Colonial house exterior design ideas

Colonial House Exterior Design Ideas: See Them on Your Own House

A colonial is a symmetrical box with evenly spaced windows, and that simple front is why it is so easy to change: new siding, shutters, a door with a pediment, a different colour on the brick. Upload a photo of the front of your house, choose the Residential type, and ArchitecturesAI renders the same view in a style; then describe the colonial details you want in a sentence. You can restyle a plain house as a colonial, or try a modern update on a colonial you already own. The result is an idea picture. It does not know your structure or your budget, and it is not a plan or a quote.

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Front of a boxy two-storey house with tan horizontal siding, a dark shingle roof, two white-framed windows on each floor, a cream front door with no porch, a lawn and a short concrete path — Both images are AI-generated with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo of a house; it is not a real house. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the exterior style to a classic Colonial: make the siding white horizontal clapboard, add black shutters beside every window, paint the front door deep green with a small white pediment and two slim columns around it, and keep the dark roof. Keep the house shape, the number and position of the windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the tan siding became white horizontal clapboard, black shutters appeared beside the four windows, the door became deep green with a small white pediment and two slim columns, and the house shape, the dark roof, the window positions, the lawn, the path and the camera angle stayed in place. What differs from the prompt: the siding already ran horizontally, so the change is the colour, not the type; the pediment overlaps the edge of the lower roof, so it looks added on rather than built in; and the pattern of the lawn changed a little. A real portico has to be built and braced, and the picture does not show that.

The same house with white horizontal siding, black shutters beside all four windows, a deep green front door under a small white pediment with two slim white columns, and the same dark roof, lawn and path — Both images are AI-generated with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo of a house; it is not a real house. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the exterior style to a classic Colonial: make the siding white horizontal clapboard, add black shutters beside every window, paint the front door deep green with a small white pediment and two slim columns around it, and keep the dark roof. Keep the house shape, the number and position of the windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the tan siding became white horizontal clapboard, black shutters appeared beside the four windows, the door became deep green with a small white pediment and two slim columns, and the house shape, the dark roof, the window positions, the lawn, the path and the camera angle stayed in place. What differs from the prompt: the siding already ran horizontally, so the change is the colour, not the type; the pediment overlaps the edge of the lower roof, so it looks added on rather than built in; and the pattern of the lawn changed a little. A real portico has to be built and braced, and the picture does not show that.

What makes a house colonial

Brick and Batten, a site about house styles, describes colonial houses as rectangular boxes, nearly symmetrical, with windows evenly matched on both sides and often a window set above the front door. It names brick and wood as the most common materials and says most have a small porch or none, with French colonials and colonial farmhouses as the exceptions. It also lists regional kinds: Dutch colonials with a gambrel roof, French colonials with a steep roof and tall narrow windows, and Spanish colonials with clay tile roofs and arches over doors or windows.

This page is about the look of the outside: what the front of your own house would look like with colonial details, or with a modern update if it already is one. It does not choose materials or tell you what your house can take.

How to try a colonial exterior on your own house

In the editor above, upload a photo of the front of your house, taken straight on and in daylight, with the whole roof in view. Sign in with Google or email when asked.
Keep the Residential type selected. The 25 styles do not include Colonial, so start with Traditional: Render mode has no text box and the style sets the general look.
Generate. Free accounts can only use Low quality (Medium and High are marked PRO). Run it a few times: each result differs.
To ask for the colonial details, use Custom Action or Edit Image on the result and describe them in a sentence: the siding, the shutters, the door colour and pediment, and what must stay the same, such as the roof, the windows and the camera angle. Each edit is another render and uses credits.
Compare the result with your house. The window positions, the roof and the door are the first things to check.
The examples on this page ran directly on our image model with the written instructions shown, not through the editor above, so your result will differ.

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Colonial exterior ideas to try

Three starting points, each shown above:

Restyle a plain house: white clapboard, black shutters and a pedimented green door, as in the first example.
Update an old colonial: paint the brick white and switch to black shutters and a black door, as in the second example.
Try a shingle look: grey cedar shingles, white shutters and a navy door, as in the third example.

Where a colonial front is easy to change, and where it is not

Because the front is symmetrical, a change on one side shows at once on the other, so shutters, the door and the siding colour are quick things to try. The harder ones are structure: a portico, a porch or an extension has to be built, and the picture does not show how.

Brick and Batten notes that most colonials have a small porch or none, so a deep porch changes the character of the front. If you want one, the porch design page on this site is a better place to start.

Front of a symmetrical two-storey red brick house with a dark grey roof, two chimneys, white-framed windows with dark green shutters, a green front door under a small white portico with two columns, clipped shrubs, a lawn and a brick path — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo, not a real house. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the colours and finish for a modern colonial update: paint the red brick white, change the window frames and the shutters to black, paint the front door black. Keep the house shape, the roof, the portico, the number and position of the windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the red brick became white, the green shutters became black, the green door became black, and the house shape, the roof, the portico, the window positions, the shrubs, the path and the camera stayed in place. What differs from the prompt: it asked for black window frames, and the frames stayed white (only the shutters turned black); the white paint looks patchy, with the brick pattern showing through and lighter blotches on the wall; the two chimneys, the brick steps and the brick path stayed red; and the pattern of the lawn changed. The picture cannot show how paint would behave on your brick. Ask a painter or a mason before you paint brick.

