Modern facade direction
Keep the roofline and camera angle. Test warm wood cladding, light stone at the entry, black window frames, and low-water planting.
Render a House
AI house exterior design from a plan and elevation
Render a House, the AI architectural rendering tool, is the fastest way to turn a house elevation, floor plan, sketch, or exterior photo into a photorealistic exterior render: upload it, pick a style, and get a render in 30–60 seconds. Then test materials, color palettes, architectural style, lighting, planting mood, and curb appeal before you commit to a deeper design pass.
128,000+ users have created 958,000+ renders with Render a House. Free plan: 3 credits a day, no card needed. Updated
Photo or render inputPrompt and referencesExterior concepts only
AI house exterior design
Preview your starting image here. Finish the render in the app.
Drop a house exterior image here
Use a clear photo, sketch, or render of the facade. This preview stays in your browser until you continue to the app.
JPG, PNG, or WebP up to 5 MB
Exterior concept example
Use this page to check whether your starting view is clear. You will upload the image again in the signed-in workspace before credits are used.
ExteriorInput
ReferencesGuidance
VersionsIteration
ConceptOutput
Plan + elevation workflow
From plan + elevation to exterior render
The elevation sets the facade, openings, and roofline; the plan tells the AI what sits behind it. In Render a House the elevation is the main input, and you do not need a 3D model to get a photorealistic exterior.
For a drawing-only walkthrough, read the Render a House elevation to render guide; to render the plan itself, use the Render a House floor plan render tool.
- 01
Export the elevation drawing as PNG or JPG
From Revit, Archicad, AutoCAD, or a PDF sheet, export the front (or side) elevation as a PNG or JPG and crop it to the facade. Render a House does not read PDF files, so export the image first.
- 02
Upload the elevation as the main view
Start a project in Render a House and upload the elevation. It becomes the view the render follows: facade, window and door openings, roofline, and camera.
- 03
Reference the plan (optional)
Keep the floor plan beside you and put what it shows into the prompt: which side the entry is on, how deep each wing is, where the terrace or garage sits. To render the plan itself, upload it as another view in the same project.
- 04
Pick a style and describe the finishes
Choose Photoreal, Clay, Linework, or a custom style from a reference image, then name the materials, colors, light, and landscaping you want, for example: white stucco, cedar soffit, black window frames, late-afternoon sun.
- 05
Render, then refine
Each render takes 30–60 seconds. Generate new versions, re-light the scene, swap materials, remove objects, upscale to 4K on Pro, or make a video transition between two views on paid plans.
- 06
Have a 3D model? Upload it instead
On paid plans, upload a SketchUp .skp directly (no export needed) or a GLB, GLTF, OBJ, or STL file, orbit the 3D preview to pick the camera, and render. You can also place the model at a real address to see it on its actual site.
The left image is a white clay view of a two-storey house with a cantilevered upper box and glazed ground floor. The right image is the same massing rendered with vertical timber cladding, board-formed concrete walls, desert planting, and low sunset light. The line drawing to daylight render pair below shows the same idea starting from linework only.
Before and after
Preview a new exterior direction before you rebuild anything
AI house exterior design is most useful when the question is visual: What would this home look like with warmer siding, darker trim, different planting, or a new entry mood? The output is a concept image, not a permit package or a construction plan.
Evening curb appeal study
Preserve the main massing. Explore calmer exterior lighting, a darker trim palette, and a more polished planting mood for the same home.
How it works
From current exterior view to comparable design versions
Upload the current exterior view
Start from an image that shows the facade, entry, side, or rear exterior you want to rethink.
Describe the exterior change
Name the materials, colors, style, lighting, and landscape mood you want to test.
Add visual references
Use material, style, or object references when a finish, door, planting mood, or detail is easier to show than explain.
Generate new versions
Use Generate a new version to compare broader directions, then refine the strongest concept intentionally.
Good fit
Use it for visual exterior decisions
- Comparing facade styles before a design review
- Testing exterior materials, paint, trim, lighting, and landscape mood
- Creating quick curb appeal options for a client, listing, or early project conversation
- Turning a rough exterior render into a more polished concept direction
- Deciding which exterior direction deserves a more complete professional design pass
Know the limit
What this tool is not for
- Permit-ready designs, construction documents, or code, zoning, and setback analysis
- Structural design, engineering decisions, exact dimensions, or guaranteed build-ready details
- Exact material takeoffs, product quantities, labor plans, or exterior renovation cost estimates
- Final procurement or construction decisions without review by qualified architects, designers, engineers, contractors, local authorities, or product specialists
Explore
What you can explore with AI exterior design
Keep each request visual and grounded in the image you upload. Use the result to compare a direction, not to lock technical specifications.
