…Roof Color
Thanks for visiting my blog. I would love to help you select a roof. I answer questions regarding roof color options for $30. Click on the secure PayPal button below for your convenience. After receiving payment, I will answer your question directly on the blog. Working together, we can save you from costly mistakes. Let me help you with your color challenges. -Barbara, Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you! Scroll to the bottom of this page and type your question in the box (include a photo link if you can or send a photo to yourcolorcoach@gmail.com). After I receive notification of payment, I will answer your question.
Your Home & Color Coach 
Hi,
Our house has a brick front. The brick color is close to red and does not have much color variation. Our’s is a corner house so the side and the back views are quite prominent. We recently painted the sidings to greyish green color and the trims are a lighter grey. We really like the look of the house after being painted. The front door and shutters are black in color.
We are absolutely confused as to which roof color would suite our house. Initially we were planning to stick to basics and go with charcoal color but as I see the houses around both I and my husband like the newer homes with a monochromatic color scheme.
We are now inclined towards the barkwood color (brown hue) which might go well with the brick but am not sure how it would look with grey green sidings. We are wondering would the roof just stand out when looked from the side or the back.
I would appreciate your inputs on the same. Please let us know what would you suggest amongst the following options
1) barkwood
2) charcoal
3) weatherwood
All these are GAF timberline 30 shingles.
Thanks,
Kajal
Hi Kajal,
What about “Slate?” That would go with the gray-green (at least on the screen??).
If that’s too green, I would stick with charcoal since you already have two colors on your house, the red brick and the gray-green. I know there are some really interesting roof colors out there, but they don’t always look so great with the houses they’re on.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
My husband and I are building a new home and I am not very color coordinated. These are the colors I have chosen : The house is going to be 3 sides brick and one side vinyl siding, the vinyl siding will be on carport side. We have chosen a brick from Columbus Brick called St. Augustine, vinyl siding is color called Pebblestone Clay and roof is going to be Cedar Shake, Shutters Panels Deep Brown almost color of Hershey bar. It will be a one story house, do you think these color choices will work well together.
I’m having the same issues with a new metal roof. I live in a Victorian home, which is yellow w/ white trim, pollywag green porch floor color. I can’t decide on the roof color. Love the look of crimson red and deep blue, but is that right for this home. It is silver right now. Your help would greatly be appreciated. It suggested I write your email account, but couldn’t find it. Thanks for any input.
Hi Vicky56,
Personally, I would stick with a dark charcoal for your metal roof in keeping with the Victorian look of your house and put the color on the house itself: windows, front door, and architectural details. You might include both the crimson red and deep blue in small doses on your house, perhaps on the front door (red) and corbels (blue). But I would stick with a dark neutral for the roof color.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
I am so happy I found this site however I only have a day or two to make my final decision. We have a home that needs a new roof. It is a white two story; reddish-orange (brick color 🙂 bricks on the front porch area, and black shutters. We had a black roof but now there are no many other really awesome looking colors. I am down to Timberline 30 charcoal (yup, still black) or one of the Elk Grande sablewood shingles (it is a discontinued color). I’m not sure if I could do one of the other colors or would black/grey be our best bet? I want to update the look but not make it too busy. I do have a picture I could email to you quickly of the house. (I tried to copy it into the comment, but it wouldnt let me!).
Thanks so much!!!
Lynn
Hi Lynn B,
You have undoubtedly made your roof decision by now — I know how these things often cannot wait for replies. I too think black/grey is your best choice. There’s nothing like black against white for a crisp clean contrast. And it simply never goes out of style. You already have color with the brick on the porch and you can pick up on those warm tones in your accessories and plantings. But as long as your house is white, I would go with black/charcoal.
Hope you wanted to hear that!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks Barbara. I did end up going with the charcoal/black shingles. I think that is best. Doesn’t have the “pop” of some of the newer colors but I didn’t want it to look too busy. So, you did support my decision! Thanks again! LOVE your website! I may very well have some questions in the future. I would like to email pics in the future, but not sure how?
Hi Lynn B,
If the blog won’t accept your photo link, you can send it to my email at
bmeglis@yahoo.com. I’ll be sure to see it there. Thanks!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks for your input on my metal roof…unfortunately I picked the Gallery Blue for it. I was going to go slate or the gray but I thought the blue would brighten the house up some. I hope I didn’t ruin the look of it. I am planning to change the outside color when affordable w/ the house. Maybe w/ the color I’d picked you can suggest coloring for the home. Also, trim and door. Thanks again!
I had sent a reply back but did it wrong. I went w/ the gallery blue roof. I hope I didn’t ruin the house. I need input on the house color along w/ the trim. Plan to change it some since I went w/ the blue roof. Wish I had heard from you quicker. I would of chose the slate or gray. But to late now…already have metal in. So any help would be grateful. Thanks!
Hi Vicky56,
How about Ben Moore’s Yarmouth Blue (HC-150) for your house with China White trim and a Country Redwood front door. You can use dark blue shutters to go with the roof. Then change out your metal color on the front of the house to be nickel (more contemporary than black) for lights, mailbox, etc.
Hope this helps.
-Barbara.
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
I am redoing my garage so I have to choose a look for my house and property. Whatever i choose for the garage will also happen to the house. The shingles on the house and windows also need to be replaced in the years to come. I have a storey and half from 1939 with white stucco on the lower half of the house and aluminum siding on the upper half. The stucco is a large trowel pattern and has a low maintenance spiccal on it so i do not want to paint the stucco and aluminum siding. I was wondering if a white house and green roof theme is appropriate? I read your suggestions of a charcoal grey roof with a white house. What would i do for accents ie. black shutters, black wood front door(or red?), black casements around the windows?Right now, the roof is light grey and has light grey shutters around the windows. It looks really bland. The house inside has an art deco feel. Do you have any suggestions what to choose to create the same feel on the outside?
Thanks
Hi Natalie,
You have a wonderful opportunity to create a spectacular art deco exterior and keeping the white stucco is the first thing to do. I would also remove the shutters permanently. I’ve enclosed a link to a site that shows art deco color palettes and I suggest having a look at that before picking your roof color and trim shades. You might consider using the darkest shade on one of those palettes for your roof color (green is one of the options) and then using some of the other colors as window trim and door colors. And don’t forget the silver-toned light fixtures and house numbers (think cubism, not colonial). Let me know if you still need help. Have fun!
http://desktoppub.about.com/od/colorpalettes/l/blcpartdeco.htm
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I may already be too late, but I hope not. The roofers were supposed to start tomorrow or Wednesday. I have agonized for 10 days over roof color choice. We have a long white (looks even longer because of attached garage)with red brick veneer ranch style house. Right now we have a red shingle roof (that matches the brick) which I have always loved, but is no longer available. Also we realize if we ever have to sells many would not want a red roof. So we have been going back and forth between Elk weathered wood or Charcoal. We actually need to dig out our front hedge so the red brick veneer shows better. There is one area near the door where the brick goes all the way up. My feelings with the charcoal, we would probably need to leave the house white and try and ad black shutters to the two sets of double windows where it would be possible. The middle window is a large bay and has no where for shutters. With the weathered wood, I’m really not sure what paint color would go with both the red brick veneer and the roof. Also we have the white paned vinyl windows. I called the roofer today and told him weathered wood, based on the fact that maybe everyone wouldn’t want a white house and I couldn’t think of another color that the charcoal and red brick would go with. I think it is possible I could call tomorrow with a change if you have any help you could give me. I am raising my granddaughter so money is tight and I am so fearful of making the wrong choice on something so big and important.
Ive just started putting hardi plank siding on my house.
the house is mostle orange yellowish brick and i was wanting to paint the siding a light shade of yellow because I have always wanted a yellow house and wanting to go with a metal roof . What do you think about these choices
Hi BARBARA,
Sounds sunny and cheerful. You might want to temper the warm colors with white/cream for trim and some black accents. I would also pick a dark neutral (charcoal?) for the metal roof color.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Before posting a comment,
+++PLEASE READ LATEST POST+++
AUGUST 29th, for changes to blog
Barbara, Having a difficult time picking from the selection of IKO Cambridge 30 yr architectural roof shingles. You can see my house in the website link I provided to you. It is in Vermont with mountains/evergreens and is a traditional saltbox colonial style. House is stained cedar with light green trim. Considering Forest Green, Harvard Slate or Weatherwood but I am open to other suggestions. Forest Green seems like it would not fit the real traditional styling of the house overall but the color matches nice. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Bob
Hi Bob,
Although I’m working off a computer screen, here are my thoughts on your roof. The green is just too green for your house (that much color works best on a farmhouse style home where the roof can make a major statement). The Harvard Slate has a busy pattern and the Weathered Wood seems a bit off in terms of color. BUT, I do like Driftwood as the different shades in the roof pick up the different shades in your siding. And I also like the more traditional Dual Black which looks spectacular on your house and offers more contrast than the Driftwood brown. Either one would work great. The Driftwood is a softer look similar to what you have now in terms of color value (it just appears a bit browner). The Dual Black is the much more dramatic choice.