The same house with painted white brick walls, black shutters, a black front door under the same white portico and the same grey roof, with the chimneys still red brick and the brick path and steps still red — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo, not a real house. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the colours and finish for a modern colonial update: paint the red brick white, change the window frames and the shutters to black, paint the front door black. Keep the house shape, the roof, the portico, the number and position of the windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the red brick became white, the green shutters became black, the green door became black, and the house shape, the roof, the portico, the window positions, the shrubs, the path and the camera stayed in place. What differs from the prompt: it asked for black window frames, and the frames stayed white (only the shutters turned black); the white paint looks patchy, with the brick pattern showing through and lighter blotches on the wall; the two chimneys, the brick steps and the brick path stayed red; and the pattern of the lawn changed. The picture cannot show how paint would behave on your brick. Ask a painter or a mason before you paint brick.

What the AI keeps and what it may change

Use this as a checklist when you compare a result with your house.

Usually kept: the shape of the house, the roof, the number and position of the windows and the camera angle stayed in all three examples above.
Often different from the prompt: colours and details. In the second example the window frames stayed white when we asked for black, and in the first the siding was horizontal already, so only the colour changed.
Often added without being asked: a changed lawn pattern, patchy paint and a weathered finish.
Sometimes wrong: how a new door or portico joins the wall. It can look stuck on.
Never produced: dimensions, materials, the structure of a portico or anything a builder or a permit office can use.

Front of a small one-and-a-half storey house with beige horizontal siding, a steep grey shingle roof, a small gable over a white front door with a lantern on each side, one white-framed window on each side of the door, a lawn and a concrete path — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo, not a real house. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the exterior style to a Cape Cod colonial: cover the walls in grey cedar shingles, add white trim around the windows and the door, add white shutters beside the windows and paint the front door navy blue. Keep the house shape, the roof, the small gable over the door, the position of the front door and windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the beige siding became grey cedar-shingle walls (including the small gable over the door), white shutters appeared beside both windows, the door became navy blue, and the roof, the lanterns, the step, the lawn, the path and the camera stayed in place. What to know: this is a shingle-and-shutter look, not a Cape Cod: the roof still has no dormers, which we did not ask for; the shingles look weathered and uneven, not new; and the pattern of the lawn changed a little.

The same house with grey weathered cedar-shingle walls, white shutters beside the two windows, a navy blue front door, white trim, and the same roof, lanterns, lawn and path — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo, not a real house. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the exterior style to a Cape Cod colonial: cover the walls in grey cedar shingles, add white trim around the windows and the door, add white shutters beside the windows and paint the front door navy blue. Keep the house shape, the roof, the small gable over the door, the position of the front door and windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the beige siding became grey cedar-shingle walls (including the small gable over the door), white shutters appeared beside both windows, the door became navy blue, and the roof, the lanterns, the step, the lawn, the path and the camera stayed in place. What to know: this is a shingle-and-shutter look, not a Cape Cod: the roof still has no dormers, which we did not ask for; the shingles look weathered and uneven, not new; and the pattern of the lawn changed a little.

Before you change a real colonial

Many colonials are old, and some sit in historic districts or under owners' association rules that control colours, shutters and siding. Ask before you order anything. Use the picture to decide what you like and to brief a painter, a contractor or an architect, who have to give you the real options and a price.

AI picture, a gallery or an architect?

ArchitecturesAI. Upload your own house, pick a look, get a picture back. Good for comparing looks on your house; not to scale and not a design for approval.
A photo gallery of colonial homes, such as the ones on Brick and Batten. Real colonials to get ideas from, but they are other people's houses.
A designer or an architect. Drawings, material choices and a permit. Needed before anything is built or changed.

Free tier and plans

You need a free account to render. New accounts get 2 free renders, and free renders carry a watermark. In India this site does not include free renders, so a paid plan is needed there. Weekly, monthly and yearly plans for more renders without the watermark are on the pricing page.

The houses on this page are AI-drawn, not real properties. The examples were run directly on the model, not through the tool above, so your own render may look different.

Frequently asked questions

What does a colonial house look like?

According to Brick and Batten, a colonial is typically a rectangular box that is nearly symmetrical, with evenly matched windows, often one above the front door, and brick or wood as the usual materials. Most have a small porch or none. Dutch, French and Spanish colonials differ in the roof and the details.

Can AI show my house as a colonial?

It can redraw a photo of your house with colonial details such as clapboard, shutters and a pedimented door, keeping the shape and the camera. It cannot add the structure of a real portico, and it changes small things you did not ask for.

Can I try a modern update on a brick colonial?

Yes. In our second example the red brick became white and the shutters and door turned black. The paint looked patchy and the window frames stayed white, so check the result. Ask a painter or a mason about painting real brick.

Is there a Colonial style in the tool?

No. The tool has 25 styles and Colonial is not one of them. Start with Traditional in Render mode, then use Custom Action or Edit Image on the result to describe the colonial details.

Is the picture to scale or a design I can build from?

No. It is an idea picture. It has no dimensions, no materials list and no structure, and it is not a permit drawing.

Why did the AI change parts of my house I did not mention?

The model redraws the whole picture, and small things such as the lawn, the trim or a lantern can change. Run it again, and in a follow-up edit say what must stay exactly the same.

Is it free to try?

Yes. After you sign in, a new account gets 2 free renders with a watermark. In India this site does not include free renders. Paid weekly, monthly and yearly plans are listed on the pricing page.

See a colonial look on your own house first

Upload a photo of your house, pick a look, and compare a few versions. Your first 2 renders on a free account are on us.

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