting lipstick on a pig, so keep an open mind about some minor plan changes which may add visual appeal and increase your property value, rather than simply taking an exterior decoration approach.

Good luck on your project.

@Virgil thank you for your detailed response. The two white houses I posted above, as well as the house Damarian posted are all the same house by the same builder, customers have put their personal touches on them (not the inspiration photo of course). I hope to succeed in doing the same. I have the inside pretty much sorted, and the answers on this posts have helped tremendously with the exterior. BTW, my architect of 14 years ago mixed brick and stone on my current house quite beautifully, but I would never trust that to a national build firm ;).

Do they offer another style of return besides the pork chop? It looks dated.

@Ruby Based on the elevation of the same house that Damairain found online, and great comments by Virgil and others, I will be telling them to get rid of all of the gable roofs and do the hips on all. This includes the two currently still showing as gables on the right side. I will also lose the faux stucco arches, I don't like those either. I still like the idea of the black windows.

Yep, those big roofs are sooooo '90s.

And brick, too, is such a dated building material. Give me Hardie or give me death!

****

Ok, I get what the OP is trying to do. And there are architects who are skilled in re-imagining traditional styles.

But trying to patch them onto a builder's stock plan ain't gonna do it for all the excellent reasons enumerated by other posters.

@Worthy :). We built our first house in the 90's and another in 2004, both brick or brick and stone. I have never regretted it. 15 years from now when we are all repainting these hardi houses at great expense, brick shall once again be a fashionable building material :). Seriously however, I was never trying to get an architect designed house look, I simply wanted to make it look more current and modern. Bespoke is not always the answer for every buyer every time. I am at a different point in life where simplicity is queen.

@Gardener123! YES!

Gardener has posted a lovely architect designed home with a TON of high end details.

@Gardener123! YES!

That is a great looking house. Unfortunately no matter what you do to your builder house, it will never look like the one posted by Gardener123. Notice the simplicity of it versus the overdone look of the one from the builder you want to use?

Notice the simple roofline?

Why is it that simple is always more expensive than overdone? From apparel, to art, to furniture, to architecture...I look at things and think, such a shame the designer didn't clock out at 5. I mean really with the garage roofline on this tract house? Quit while you're ahead. Less is more and all that.

I completely understand r&d's desire to try to take the path of least resistance on this new build and tweak the builder's blueprint. She reminds me of me in that I hate to take "no" for an answer. Until I have exhausted the options and then no is the answer. I posted the pic in support of suru who said:

The builder's home is a little dated. They might be happy to make the changes to their plan to update their look. Who knows :-) It never hurts to ask.

So if it were me, I'd probably send my image along to the builder. Then I'd have to ask myself how important the elevation is to me. And how much the house I posted will stick out like a sore thumb in the sea of 90s-builds surrounding it.

There was a Kitchen GW thread that was entitled something like "it will be fine". Does anyone remember it?

r&d— get an accurate and realistic architectural rendering of whatever changes the builder agrees to make. See it on paper before you commit.

Thanks Gardener123. I feel I need to clarify to all of the contributors that I in no way believe I will get an architect level home with my current plan. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the profession, and understand it isn't possible.

My spouse and I are the types who will take the scenic route if it involves seeing a famous house. I bought the "Not so big" house book years ago, have the Robert Stern big book on my shelf, seriously considered one of the Time Life houses last go round, and oogle over mid-century designs here on Houzz. That is how I came to build what is my current house that was designed by one of the prominent architects in my state who's work I admired. I admit to being a design groupie. However, sometimes you just gotta take one for the team. The neighborhood I need to be in (long story but involves opposite direction commutes etc.) requires at least 3100 square ft., has wonderful resells, and is about 1 mile to the beach. Not only do I not want the high design house build experience again; but I simply cannot afford to with that amount of square footage. I have lived in 7 or 8 houses as an adult, and in the big scheme of things it will be just fine. Of course I will certainly have the elevation drawn up for the plans before committing and make sure it makes me smile.

I respect everyones opinion and thank them for their contribution. If this project indeed is a go, I will report back what we went with. I think given the time you guys have taken with me that is due. Hopefully folks will at least be kind or be silent, ;) Cheers!

I understand you have no wish to go the architect route this time and that's fine. But as stated, if this is the layout that works best for you, there might not be too much you can do to change up the exterior and you may just have to live with it as is.

You know if you appreciate design but don't want the trouble, could you look for a resale? Perhaps, you could renovate it to get a new feel if that is what you are after.

I know these things are regional and we are behind CA over here, but I am amazed that they are building something that looks like that. That screams mid 90s and would be laughed out of my market. Partly it is the red brick but the roofline is just not done anymore.

Where are you relocating to? There exists options between national builder and full custom architectural design.

Hi David. I think their marketing budget/photos are generally out of date. I believe their customers generally update the home as in the elevation I posted on the house with the front facing garage in the photo I posted. That is a version of the house they built in 2015 I believe. Clearly no one in their marketing department understands the violent reaction to that current website elevation, lol. However, As I peruse the website there are houses that appear much more current. They just haven't updated that particular elevation.

Posting to follow!