Hope that helps. Great house! Fantastic location!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I think that is great advice. I am leaning towards the dual black. Kinda like the the way wood trim looks in my black interior car!
Classic and cool…
Sounds perfect.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara
I just purchased a 25 year old house I love the color scheme and wanted to keep it forever but have already run into a problem. The scheme is loads of white, beautifully weatheredl gory barrel tiles on the roof ( a mellow, mix of brown, red and orange)and mexican saultllo tile flooring throuout,both inside and outside including the patios. .This tile is a rich coppery orange,terracotta red and mocha tan color inside and the same but very faded outside..The accent color is cobalt blue . The blue is used on the railings outside around the back patio and inside the kitchen on the countertop, but only in a thin stripe on the side of the white countertops,This classic colorscheme really suits the house and me. I was going to decorate the inside in a shabby chic type beach house style .I wanted to update with stainless appliances and paint the white stair railing accents inside silver..while leaving the outside railings in back cobalt blue. I wanted to finish the saultillo tile making it richer and shinier with a wet polished look.The roof needs replacing and the tile is not practical here on the coast of florida where we are hurricane prone so the decision has been to replace with firestone unaclad aluminum standing seam metal roof. The colors being considered are sierra tan, sandstone,almond,patina green,champagne mettallic,cityscape and terracotta.I dont reallycare for the terracotta in the metalroofs as there is no variation and texture and it looks overpowering but i am a tad fearful you might say of picking the wrong color. .I am leaning towads the sierra tan right now.Will the cobalt accents still work? what to do?
Hi Jane,
What a great house! I think you’ve picked the best color for your roof, given the rest of the color scheme and textures. Metallic and the grays won’t work (too cool) and I think the terra cotta and patina green might be overpowering, as you said. I would shoot for a natural earth tone and the almond and sandstone seem a bit light. The sierra tan appears to be a medium tone that will contrast with your white house and will coordinate beautifully with all the mexican tile on the patios.
If you have to go metal (and it makes functional sense), then the sierra tan is the way to go. And the cobalt accents should be fine. They will pop right off of the natural tones, just like they do now. (There isn’t quite as much contrast as with the terra cotta, but that’s okay.)
Good luck with the rest of your project.
And thank you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
My wife and I are building a new home and we have chosen a dark red brick. The house is a very traditional “georgian” style 2 story. The house will be all brick ground to roof on all 4 sides…no siding other than some dormers. Our concern is window trim, 3 front facing garage doors, soffit / fascia, front porch columns, and roof color coordination. Note the front windows and garage doors all have an 8″ profiled limestone header across the tops with a center keystone. Let me know if a PDF of the front elevation will be helpfull…I will attach and forward seperately.
We feel the logical “safe” choice is white trim with a darker roof. We see alot of that combination in some older areas. Although I am concerned that there is no contrast between the white and the heavy limestone accents we are utilizing. The window manufacturer offers many exterior colors (aluminum clad) with brickmold options as well. I should mention we are also going with doublehung windows for the added tradtional look.
Are we putting too much thought into this tradtional looking house and should just go white?
FYI..Brick is Mese Verde by General Shale.
Hi Rich,
Since your house does sound very traditional, between the dark red brick and the Georgian style, you cannot go wrong with white. But the question is which white? Have a look at China White (Ben Moore) along with Bone White (also Ben Moore). The China white has a little gray in it which will pick up the limestone color, and perhaps your grout color as well, and give the house an aged look. You don’t want a crisp super white as it’s just too fresh-looking for your traditional home. The Bone White is a calm cream (not too yellow) that again will give the house an aged look but it’s warmer than the China white. You would want to go with an ivory window color if you choose Bone White. Window color can be white for the China trim color.
As for roof color, traditional dark charcoal will be perfect.
For your front door and garage door colors, it really depends on the type of doors you plan to install. Natural wood looks great. So does black if you plan on black shutters. If you’re planning to paint the doors, wait until the house is finished and then decide on the color. Or write me back and we’ll pick a color together.
Hope that helps. I’m not at home at the moment (am only on the internet for a couple more seconds) but will be back online by Sunday night.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I truly appreciated your timely reply and I apolgize for my untimely “thank you”….but, thank you regardless. We took your advice and went with “french vanilla” windows for that “aged look” as you suggested. The french vanilla has just a touch of cream…not a yellow, but a very soft creamy feeling. We are excited to see the contrast against the deep red brick. The windows have arrived and will be installed next week but it will be another 4 weeks before we can see with the brick…will send pics then.
Our roof shingle install will start in two days…we went with “estate grey” architectural lifetime shingle by Owens Corning, again color per your advice. However I am second guessing the roof color (not too late to change). I can visulaize and I am comfortable with the dark red brick vs the dark grey roof, and the dark red brick vs the vanilla windows, but I am not getting comfortable with trim vs roof (vanilla vs dark grey). Am I missing something? I have thought about changing to a black shingle which would contrast to the vanilla trim.
Or,
I have also thought about going a different direction and introducing a medium brown shingle which would give a ceder-type shake look. My thought is that the vanilla trim (windows, gutters, soffit/fascia) may be a more natural mix between the dark red brick and dark brown roof.
Thoughts again please?
Thanks – Rich
Hi Rich,
Oh I hate it when that happens. I ducked away for a few days in Canada with my son’s ski team and you had an urgent question that needed attention. Undoubtedly your roof is going up as I write this post and I certainly hope you are happy with the result. Yes, the dark brown roof would look spectacular with the cream trim, but you shouldn’t be afraid of the dark gray either. It’s such a classic combination that the roof will not be a major focus of the final facade. The cream and brick will be the focus and that combination will look spectacular. If you haven’t started the roof yet, write back and I’ll take another look. But I feel comfortable with the original decisions. Hope they’re okay with you too!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara,
How excited I was to find your site! I’m trying to decide on a roof color for my home as it’s a multi-colored brick home with multiple shade of orange, orangish-red, and dark brown. The roof is currently brown and I’m now considering Owens Corning teak (which is another brown) or black onyx. What do you think? I’ve attached a photo. The black would offer a nice contrast and pull out the dark brick but the brown roof (I saw your comment on another posting) might make the home appear bigger.
Also, my trim is cream on the exterior of the home while the interior woodwork is an orange-brown oak. I’d like to get wood blinds to match my oak trim but how would that look from the outside of the home with the cream trim?
Barbara, I would love to email a photo of the home but can’t seem to copy it to this so I can have your opinion. Is that possible?
Thank you!
Susie
We are building a country styled house in south east Texas. We will have a silver metel roof. What color brick would compliment the silver roof color?
Thanks!
Linda
Our house has tan siding. We are about to put a new metal roof on it. What color would look good with the siding?
Hi Pam,
How about Weathered Copper or Dark Bronze? Here’s a link.
http://www.nuraymetals.com/pr/colors/index.html
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We have a small home in Portland, Oregon (Sellwood neighborhood). We have asbestos siding and a red shingle/composite roof. We are seeking advice on what color to paint our home and the stoop in front of our house. We tend to like lighter, warmer colors. The current paint color which came with the house is an off-whitish/cream color. Could you give us ideas for colors for the house/base and trim? Here’s a link to three photos (you may need to copy and paste):
Other notes, we are getting ready to landscape our front yard and remove the trees that you see in the photos. We are also putting in a fiberglass front door (and are thinking of perhaps a cherry stain). Any thoughts you have about a stain color are appreciated, too. Here is the link to the door. Scroll down the page to see the two pane door (we’re not getting the side windows) http://www.thermatru.com/products/entry/fiberglass-entry-doors/cca/index.aspx#/dso:door-2_panel_3_top_lite-cca230/go:hw/
Thanks for your help.
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
I love the roof color on your house — how about adding a bit more color to the siding, something like Ben Moore’s AF-315 Jicama. It’s a wonderfully warm cream, richer than what you have now. But with the size of the house and the prominent roof, I would stick with the rich creams. Then switch out the white metal for black. That will add contrast on the front stoop and by the door (don’t forget the house numbers too). As for trim, I would stick with the white you have now. It accents the trim nicely.
I do like the door idea and either cherry or mahogany stain will look terrific. Whichever you prefer with the roof. They should coordinate.