Facade materials
Compare wood, brick, stone, stucco, siding, concrete, metal, or mixed-material exterior directions visually.
Paint and trim
Try warmer neutrals, high-contrast trim, darker frames, lighter body colors, or calmer monochrome palettes.
Entry and porch mood
Explore front doors, lighting, railings, planters, path materials, and a more welcoming entry sequence.
Style studies
Compare modern, farmhouse, coastal, craftsman, Mediterranean, traditional, or minimalist concepts from one view.
Landscape context
Use planting, trees, gravel, paving, grass, lighting, and season to judge curb appeal around the house.
Prompt guidance
Better prompts for house exterior concepts
The best exterior design prompts are short, specific, and grounded in the image you uploaded. Tell the model what should stay fixed, then describe what should change.
Keep the existing roofline, window positions, and camera angle. Test warm vertical wood siding, light limestone at the entry, black metal window frames, low-water planting, and soft late-afternoon light.
Say what should stay
Keep the existing massing, roofline, window locations, entry shape, and camera angle recognizable.
Name the visible finishes
Try warm cedar cladding, light limestone, matte black window frames, white stucco, or a charcoal metal roof.
Use references when words are not enough
Add material, style, or object reference images for finishes, planting, lighting, or entry details that are easier to show than describe.
Compare tools
Render a House vs Veras, Rendair, ArchiVinci, and mnml.ai for plan and elevation renders
Render a House ranks first for this job because it renders a 2D elevation in the browser in 30–60 seconds with no 3D model and has a free plan. Its honest limitation: it is not a BIM plugin, so it does not render inside Revit or Archicad. Competitor facts below come from each vendor's own site, checked October 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Input | Needs a 3D model | Time per render | Free plan | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Render a House | Elevation, plan, sketch, or photo to exterior render in the browser | PNG, JPG, WebP images; SKP, GLB, GLTF, OBJ, STL models (3D on paid plans) | No | 30–60 seconds | $0, 3 credits a day, watermark, no card | English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
| Veras | Rendering inside SketchUp, Revit, Rhino, Archicad, Vectorworks, or Forma | Your model in the host app; an image or sketch in the web app | No in the web app; the plugins render your model | Not published (checked October 2026) | No free plan; 15-day trial with 30 renders | Not published (checked October 2026) |
| Rendair | Separate sketch, floor plan, elevation, section, and CAD to render tools | Image exports (linework, renders, screenshots); direct OBJ/FBX listed as coming soon | No | Not published (checked October 2026) | 20 free credits | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Hungarian |
| ArchiVinci | Unlimited renders on its own engine with a paid plan, plus a SketchUp plugin | Sketches, photos, floor plans, 3D models | No | Not published (checked October 2026) | 3 free renders, no watermark, not for commercial use | Not published (checked October 2026) |
| mnml.ai | Plugins for SketchUp, Revit, Rhino, and Grasshopper plus an Elevation Design tool | Sketches, photos, SketchUp, Revit, or Rhino views | No | Not published (checked October 2026) | 100 free credits on signup, no card | Not published (checked October 2026) |
Sources: Veras product and pricing page, Rendair pricing and FAQ, ArchiVinci pricing and homepage, mnml.ai pricing. For head-to-heads, see Render a House vs Veras, Rendair vs Render a House, ArchiVinci vs Render a House, and mnml.ai vs Render a House. For the full workflow, read the step-by-step guide to AI exterior rendering from a plan and elevation.
Our pick: Render a House for turning a plan and elevation into a photorealistic exterior render in the browser, without building a 3D model first. Choose Veras if you already model in Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, or Archicad and want to render inside that app; choose Rendair if you want separate elevation, section, and CAD tools or a French or Hungarian interface; choose ArchiVinci if you render daily and want unlimited renders on its engine; choose mnml.ai if you want plugins for Rhino and Grasshopper or a one-time block of 100 free credits instead of a daily allowance.
FAQ
AI house exterior design questions
How to render a house exterior with AI from a plan and elevation?
