With the turn of the new year, we’ll start to turn our attention to the outside of our homes as the weather warms up.
We’ll ask ourselves, “What changes can we make to increase our curb appeal and have the best-looking house on the block?”
One of the best ways to do this is by working on the exterior paint colors of your home.
Note: Would you rather watch instead of reading? Then check out what our color coordinator, Alana, has to say about choosing your exterior paint color:
I love working on these projects because as homeowners, we don’t get to make these decisions very often.
When we do, we want to feel confident about the choices we’re making.
It’s important to get it right because it’s not something you want to redo because you don’t like the result.
To make this process easier, we like to focus on these six different areas to assure we make the right decision.
Here they are:
If you’ve owned your home for more than 5 years, you probably don’t even know what your roof color is.
If it’s brown or tan, you’ll want to look at a warmer color. Warm colors are "vivid" and tend to stand out. For example, you could choose red, orange, or yellow.
If your roof is black or charcoal, you’ll want to look at cooler colors.
Your roof can have an incredible impact on the look of your exterior paint job.
If you have a dark brown roof, then you go with a light gray, you may paint it, take a step back and notice that something doesn’t look like it.
Chances are that those features already have color in them so chances are you don’t want to clash with stone or brick.
Stone and brick have strong undertones meaning you’ll want to match the trim color with either the lightest or darkest color in the stone or brick.
While we’re on the topic, it’s important to plan around other elements like stone or brick that are hardest to change.
For example, these could be tiles, pathways, or your driveway.
There’s a common theme of someone in the neighborhood painting their home, then everybody else doing the same thing.
You don’t want to be the 4th guy or gal on the street painting their home the same dark gray color.
Be unique, stand out, and have some fun.
Take a look at what you’re doing and think about going with a bit of a different shade.
Your exterior hue can affect the whole street in a positive or negative way.
A Home’s exterior paint profile usually has three parts.
The first is the field color, which is most of the house.
The accent color, for the doors and shudders.
Lastly the trim color of the windows, door casings, and railings.
Once you’ve decided your field color (light or dark), now you get to choose your trim color.
Normally, your trim, overhang, and facia tend to be the same color.
Cream or white is classic and always looks nice.
However, we’ve seen a trend of going with gray house color and a light gray trim or painting your house light gray with gray trim.
If you already like the exterior color of your home, you're welcome to update just the trim, doors, or other accessory details.
Your front door, shudder colors, mailbox, and lights are other accessories that complement the paint color you’ve chosen.
The front door is the first thing in your house that greets your friends and family so have some fun with it. Chances are, you’ve chosen a neutral color for the majority of your home, so choose a fun color like bright yellow or bright teal. Let people approach your house and know it’s your home because it reflects you.
Final Thoughts
Changing your home's exterior paint color can transform your property from worn and outdated into the crown jewel of the block.
If you're planning on selling, then repainting your exterior can go a long way towards getting your home sold faster and for more money.
As the real estate landscape changes, more and more homes are being sold through virtual real estate tours. If you want your listing to stand out, it needs to capture the eyes of a potential buyer immediately.
Hint hint... Your exterior is on the hook to do that!
If you want to do that, keep these things in mind when picking your next exterior paint color. Write down any of your questions and comments and don't be afraid to reach out.
Have fun choosing your next color!
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