With new landscaping, your house will be the jewel of the street.
One word of caution regarding asbestos siding: Make sure you use a professional painter and be sure they know it’s asbestos. They’ll want to dissolve any peeling paint and not sand or scrape. You don’t want to stir up the asbestos into the air. Just do a little homework first, and you’ll be fine. Great house!!
And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Have a friend who is building and is insistant on a red metal roof. This friend wants my opinion on the color of siding to put with the red roof but I’m not fond of the red roof idea so I am not sure what would look good with it. Please help.
Hi Chasity,
Tell your friend that a red roof becomes quite the focal point. Her choices? White, cream, dark blue, and brown.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
My contractor messed up my metal roof.
I need to install a new roof, my house color is mint green, with red & brown stone work in the front. The front double door is dark green. Trim is white.
The new aluminium roof choices are, brown, wine color(maroon), silver, grey,light & dark green.
Please help, I may repaint the house to coordinate with the roof. I like the dark green and wine colors.
How can i a send you a picture.
Many thanks in advance.
Hi Ismail,
I couldn’t really see the stonework upclose in the photo you sent me, but I get the general idea of your palette.
I suggest going with the wine color (maroon) roof as it appears to go very well with your stonework. Then when you get the opportunity, I suggest painting your house a more neutral color to allow the stonework to take center stage as the focal point. Right now the mint green stands out more. Take a look at Mt. Rushmore Rock (AC-39) from Benjamin Moore. It’s kind of a warm medium taupe (a little gray, a little mauve) that again appears to go well with your stone (you can send a close-up of your stonework if it doesn’t). Then I would keep the white trim. Very sharp.
One more suggestion: Also when you have the opportunity, I would beef up the front two columns by replacing them with larger ones. Your house is very grand, and it can afford to have more stately columns on the front portico.
Oh, and you can use the wine color on the front door (as long as it is in the stonework).
Hope that helps.
And thank you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barb,
We have to replace a cedar shakes roof (very old). Our single story cottage style house also has cedar on it that has been painted dark brown, there is cottage red around the windows and front door.
What color would you recommend for the roof ? We are going to get an architectural shingle due to cost. The house is in Minnesota on a wooded acre with a pond, a rustic setting.
thanks
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
You might consider either Weathered Wood (or maybe Shakewood) for the new roof. (see link) The Weathered Wood seems to go with just about all earth tones (like your dark brown siding) and yet not be too much brown. Shakewood is a medium tone brown, lighter than your siding for some contrast. (Barkwood is too much!) I would not venture into the charcoal/gray roof colors or green. Best to stick with the brown tones but with some distinction from the siding color.
See what you think. Send a photo to my email, bmeglis@yahoo.com, if you think I really need to see the cottage-style house for a better suggestion.
Hope that helps. And thank you!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential-Roofing/Roofing-Products/Shingles-Styles-Shingle-Colors/Timberline-Shingles/Timberline-Natural-Shadow-Shingles/Timberline-Natural-Shadow-Shingles.asp
Hi Barb,
Thank you so much for your reply. I was headed in that direction but just needed some reassurance. We looked at Weathered wood and it is perfect.
thanks again.
Nancy
I was looking for some colour advise for my roof, front porch, siding and trim on the exterior of my home. It is a 1920’s red brick bungelow. I have photos to send you as well. I did donate but I’m not too sure if I’m doing this correctly and I don’t know how to include a photo link?
Hi Lynn,
You can include a photo link to a photo site (like Flickr) right here in this Reply Box or attach a photo to an email and send it to bmeglis@yahoo.com. (That mailbox does not fill up as fast as my other email.)
Thank you for your payment. I look forward to seeing your photos.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Lynn,
I may give you more than you plan to re-do this summer, but here’s everything.
The gray trim seems a little dull especially on the front porch in the shadows. I suggest that you pick a lighter, brigher trim color, something like either Ben Moore’s Edgecomb Gray (HC-173) or Sail Cloth (Ext). Brightening up the trim especially around the front door will lighten up the whole porch and make it more inviting to enter.
Although I usually recommend more of a brick red (like Georgian Brick HC-50) than the red you’re using for the end caps, I kind of like how bold yours is — and it’s in the brick.
For the siding, board and batten is fine — but so is the horizontal siding so no real need to change out if you don’t want to. I’m not sure it will add any great style. But I suggest more of a taupey brown, like Briarwood (Ext) that will go with the brown of the brick. You could also move more toward the taupey tans depending on your new roof color. Huntington Beige (HC-21) might work as well. Working with the brick colors and the grout will make the house unified and tie all the materials together.
Hope that helps. And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am getting a new roof and planning to paint the trim on my 1917 red brick 2-story bungalow style house. The current roof is a dark red, almost the same color as the brick. I am going to with the Timberline 30 and was originally thinking some shade of gray, but I don’t see that color very often on houses with brick this color. I really like the way the gray roofs look, but perhaps some shade of brown would be better?
I also want to paint the light green trim a different color. I was thinking about some kind of neutral color, but not sure what to look for. The mortar is almost a pinkish color.
I am sending you photos by email. Looking forward to your advice.
Cheers,
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
Although gray is the traditional color for your red brick house, you have a beautiful solid wood door. To tie that in, have a look at both Weathered Wood and Barkwood as viable alternatives. I think you might like the warmth that the brown tones give the home.
http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential-Roofing/Roofing-Products/Shingles-Styles-Shingle-Colors/Timberline-Shingles/Timberline-Natural-Shadow-Shingles/Timberline-Natural-Shadow-Shingles.asp
As for trim, take a look at Richmond Bisque (Ext Room – Ben Moore). I think it is just the rich neutral you’re looking for to contrast with the brick and coordinate with the roof and door.
See what you think. And thank you!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks, Barbara. I will look into this combination. Do you think gray for the roof is an option? If so, what trim color would work? Also, one other question I forgot to ask: the gutters are currently white, and they kind of act as a trim around the house. If I get new gutters, should I consider a different color?
Thanks again for your help.
Nikki
Hi Barbara!
Cristi and I are getting ready for a new (slate style) concrete tile roof. Our home is reddish-orange brick with brick color variations leaning toward a darker plum. The body is light reddish-brown with light beige trim.
We have spent a lot time comparing different roofs. We have ruled out red, terra cotta, and brown due to the 30%-40% fade factor – those colors look terrible when they fade. At one point, we considered going with a black and dark-brown blend (some tiles are black, some are dark-brown). However, once those fade, the end up looking gray and light brown. This doesn’t seem like it would complement the darker red brick very well at all.
Two of the following links are photo swatches consisting of (a) “Black Canyon” (black tile), and (b) “Meadowlark” (a blend comprised of black, plum and tan with an overall undertone of green).
We feel like the black (which would eventually fade to dark gray) would be safe. Our concern with the black, however, is that it would end up looking drab, and generic.
The Meadowlark seems more lively and interesting. We keep coming back the way the plum colors in the tile and brick tie in together. The tan seem to tie in to the body and trim. Our biggest concern though is: Where does the undertone of green fit into the picture. Is it somewhat complimentary to the brick color? Would the multitude of colors in the roof end up looking too busy? When it’s finished, will we be able to look at it and say “awesome!” Or, will we stand back and say “what in the world were we thinking?”
As you can see we really need your professional help. Since, we only get one shot at this, we want to do it right. Please share your thoughts and expert advise on how we can make our home look beautiful!
Thank you. We sincerely appreciate your help!
Chad and Cristi
Here is the link to the tile manufacturer:
http://www.monierlifetile.com/product/Product-Catalog.aspx?region=Rocky%20Mountain&producttype=Standard%20Weight%20Tile&profile=Saxony%20Slate
Hi Chad and Cristi,
I know what you mean about the Meadowlark picking up all the wonderful tones in your brick. But my sense is that the roof with all its great colors will compete with your brick and all its great colors. If you had a stone house or stucco with no brick front (more monochromatic), then the Meadowlark would be stunning. But I think the two surfaces (the roof and siding–brick) would make the house look too busy.
The Black is less interesting, of course, than the Meadowlark. But, by using a more traditional monochromatic roof color, you allow your brick as well as the stonework in your yard and the rest of your landscaping to be featured. It’s the whole package. The black roof would fade to charcoal which is also a classic look with brick. The black will also pick up your ironwork (the flower urn, the number on the garage, and your RR sign ?? — nice!)
