What color should I paint my house?

[teachermom2834]

Help! I am home improvement challenged.

 

I need ideas for my house. The old windows are being replaced with white vinyl. We had a storm come through and will be getting a new roof, gutters, and paint.

 

I don't love the look right now. It is okay but I would like a change. Not sure what would look good with the yellowish brick. So, I am leaning toward just white, keep the black trim.

 

But if there is some color that would look great on there I would love some inspiration. Bonus for any thoughts on color of shingle for the roof.

 

Thanks. I just can't "see" these things.

 

Hmmm....I never posted a pic before and that is really small. I don't know how to make it bigger.

[Bambam]

Maybe a hunter green for the shutters and trim and shingles? And possibly a light tan/reddish tan for the siding? I can't tell if that would look okay with the brick or not.

 

Disclaimer - We live in the humid south where things tend to mildew, so I lean towards coloring that hides that. 

[Sarah CB]

Well, I tried linking a photo, but couldn't get it to work. Our old house had similar brick. We picked up one of the taupe colours in the brick for most of the house, used a slightly darker taupe for some of the trim, and then did the shutters and the rest of the trim in a darker brown. The roof was also sort of brown, but not an orange or red brown, more of a taupey brown.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2017 by Sarah CB

[Seasider]

Get in the car and drive around. You'll see things you like on other houses that will give you ideas for your own.

[wintermom]

I think the black window trim and shutters is very nice. That look seems to be up and coming in my area. A dark roof seems to go very well with the shutters.

 

For a splash of colour, I love bright red front doors. It may not be as classy as the black, but I've always wanted one myself. 

 

Not sure if you can do anything with the siding colour. If so, I might try lightening it up to a white or off-white.

 

Pinterest is a great website to cruise through and look at masses of photos. You may find some inspiration there.

Edited April 1, 2017 by wintermom

[alisoncooks]

What about a darker taupe for the paint:

 

https://bconvers9622.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/p1120022.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/08/df/6d/08df6d80705e2ed6bb4569f51900aefd.jpg

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1331-Cavendish-Ct-Charlotte-NC-28211/6270307_zpid/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=zillowpin&utm_campaign=zillowpin

 

or even edging towards gray:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1171567/Side-split-traditional-exterior-other

http://www.houzz.com/photos/8188678/HardiePlank-Timberbark-Berkeley-Heights-NJ-traditional-exterior-other

 

I personally like the black shutters and a darker gray (maybe with tone variations) shingle.  Though I have a neighborhood nearby that has lots of 1970s brink ranch/split levels and many of them have gone with metal roofs in the past few years.  Surprisingly, the metal roofs look really good with the brick.

 

 

[teachermom2834]

Thanks everyone! I had some errands to run today and as I observed the houses I passed I decided two thing: that I really like black shutters/doors and I really prefer the grey toned roof to brown.

 

It is funny how you don't really notice those kind of things when you aren't in financial position to be picky. We bought a house that we could afford that could work for our family and I don't think the roof color even occurred to me!

This is the first time (though our third house)we have ever been in a position to contemplate upgrades or changes that aren't emergency situations. It is fun but honestly a lot of pressure!

[Guest]

If you wanted to add one pop of color, I can't tell you the EXACT color but on out last house, we had a lot of bring that was a bit more orange than yours. We painted the front door and its trim a slate blue and it looked amazing. The rest of the house had a sort of biscuit color and white trim.

 

One thing to note is what direction the house faces. We had south-facing and that door got cooked as there wasn't a serious overhang on the roof. Between the wet weather and the hot summer sun, the door ended up cracking at the joints. We got a steel door but didn't have it painted over the white and it worked out a lot better, but it didn't look nearly as friendly.

 

Also, in ANOTHER house, our deck faced south. We painted the metal railings red and that was another mistake. Red fades really fast unless you use automotive paint. We painted them a nice green after that, and that lasted the life of the house, 20 years or so.