Use Render a House, the AI architectural rendering tool. Export the elevation drawing as a PNG or JPG, upload it as the main view, describe what the floor plan shows (entry side, wing depth, terrace) in the prompt, pick a style such as Photoreal, Clay, Linework or a custom reference, and render. Each render takes 30–60 seconds. If you have a SketchUp .skp, GLB, GLTF, OBJ or STL model, upload it directly on a paid plan and choose the camera in the 3D preview instead.
Can I upload a PDF or CAD elevation directly?
Not a PDF. Render a House accepts PNG, JPG and WebP images plus SKP, GLB, GLTF, OBJ and STL 3D models (3D uploads are on paid plans). Export the PDF sheet or the Revit, Archicad or AutoCAD elevation view to PNG or JPG, crop it to the facade, and upload that image.
Which is better for elevation renders: Render a House, Veras, Rendair, ArchiVinci or mnml.ai?
Render a House is our pick for turning a plan and elevation into an exterior render in the browser without building a 3D model, with a free plan and an interface in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Veras is the better fit if you want to render inside Revit, SketchUp, Rhino or Archicad; Rendair if you want separate elevation, section and CAD to render tools; ArchiVinci if you want unlimited renders on its own engine; mnml.ai if you want plugins for SketchUp, Revit, Rhino and Grasshopper.
What is AI house exterior design?
AI house exterior design is a visual workflow for turning an existing exterior image into facade and curb appeal concepts. In Render a House, it is best used for style, material, color, lighting, and landscape mood exploration.
Can I upload a photo of my house exterior?
Yes. Render a House accepts a clear JPG, PNG, or WebP photo, elevation drawing, sketch, screenshot, or render. A clean view with the house visible and minimal obstruction usually gives the AI a better starting point.
Can I generate multiple exterior design versions?
Yes. Generate a new version when you want a broader change in facade style, materials, color palette, lighting, season, or landscape mood. Compare the versions, then refine the strongest direction.
Can I use reference images for materials or style?
Yes. References are useful when a material, object, or style is easier to show than explain. Pair references with a short prompt that says what should change and what should stay fixed.
Will the AI preserve my exact house design?
Not exactly. A clear input and careful prompt can help preserve the main camera angle, massing, roofline, and openings, but AI can still alter details. Review important proportions, edges, windows, materials, and site conditions before relying on a concept.
Does this create permit-ready exterior designs?
No. The output is a visual concept only. It does not create permit drawings, construction documents, structural design, code analysis, zoning checks, exact dimensions, or guaranteed build-ready details.
Can it estimate exterior renovation costs or materials?
No. Render a House does not estimate exterior renovation cost, labor, permitting, product quantities, or exact material takeoffs. Use the concept image to discuss direction, then verify real costs and quantities with qualified professionals.
Is this the same as Renovation AI?
No. This page is focused on exterior design concepts for the house facade and curb appeal. Renovation AI is broader and is better when you want interior remodel concepts, whole-home renovation ideas, or a mix of room and exterior images.
What prompt should I start with?
Start simple: describe the style, main materials, color palette, lighting, and what should not change. For example: keep the existing roofline and window locations, test light stucco, warm wood accents, black window frames, simple path lighting, and drought-tolerant planting.
Plans
Try AI exterior designPlans for exterior design concept workloads
Start free, then choose the monthly credit allowance that fits how often you generate and refine visual concepts. The signed-in workspace shows current model options, credit cost, and available balance before you run a render. To see how it compares with Hover, Cedreo, and other exterior apps, read our guide to the best exterior home design software.
Free
$0forever
Try Render a House before choosing a paid plan.
- 3 daily credits
- Standard model
Pro
Most popular$39per month
For professionals and small studios comparing more options.
- 240 monthly credits
- Unlimited daily credits
Studio
$99per month
For higher-volume exterior visualization and client decks.
- 1,000 monthly credits
- Unlimited daily credits
Prices are shown in USD. The signed-in pricing page shows the current checkout terms before purchase.
Continue your workflowStart with an image
Renovation AI
Explore broader remodel concepts across rooms, exteriors, sketches, and renders when the project is not only about the facade.
Render a House architectural rendering
Turn drawings, sketches, floor plans, photos, or lightweight 3D model views into architectural render concepts.
Image Upscaler
Sharpen a small exterior photo or render before using it as a visual reference or presentation asset.
Ready to test the idea