Yes, the black is safe, but when it comes to roof colors, it’s way better to be safe and absolutely positive that it will look very good (maybe not unusual and “interesting” but good) than to be sorry that we ventured into the unknown. What I’m seeing all over the place now is homeowners, in an attempt to update their homes, choosing architectural roof styles with a lot of color differences and variation and putting them on busy brick homes. They really look less than ideal (in my humble opinion) and would be better off with a more traditional “classic” roof style and color.
I suggest pulling out the different colors in your brick with your plantings (the deep purples), lawn furniture, and other changeable accessories.
See what you think of that idea. The black will be quite a shock from your current soft brown, but I think it will look spectacular.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
This is primarily a roof color question since we are replacing the current roof (Aspen grey) due to hail damage. Sort of a blessing in disguise since we could never justify replcing the roof for cosmetic reasons. Changing house color is also possible.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29013793@N00/4725567052/
The house color is P&L Appaloosa 2251, shutters P&L Flint 2254(uppers missing in older pics while being painted), trim is white. The Appaloosa is tan/beige with a hint of green, though the picture makes it look almost like Benjamin Moore Bleeker Beige. What roof would you recommend if we leave the house the way it is? Certainteed Landmark series are what we are looking at, but open to others.
We are adding a cupula (see pictures) which was in the original house design, but not included by the first owner. A new garage door is in the future too. Any house color suggestions are welcome, but would like to keep the trim white. There are three color directions we are thinking of going; 1st only changing the shutters???, 2nd a dark beige, white trim, black shutters, 3rd is yellow, white trim, ?? shutters.
What would be some fail-safe color combos for roofs that are black/grey? And the same for brown roofs. We would really like to get it right this time!
Thanks
Hi Rick,
With your current house color, check out both Driftwood and Weathered Wood. Neither is as dark as charcoal/black or even brown, but your house color might look terrific with either of those medium toned roofs. The only way to pick the roof color is to get a sample shingle of each and put it up on the roof a few feet apart. Stand at the edge of the road and look back at the house. You’ll know instantly which shingle looks the best.
For fail-safe colors, try charcoal black, shadow gray, heather blend (brown), and black walnut (has some cranberry in it). The charcoals should work with either your current color or a darker tan as well as yellow. The browns are best with tan. The black walnut would look great with a yellow house and cranberry front door (black shutters). All with white trim.
For shutters, I suggest moving them to the upstairs windows and removing the ones on the front door. (kind of a dated look)
Hope that helps. As long as you go darker with your roof color, it will make a huge difference on your curb appeal.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We decided to go with CertainTeed Driftwood and think it looks great. http://www.flickr.com/photos/29013793@N00/ The house is getting painted in a couple of weeks and we’re considering new colors. The current color is P&L Appaloosa 2251, shutters P&L Flint 2254, white trim. We are thinking a similar color scheme but without so much green. Tan with blackish/brown shutters maybe, but not sure.
Can you recommend any Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore color combinations that would go well with the CertainTeed Driftwood?
Thanks!
Hi Rick,
How about Shaker Beige HC-45 (Ben Moore) with Texas Leather shutters (AC-3). Should look really nice with your roof!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I have picked Pacific Blue cedar impressiions naturals shingles for my home which is a splanch and very angular. The roof will be quite prevelent and I need help picking out a color. Al the trim around windows will be white and with a more decorative white trim on top of windows. I have picked a double door which is 3/4 window and is mahogany red wood. I have been given a Tamko or timberline shingles to pick from. Timberliine has a Biscayne blue shingle and tamko has a rustic black. We live in long island on a canal. All the houses are gray or tan. I don;t want that. Please help with roof selection . If you want to offer any changes or different selections nothing has been ordered yet. Thanks Barbara
Hi Barbara,
I think the Biscayne blue shingles might be too much blue. I suggest a charcoal gray — the same value of your house color (not as dark as Rustic Black) — so that your house will be the dominant feature and not your roof. I’ll send you a photo of that I’m talking about. It’s the GAF natural shadow in Charcoal.
If you have to pick between Rustic Black and the Biscayne Blue, I’d go with the black. More dramatic and a nice complement to the blue siding color.
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Another question about the color of roof you would recommend for our farmhouse? Half brick/half green siding/color trimwork on railing as well? Thanks once again for your imput. Our present house is an old 1890 brick schoolhouse which was added onto and has white siding and charcoal roofing so this new farmhouse is all a new venture for us. Thanks once again for your great advice! Sue
Hi Barbara,
I have to make a quick roofing decision (tomorrow AM 8/24)and I’d love to have your input.
My house has barn red aluminum siding and white shutters. I just bought it last year – photo below is from the real estate listing (I have redone the landscaping in front). The siding is in good shape and it looks like wood from a distance, so I plan to hold on to it for a while, but would like to have options to go in a different color direction if I ever opt to replace it and I want to be able to easily change my shutters/trim and front door paint color.
I think the white is too much contrast – even though I’ve gotten used to it since living in the house (except the front door). I was thinking of toning the white trim down by using an off white – with some gray/brown rather than yellow/cream in it – and possibly doing the shutters in a dark gray brown. (I am open to suggestions here :-)). Front door could be the trim color. I would paint the garage the color of the siding to make it recede.
For the roof I was thinking either IKO Dual Black (the safe choice) or Harvard Slate. I don’t want brown on the roof.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/walliscottage/4923975937/
What do you think?
Lisa
Oops – making my decision for tomorrow 8/25.
Look forward to your thoughts! Thank you.
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I like the Dual Black as well as Charcoal Gray. They’re both darker than the Harvard Slate and they balance the red better. Even if you switch out the red in the future, either of those darker colors will be very versatile.
As for the trim, yes, you can gray down the white a bit. China White (Ben Moore) will do that as will Edgecomb Gray HC-173. I do like the Gray-Brown shutter idea. Much better than the current white. And yes, paint the garage door the siding color and it will go away. An alternative is the shutter color but it will stand out.
An alternative for your front door is a dark eggplant like Caponata (AF-160 I think). A little unexpected but fun. Very nice with either roof color as it really brings out their depth of color.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
Wow – I so appreciate your advice and the speedy response. I think I’m going to go with Dual Black.
It’s classic, versatile, and it will fade to charcoal eventually. I like the more cohesive look of it anyway – even if I admire the Harvard Slate on other houses. I LOVE your suggestion of the Caponata for the door – it’s gorgeous.
I will take a look at the Edgecomb Gray and China White for the trim.
Thanks again!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Just saw this email. You can disregard the blue suggestion if you’re going with Caponata. Looks like you’re all set! Oh, and Caponata’s number is AF-650. Sorry about that…
-Barbara
Hi, Barbara.
When I see this house (http://picasaweb.google.com/mariagandy/BrickRoofAndTrim#), I think two things: “blah”, and “bland”. We’re putting a new roof on the house, and we need help choosing a shingle color. We can choose something on our own that will “match” the brick, but we want help choosing a shingle color that will “look great” (something not “blah” or “bland”.)
We’re also replacing the gutters, and painting the trim. Again, we can choose the colors, and want to choose something that will “look great”, and not simply “match”.
Finally, we’ve considered shutters for the windows, but the windows touch the bottom of the frieze board, so shutters probably wouldn’t look good, would they?
Many thanks!
Clint
Hi Clint,
Since you’ve had a brown roof already (one that kind of matched), how about more contrast now? That will jazz up the house a bit. I suggest something like Certainteed’s Charcoal Gray http://www.certainteed.com/products/roofing/308747# to pick up the different colors in our brick and really make it look great.
Then you can highlight it with trim of either Navajo White or Bone White (both a creamy white alternative) and if there’s an opportunity for an accent color (on the front door?), how about either Caponata (AF-650) or Chambourd (AF-645), both eggplant colors that will again add depth to your brick and a little bit of the unexpected.
See what you think!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Great! THANKS SO MUCH!!!
OK, I do have three questions:
1) On the Certainteed link you sent me, I didn’t see “Charcoal Gray”; I only saw “Charcoal Black”. Is that the color you meant? (I just don’t want to screw it up… 😉
2) I like the Navajo and Bone White colors for the trim. Should I use a similar color for the gutters, or should the gutters match the roof?
3) What do you think about shutters for the windows? The front door is hidden until you reach a certain point in the driveway (we will paint it one of those two colors you suggested), and the shutters might help contrast the brick. Those front windows are so “squatty”, though, and they run up into the frieze board. If you say “no shutters”, then that’ll settle it for me.
4) Finally, do you think that some higher (and more complete) hedges in the front will help with the “squatty” windows?
Thanks so much for your help, Barbara. We really appreciate it.
-Clint
Hi Clint,
Oops, yes, I meant Charcoal Black. The point is to contrast with the trim and pick up some of the darker tones in your brick, adding more depth and getting rid of the “blah” look that you described earlier.
The gutters should match the trim color. The downspouts can be painted to blend better with the brick color(s?) but it’s not critical for your house.
I agree about the shutters — might just call attention to the shorter windows. But if you get a chance, you might consider adding some additional window trim to beef up the windows and give them a little more stature. Nothing fancy. Just wood trim that will come off of the fascia board and surround each window. That would be painted trim color.
And sure, landscaping can camouflage almost anything and a variety of shrubs in various heights will distract the eye from the windows. You can go ahead and get started on those plans right away. I would also (gasp) take out the privet hedge in front of your farmer’s porch. Again, smaller plantings (maybe a flower bed) and a variety of them will give the house a more updated look.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara. Finding your website is a godsend. I’ve been agonizing over roof, gutter and trim colors for two weeks now and my husband believes I’m crazy. The roofers tear off tomorrow! We have a 1941 brick house with a nice warm orange/red uniform brick color. Please see pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/twinspiration/?donelayout=1
The house looks fairly small from the street and has a high roof — so it’s more roof than house if that makes sense. The current roof is a dark brown with brick tones which has worked really well. None of the samples I’ve gotten from the roofing company match this at all. I alternate between antique brown colors, weathered wood/natural wood colors or black. The best black of the three samples is a flat black that doesn’t have hints of blue in it. The roofing company tells me that it will be very black once on…. Is this okay? Other black just added ouside includes a new ceder (stained) fence in the front which has two thin bars of wrought iron along the top (fence is a sleek modern style) and we’ve just added a custom made wrought iron gate. The house’s brick morter is a grey color but in the front it’s turned more a tan color in some areas which is lovely and I want to pull out in the color scheme. I don’t like grey a lot and want to emphasize warmer colors if possible. The front door is a warm red with brass kickplate and I plan on keeping this when we paint the trim right after the roof goes on. I also have to pick gutter colors and struggle with that and trim colors too. The windows (vinyl) will most likely need to stay white unless vinyl can suddenly be painted. My thinking is that the gutters should remain white or off white (how much can I vary from the window color here?) as they are the highest point of the house exterior and if we go with a dark roof it might make sense to draw the eye up. There is also a very large trim piece under the gutters which would allow for some great trim color. The painter has also said he can do a “pinstripe” if we chose one as there are additional “grooves” in the current trim if we want to use them. One of the house’s peaks has wood under it so there is a triangle shaped wood area that needs painting too. It has vertical grooves in it that could be called out or not. I’m completely stuck on how to paint the trim/wood. I think keeping things simple is best with focus on the bright door and iron gate, yes? We also have a large (in comparison to the house) garage door which is currently painted white but which has a lot of framing and squares inside it that could be a few colors. Don’t want to pull too much attention away from the gate and entry way however. Paint sample book that I have currently is Sherwin Williams. Thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Marleen,
Do you have access to Certainteed’s Heather Blend or Black Walnut? The Heather Blend is very similar to what you have currently (brown tones) and the Black Walnut is black but has warm red tones in it — quite nice with your brick. Yes black will work as will a dark charcoal gray (I know you don’t like gray much but it’s softer and blends more with the brick than the sharper contrast of the black). But both will work. Very traditional for a brick house.
I do like the white trim with the white windows — less busy actually than trying to add another trim color, but I would definitely paint the garage door to blend more with the brick and let your beautiful gate take center stage. Have a look at Colonial Revival Stone SW 2827 to blend with your grout color and make the garage door less prominent. It’s okay to have the white trim around it.
See what you think. If your roofer is giving you certain brand choices, let me know and I’ll have a look at what options you have. Oh, forgot to mention. Keep everything simple (in terms of paint). You don’t want the house to get too busy. The gate is just enough — very nice.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Could I have your advice regarding roof and stucco/trim colours? We plan to re-stucco in a year or so (after a few other renovations), but we have to re-shingle NOW, and I realize how unprepared I am for the whole picture.
I’ll email you a photo of the house. There are a couple elements not visible from the photo. First is the light. We live in a typically sunny place. The trees have foliage for only 5 months of the year, snow on the ground for at least 4 and a half months, and the other months are typically a muted affair. Second is the site. Our house sits quite high on the lot. As a result, most of the year, our house LOOMS large, white and cold. It’s an effect that we really dislike. Third is the neighbourhood. The houses on our street have diverse roof colours: brown, red, green, cedar shakes, as well as grey and black and shades in between. (Really, I think I’m stymied because there are so many options.)
We’d like to warm up the house’s appearance, more warm ‘n’ friendly rather than cool and elegant. We would like the house to look smaller, which I suppose sounds crazy, but we really dislike how the house appears to rise up. (There’s a slope which runs away from the house at the back.) When we do our basement work next summer, those lovely front shrubs will have to be removed, and their presence really helps to ground the house. I’ve let them grow quite big just because they seemed to bring the house lower. We’re going to miss them.
Regarding the roof, I think I know this much. I think we’d like the roof to be darker rather than lighter, so that a contrast between roof and stucco would help “bring the house down” a bit. I have been focusing on brown or grey. Also, it occurs to me that we could go red. There’s our reddish brick chimney, and there are many red roofs in our neighbourhood. But I am a little frightened by the boldness of that, especially when I can’t visualize the stucco and trim. While I have a feeling for what we want, I don’t have a vision, and I’m overwhelmed by the possibilities. Even a couple of colour suggestions will help me focus a bit. Thanks very much.
Hi Lenni,
To bring the house down in scale a substantial amount, I suggest a dark charcoal roof — you will achieve maximum contrast and no matter what color you end up painting the stucco, your house will appear shorter. Another trick would be to paint the trim the same dark charcoal. That will put a border around your house/windows and provide another contrast between siding and trim, thereby making your house appear smaller. (Honestly, I don’t think I’ve EVER done this! But I understand what you mean.) You can then paint your stucco a warm inviting color that will attract the right kind of attention especially on those cold wintry days.
Dark brown will also work for the roof, particularly because of the brick. But I would not hesitate to paint the brick around the door the trim color. Then you’re left with a brick chimney and steps and that’s fine.
See what you think. Just stay away from all the light-colored and mid-toned roofs that tend to blend in with the house and make it look bigger. You want contrast.
Regarding the landscaping: never fear. Replacing the overgrown bushes with a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes in the garden will draw the eye TO the garden and away from the height of your gable peak. Not to worry at all about yanking those big shrubs right out of there. Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am having a difficult time with finding the right roof color. I have a newly painted cape cod home. It is a cream color with a williamsberg blue type shutters, front and back door. The rest of the trim is white. The garage is not attached to the house and there is no blue on it. I am happy with the result and believed it would be no problem finding a charcoal color roof with little variegation. It is a problem now however, because I cannot find the just right color or even close to it. I think black is too severe and a lighter grey would be bland. My roofing contractor thinks I should use GAF/elk, CertainTeed, or Owens Corning. I think Pabco would be fine also. I have looked at many reference houses (Moire black, weathered wood, driftwood, various greys in almost all these brands). I have not seen many ELK/ Gaf colors or Owens Corning colors on homes, other than on their sample boards. Could you advise me with some choices so I could narrow this down. I am not making any progress . Sincerely, Karen Benoit from Portland Oregon
Hi Karen,
With a cream house color, you have tons of options (that’s the problem, right?). You can also have quite a bit of variegation on the roof too since you don’t have a lot of other texture on the house (no stonework or brick). So I would not eliminate the higher-end architectural shingles that have more variegation because of the look. That opens up lots of options.
Have you seen the Owens-Corning HARBOR BLUE roof? It is absolutely gorgeous! Just a thought! There aren’t many around yet but there will be. It just seems to melt into the sky with the different blues in it. Check it out! If you like it, I’ll send you a photo of a house with the roof on it (cedar shakes/white siding).
Other than that, look at either the grays that have a blue undertone (Certainteed’s Pewter might work for you) or the dark browns (like Owens Corning’s Teak) that will coordinate nicely with the cream siding (blue would be your accent color).
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
Okay so I just realized that I had to pay $20 to receive an answer to my question. I would appreciate any help to the exterior of the home. We just bought it a month ago and now I am regretting my decision. It seems like there is so much to do to change the exterior of the home. Paint, landscaping, lighting and a new door and I don’t really know where to begin. I am sending a picture so you can see the color of siding, roof and the yard. Okay, so I can’t figure out how to attach the picture. I will just send it to your email address.
Thanks,
Heather
Hi Barbara,
My brick Dutch colonial home was damaged in a hail storm and I will need new shingles, siding, and gutters. We also plan to paint all the trim, the garage door, and the shutters. We are also hoping to purchase new windows and a screen door at the same time (depending on the cost).
So, basically, the brick is the only element of the house that we will be keeping! I would really appreciate your advice on what colors to choose for shingles, trim, shutter, and siding.
Here are some photos: http://s734.photobucket.com/albums/ww341/jama_kitchen/exterior/
The brick is red/pink color – light and dark versions of what I believe is the the same shade – maybe coral or salmon? The grout is gray with a very slight green undertone.
The roof is currently CertainTeed Burnt Sienna. I am not sure if it goes too well with the brick, though, because it seems to have a purplish tone in some lights. I think I may be better off with a different color and have been thinking about gray. It is tricky trying to pick out colors for a house with a mansard roof, though!
I really want to minimize the impact of the roof on the house.
I have not yet picked a roofer so I can probably choose whatever brand of shingles I want; though most roofers I have spoken so far with sell CertainTeed.
If you have any other ideas on ways we can improve the exterior, please let me know. Now is the time for us to make any changes since so much work needs to be done anyhow.
Your help is truly appreciated!
Jama
PS – I just realized I may be able to give you a better idea of the brick color if I got a Benjamin Moore fan deck and matched the color. If you think this would help, let me know and I will get get fan deck and tell you what color it is closest to.
Hi Jama,
To minimize the impact of the roof on the house, which could potentially cut the house in half visually, I suggest a more medium-toned roof choice like Certainteed’s Heather Blend or Weathered Wood. Either of those will pick out the darker tones in your brick and blend nicely (the Weathered Wood has a slightly green undertone, the Heather Blend is brown) and that effect should double the size of your house and make the mansard roof a little less prominent. See what you think.
Then I love the cream you have currently on the trim. I would not change that. But you might want something like Texas Leather AC-3 (Ben Moore Color Preview) for your shutters. That’s a great sophisticated color that goes well with your color brick as well as the roof choices.
But first settle on the roof choice. Then zero in on the other color details. You might want a taupe for the siding color, something that will contrast with the brick but not simply match the creamy tan. But the siding color will come after deciding on the roof.
I like the painted window trim upstairs but again that might change depending on the roof — the shutter color perhaps? But I like the three dormer windows — much better than just two. So that area looks fine.
First up? The roof. Hope one of those choices works for you!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am planning on putting a new roof on my home in Florida which is a small two bedroom stucco house. The contractor recommended Owens Corning Driftwood or Landmark Weathered Wood. I looked at both and can’t decide. I want the house to take on the appearance of a cottage. I plan to put siding on the house and am leaning towards pale yellow with white windows and shutters. Any suggestions.
Thanks
Mary Ellen
Hi Mary Ellen,
The two roof options your contractor suggested are very popular and they work with most house colors. The driftwood tends to have more green in it — the weathered wood, more gray/brown. Either would go with your yellow house. But one of the prettiest “cottage” looks I’ve seen in ages is a Harbor Blue (or Atlantic Blue depending on the company) roof with natural (stained) shingles and white trim. The look is stunning and I thought I throw that out there if you wanted a fresh idea for your house. The blue roof is absolutely gorgeous in a sunny/summer-like environment. It’s such a nice alternative to the other more earthy tones. But only if you like blue, of course.
If you want to stick to your contractor’s suggestion, I would choose Driftwood. It’s a little bit unexpected and a nice coordinating color with the yellow. The weathered wood is fine but it tends to look better with browns/taupes.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I have a 1950’s split-level house that is Old English brick. The brick is from a plantation that was located in Charleston, S.C. I need to put new shingles on the house and repaint it as well. It has had the same gray/silver shingles on it since it was built. I am scared to change it – but would like to update it and make the colors pop. Right now, it seems a little blah. The trim is a tan (with a faint mauve tint) and the shutters are Charleston Green which is almost black but with a black/green hue.
The brick has a lot of gray tones with taupe and brown and some white. I have considered IKO 30 yr. Cambridge shingles – looking at the weatherwood (brownish gray?) or driftwood (sort of a dark gray). When I started thinking about this, I had thought about a charcoal or black but now I am afraid that is too dark and doesn’t really suit the brick. Help!!! I am emailing a picture since I don’t have a website to use.
Thank you!!!
Beverly
Hi Beverly,
Take a look at Heatherwood, kind of a gray brown (?), and see if that works with your brick. Then you could use an Edgecomb Gray (HC-173 Ben Moore) or Dove Wing 960 for the trim and Tudor Brown for the shutters/front door. That would really change the look of your house. Nothing wrong with gray, of course, but if you’re looking for an update, see how you like the brown family.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I looked at the Heatherwood and think that might look really good. If I am not bold enough to change the entire color /look of the house, what suggestions would you have staying more in the gray scheme. I did a reply to the email you sent so this might be redundant.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Beverly
Hi Beverly,
Although I really do love the Heatherwood, you could also use a dark charcoal like Dual Black or perhaps even Charcoal Gray. The Harvard Slate has too much variation in the shingles — I think it would be too busy with your brick. I would look for a dark charcoal with not much variation since you have a variety of tones in your brick. You don’t want the roof to compete for attention.
Onc color you might consider for an accent is one of my new favorites, Caponata AF 650 (Ben Moore). I love it because it brings out the color in your brick, it is unexpected, and it’s a marvelous rich eggplant. Great for your front door and even shutters if you want to change the Charleston Green. Just a thought.
Good luck. Hope I’ve helped.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We’re trying to select a roof color for our home in Connecticut. It’s a cape painted with a Cabot solid stain called pepperwood. (repainting is just around the corner) We recently added copper gutters. I’m sending a couple of pictures to your email. The house shows a lot of roof, and the right color and texture could add a lot to its appearance.
We’ve been looking at Certainteed shingles, mostly in the Landmark and Independence lines. We had tentatively settled on Independence Driftwood, but got a little spooked by an on-line closeup picture that showed a lot of variation in color between tabs and pretty heavy shading. I’ve seen some new roofs that are just too heavily shaded and look busy. The landmark 30 driftwood looks less shaded, but my concern with the whole driftwood thing is…
The main thing we’re trying to avoid is the monochrome look where the roof and house kind of meld together without any definition, so we are also considering Harbor Grey and Charcoal Black. We’re open to the other lines also, including Hatteras, Centennial and Grand Manor, but aren’t sure if the style fits the house. What do you think?
Thanks, John
Hi John,
Since the siding of your house has no variation in it at all (no brick or stone), it’s perfectly appropriate to introduce some variation in your roof. Have you considered Weathered Wood? Although it is quite popular, there’s a reason for that. It goes with so many house colors and it offers just enough variation to be interesting without becoming busy. Yes, the colorway of the Weathered Wood is browns/grays/tans (and would include your siding color), I don’t think it’s too matchy-matchy to be boring. It would offer some richness to the house that a strictly monochromatic roof would not. Of course, you can go with gray or black, but I like to reserve those neutrals for houses with either a lot of color in the siding already or a lot of variation (busy brick and stone). Your house is the perfect example of how to combine a quiet siding with a little more oomph in the roof — the result is spectacular.
See if that helps. I was looking at Landmark Woodscape Premium.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello,
Great advice on your site. I don’t have a website for my photo. Can I email one to you? I’m hoping you can help us with roof and siding colors for our home. We have a classic 1970’s split level – yes, the white siding/terra cotta brick basic split level you are probably imagining. It has no curb appeal. We are going to change the siding and the roof. The fascia/soffit/window trim will stay as is (white). We will either paint or replace the shutters. Althought I hate the idea of painting brick, I really don’t like our brick and we are probably going to paint it to minimize the two-toned look. I saw a photo in a magazine of a house like ours and they painted their brick and siding all a warm gray color and it really looked great. So that is the image I have in my head. We are using GAF Timberline 30 year architectural shingles and Alside Prodigy. Those are set. We do not like blue and have a lot of chocolate brown, caramel, ivory and olive colors inside our home. We are considering maple or vintage wicker for the siding. Possibly Tuscan Clay. For the roof, my husband really likes Shakewood (with the maple siding) and we are also looking at Weatherwood and Barkwood. What combinations would you recommend and what would you do with the shutters/brick? Our neighborhood has nicely maintained homes with fairly basic color schemes. Ours is one of the only split levels. I’d like to make it look as updated as possible. Thank you. P.S. I’m going to make the payment on PayPal now. If you don’t get, let me know via email.
Hi Michelle,
I know you have a split level and would like to minimize the brick part, but as brick goes, yours is nice. I’ve seen worse, that’s for sure. Usually I recommend painting brick when the brick itself is really ugly –busy, multi-colored, or already whitewashed. But your brick doesn’t bother me. The style of the house is dated, we know that, but I’m not sure that painting the whole house one color will get away from that split-level look. You might consider embracing the design and keeping the brick as is. Just a thought.
Of the siding options, I like the deeper colors like Tuscan Clay with a medium brown roof like Barkwood. Those deeper colors will blend the brick (same value) and make the house look bigger than it does now with the two-toned brick/white combo. There’s just too much contrast.
Your husband’s choice of Shakewood roof with a lighter siding color (maple looks pink on my screen but I like the Vintage Wicker) will also work, but again, you want to avoid contrast as much as possible. The contrast should come from the trim color (white) which you already have. Matching the siding to the brick in terms of the intensity of the earthy colors will unify the palette.
Make sure you get large samples of both roof and siding and prop them both up against the brick. Then stand back at the street and see which combination you like better.
In terms of the shutters, you might continue with the earth palette by painting the shutters something like Fairview Taupe HC-85 (Ben Moore) Tudor Brown.
See how you like the brick when you look at the samples. If you decide to paint the brick, write me back.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
RE: Advice on ROOF, SIDING AND PAINT TRIM COLOUR
I have a red brick craftsman bungalow and need a new roof. I have ivory/cream siding on the side and back of the house. The soffits, fascia window trim are the ivory too. See website.
OUR PLAN
In addition to the new roof we plan to replace the shingles on the front gable with siding and paint the house trim. As you can see from the picture we have one massive roof! It is the house’s most prominent feature.
I don’t mind continuing with the ivory for the gable but would be willing to introduce a new colour and subsequently have all existing siding painted to match if it would improve overall look of the house.
I am also painting the window trim and pillars etc. so other than the red brick I actually have a blank slate. A new door is in the works too at some point so more light will flow into the hall.
MY PREFERENCES
I really like the darker gray architectural shingles that have a slight visual texture and tone.
The whole effect can’t be too busy as it is a small house. I just want a lovely, classic, well put together house!
The web link also has examples of similar homes I like.
Thank you
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Have you considered a Weathered Wood option for your roof color? It’s a medium brown/gray that seems to go well with everything. Then you could paint your gable a Boston Brick 2092-30 (Ben Moore) with Cameo White trim/fascia/soffits and porch with columns. Since your neighbor has white siding and your windows are either brown (upstairs) or cream (downstairs), it does make sense to keep the cream trim.
I might deepen up the siding color on the side and back of the house to more of a medium tone, like Shaker Beige HC-45 or Lenox Tan HC-44. Either of those will lessen the contrast between roof and siding and brick and siding and make the house appear more cohesive (and bigger!).
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We are remodeling a historical house built in 1921. It is brick with shutters. Currently, the roof needs to be replaced, and in general, we think the house looks dreary. What shingle/shutter combination can we choose to make it look better? We would like architectural shingles, but have no idea what to choose.
We might end up adding on as well, and would need to coordinate a hardi-plank siding color as well to coordinate with the shutters.
We want to retain the historical nature of the house, but cheer it up a bit. The house currently has brown shingles and white shutters, but I’m not sure that color is the best choice. I assume the soffits would remain white, but you can let me know if that is not the best choice.
Additionally, we don’t like the stucco looking textured material at the bottom of the house. Could stone be put there instead? Or do you have other ideas?
Photos are in the link I sent, but please keep the link private.
Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
How about GAF Timberline 30 Slate (just an example of a brand name — your roofer will tell you what kind of roof you need for your area) — your house would look good in a slate-like look which might have come with the house originally. Then for the siding, I would stick with a neutral that comes right out of your brick. Take a look at Oat Straw (Ben Moore’s AF-340). It’s a rich camel.
As for the foundation material, it can either be plucked off and replaced with a skim coat of concrete or you can go right over the bottom layer (if it’s stable) with stone. I would not use more brick.
Does that help get you started?
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks Barbara! So, would you recommend the shutters being the Oat Straw color as well? And the trim and soffits, etc. remaining white? Our roofer does recommend 30 year architectural shingles, so I will take a look at the ones you recommend.
Hi Lisa,
Sure the Oat Straw should work for the shutters as well. Or you can pick another brick color. Anything but white (really looks best on Florida pastels).
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
I do really like the GAF Timberline Slate color you recommended. Our roofer can get those, but he works woth Owens Corning and is recommending the Oakridge Pro 30’s. He can also get Tamko Heritage 30 in Virginia Slate, which I like. But, I don’t know if the Owens Corning are as good of quality. Assuming they are, could you take a look at the color choices and let me know what might work. I don’t see one that is just like the GAF Slate color.
Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
How about Oakridge Driftwood? Not exactly a slate alternative but the driftwood might pick up on the browns in your brick — not a historic look but a very pleasant one.
See what you think.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
The Driftwood looks nice, but I really liked that GAF slate. If the OC Duration shingles provide a nicer color than the Oakridge colors, we can use those. Or, the Tamko’s are easy to get – the ones I mentioned. Can you provide your first choice color in Owens Corning and Tamko, regardless of historic aspect (although we prefer that). We want the best look using the shingle brands we have been told they prefer to use.
Please let me know your first choice color with our brick for Tamko, and first choice using Owens Corning (Duration or Oakridge – is the Oakridge color isn’t your favorite of the Owens Corning shingle colors). He can do Duration, it’s just a little more expensive.
We’ll choose based on what you think will look best with the brick. Thanks so much for your help. I am at a loss when it comes to things like this!!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I like the Owens Corning Oakridge Teak for your house. And I like the Tamko Heritage Rustic Slate. What do you think?
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
Here we are in Spring, and now the roof is getting replaced. From your recommendations, I had chosen the Tamko Heritage 30 shingles in Rustic Slate. Now that the job is about to start, our contractor is saying that he can’t get them after all, and is giving us two Certainteed Landmark series options. First of all, does the quality of these even compare to Tamko Heritage 30? Secondly, if you still have access to my pictures, could you recommend colors from this set? We are unhappy about the change, but hoping you can help. He is suggesting that either Heather Blend or Burnt Sienna would be fine, but I’m really not sure those would look best with our brick. If you need a new link to photos of our house, I will be glad to provide them. Thank you in advance!
Lisa
Hi, I am considering a metal roof for my rather traditional house. Can I email you a photo of the house to help with this discussion?
I would like your help on whether a metal roof would look good with the house and, if so, what color.
The house is mostly a darker red/black mix brick, textured.
The gable ends and the area of the house covered by the front and back porches are stained light gray cedar plants, horizontal.
The trim is a Navajo White Benjamin Moore. Shutters are black.
I was considering a rusty red color roof.
The house has regular black shingles on it now, not even architectural shingles.
Thanks, Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Sure, you can insert a photo link here or mail a photo file to my email at bmeglis@yahoo.com.
I look forward to helping you decide on a roof for your house!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
We are in the process of getting a new roof and thought this was be the best time to explore color options. As you can see from the photo (I emailed separately), our current roof is a weathered wood and we were thinking of going with a dark brown architectural shingle. Our shutters are a dark green and our house has a cream and light tan brick and a light tan siding (sometimes it looks kind of peachy to me). Our trim, garage door and front door are white. We want to update our look without standing out. Most of the houses nearby have various shades of brown and grey roofs. Can you give me suggestions for colors for the roof? I’m not opposed to changing the color of the shutters either.
Thanks Cathy
Hi Cathy,
How about Barkwood? Here’s a link:
http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential/Products/Shingles/Timberline/Timberline-Lifetime-Prestique-HD/Timberline-Lifetime-Prestique-High-Definition-Shingles.aspx?zip=60461
The contrast with your brick will be quite dramatic and will really boost the impact factor. Then for shutters, consider either Texas Leather AC-3 (Ben Moore) or something like Caponata AF-650 (an eggplant). If you go with the leather for the shutters, you could still paint the front door the eggplant — maybe a little less of a statement than having all eggplant shutters. But either way, you will add drama to the house without sticking out (in a bad way) in the neighborhood.
If you go with the eggplant, add purple to your landscape color scheme in the spring. You will LOVE the end result.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I wish I had found your website a month ago. I hope you can help. I have to put a new roof on my house asap and as others have done, I am agonizing over the colour of shingles. I will email you a photo of the house. It is a two storey home with dark brown brick on the front, and peachy-beige vinyl siding on the remaining three sides. The trim is a dark brown, except the front door and vinyl windows, which are a cream or what I call a yellow-beige. (the photo is an earlier photo of the house taken when I was purchasing it – the garage door is now dark brown). I have to live with this combination of colours in the brick, siding and windows – they cannot be changed. The brick has rust in it. The existing shingles are a rusty brown and are not too bad with the siding and brick, but I am finding that no manufacturer of shingles currently offers a similar colour or dark brown shingles (at least in our area). I am looking at Certainteed’s burnt sienna or heather blend as options. I have picked up shingle samples and the Burnt Sienna and Heather Blend seem to go well with the colours in the brick. But I am concerned that Burnt Sienna may be too orange and may bring out too much of the rust in the brick (perhaps I shouldn’t be concerned about that?) and that the Heather Blend may be too light. I also looked at GAF Timberline’s shingles but their Hickory, which seems to be popular in the area, gives a checkerboard effect and is, I think, too busy. (they had a natural shadow line with less colour variation but it has either been discontinued or is not available here). Certainteed’s shingles seem to have less variation in colour and hence may be the best bet.
And am I crazy to be considering dimensional shingles for my house? I am looking at 40 year shingles as the thought of never having to go through this again is very appealing! A number of houses in the neighbourhood have dimensional shingles and don’t look great – it may be bad colour choices or the shingles are too busy (GAF’s Hickory seems to be popular). I also checked the traditional 3 tab shingles though but they seem to pose similar problems in terms of the colours.
Can you advise on colours for the roof and type of shingle? Thank you.
Hi Cindy,
Have you seen Owens Corning (Duration) Brownwood and Teak? They do have a 40-year shingle that doesn’t have quite as much definition (the busy effect) as what you’ve been looking at. Plus the browns are darker.
I’ll keep looking for your photo to double check if those colors will work for you. Send to my email at bmeglis@yahoo.com for the quickest site. My professional site gets bogged down with large files quickly.
More soon.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara!
I am looking to replace the roof on my home. I sent you two photos for your review.
The house is a very light beige with dark green shutters.
The product we are looking at is Tamko Heritage 30/50 Laminated Asphalt Shingles.
Do we go with a Weathered Wood, Aged Wood, Rustic Cedar or Rustic Slate look? Would an Olde English Pewter look be too light and contain too much white and grey for this color siding?
Many thanks!
Tom
Hi Tom,
The colors I like best for your house are the Rustic Slate and Rustic Black. Either of those will work with your brick steps and your shutters and give you the most contrast against the light beige siding. Some of the other colors seem a bit too light for your light-colored house. I do think the Olde English pewter look is too light for your house and a little too cool gray to go with the creamy siding.
Hope that helps, Tom.
Thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi I am in so need of help.. Love your site and need some expert advise… We are remolding our 1963 home. We are putting a new tin roof on and I have no idea what color to match our outdated yellow tone brick. (I took pictures but do not know where to post them.) We are replacing the gutters and trim.. I would like to also put up some shutters and do not know what color to paint them. I also have a few areas of siding and the garage that will be painted.. Have no idea what color to paint them. Do I match the trim or the roof? I would like you to see the pictures of my home (so you can see the color of the brick) so please email and let me know what to do.. I placed the $20.00 donation through paypal. Thanks so much.. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Wenona
Hi Wenona,
Got your photos via email! Thank you.
I suggest painting the siding a Ben Moore Nugget AC-9 to go with the brick. That will make your house look much bigger as right now the brick kind of cuts the house in half visually. Then for whatever trim you need painted, go with China White too coordinate with your window color and frame out the house nicely. For a metal roof, I suggest Burnished Slate, a brown with a slight green undertone — very nice with your brick!
Here’s a link:
http://www.colormetalroofs.com/
Click on Burnished Slate for a photo.
The gutters can be either the roof color or white. Either will work. Right now your white gutters look good and with the white fascia underneath, I would lean toward white.
Hope that helps. Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Saw your website. I am fixing up a foreclosure and replacing the roof, but I am terrible with colors. I plan to repaint the siding so I want the roof, siding and trim color to all go togehter. I am thinking about a tan color for the siding. I am emailing a picture of house with a siding color similar to what I am planning on. Something in the tan color with white trim. But I am flexible. I saw one house whos siding and roof color I thought looked O.K. and have attached it. NOt sure what the roof shingle color is. Can you tell?
On my roof I temporarily laid some shingles to try and see different colors. I want to try and roof tommorrow, so I want to go with a stock color. Both HD and my local roofing supplier carry the GAF Timberline HD shingles. I am thinking about going with the 30 year architectural shingles. Currently it looks to me like the home has 20 year 3 tab Desert Tan shingles. The Home Depot stocks the following:
1) Charcoal
2) Hickory
3) Weathered Wood
4) Shakewood
The also carry some 3 tab shingles in the GAF 25 year Sovereign Shingle such as Cypress Tan and Goplden Cedar..
I would prefer to just go with HD, but the roofing supply company I thnk stocks all the GAF Timberline HD colors.
I am hoping you can pick both a Roofing Shingle Color, Siding Color and Trim Color that would make the home look its best. I eventually plan to sell the home, so I want something neutral and pleasing to all.
Thanks in advance,
Robert
Hi Amanda,
A black roof can look a little severe against the white fascia and trim — loads of contrast. But it does look sharp. The Iron Sand will give you a softer, blended, more coordinated color scheme as it will pull in the grey from the siding. But there should still be adequate contrast against the trim. I vote for the Iron Sand.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
3736 Saint Marks
(have sent photo to your email)
red-orange brick, white trim, black shutters
need to pick shingles from CertainTeed XT25
don’t want it to be too textured (multi shades)
considering dove grey
or slate gray (may be too textured)
or moire black (may be too black)
Installer thinks slate grey is closest to what i have
Don’t want it to be stand out too much – too black?
oh – you can see picks at zillow.com (“make me an offer”)
really think I should put on new roof before MLS listing
Thanks
Hi Swish5,
Charcoal is ideal for your brick house although I don’t see that as an option for the XT25. I’m not sure you’d like the slate gray as it is quite multi-colored and may be too busy with your brick. I don’t see dove grey but Moire Black is a very nice rich dark charcoal. It certainly would go beautifully with your house (as long as it’s not too hot for your location). If the Moire turns out to be too energy inefficient, then go with a slightly lighter charcoal with little variegation.
I don’t think your house will stand out too much if the roof is too black since you have black shutters already. But I agree that a busy roof (lots of colors and textures) should be avoided.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Need help picking out roof color and type of shingle. My husband prefers a very traditional look. My husband and I were both thinking somewhere along the lines of a deep grey, not sure which ones slate, charcoal, estate, and whatever all those other grey choices are, until the roofer told us…grey roofs should not go on a brown house, then also told us don’t put on a black roof it’s too hot. Now we both are confused, but then I remembered…my color consultant (*poof* angel appears to save the day)
Choice of shingles Owens Corning, GAF, or CertainTeed, open to styles and colors. Please advise what you would think would look great, and traditional. And also how much color variation or shingle type we should go with.
Thanks,
Tess
Hi Tess,
I like your black shutters — and your house has lots of brick colors, not just brown. So I like the idea of going as charcoal as you can get and still be able to cool your house down. In New England, we would definitely put an Onyx Black/Charcoal roof on your house. Stunning traditional styling with the crisp white trim! But I know how hot your area can get so black is probably not that practical. If that’s the case, then you can back off to a gray like Georgetown Gray (Certainteed) or Estate Gray (Owens). I really like Tamko’s Rustic Black but again, it’s dark for your southern climate.
Even though you do have a lot of brown in your brick and less gray, the darker grays go with everything so you don’t have to worry about that. Black shutters are fine — very traditional — but you can soften them slightly to a dark charcoal if you’d like. Matching the roof is very traditional.
As long as you keep your white trim, the roof change whether it’s charcoal or another lighter gray, will only make your house look more classic. The current brown roof is a little too contemporary for your house.
Bottom line: goes as dark as you can! And minimize the variegation to a) not conflict with the brick; and b) preserve that aged traditional look.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I just bought a ranch, that I a sprucing up to rent. It has a new tan roof (see link below) that I have to work with. I need your opinion on the exterior color of the house (body, trim, shutters, door, deck). FYI, the house in located on the Connecticut shoreline and the neighborhood has a very Cape Cod/Nantucket feel to it. Thanks in advance for your advice.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-Detail/1055-Boston-Post-Rd_Madison_CT_06443_M47654-24965?source=web
Hi Joe,
How about Revere Pewter (Ben Moore’s HC-172) for the siding color — certainly a bit of a nod to Nantucket. Then tie the roof in with Jackson Tan HC-46 shutters — we’re blending with the roof because the shutters are asymmetrical (actually they’re not even needed but they’re okay to keep). Then to add color, bring in Philipsburg Blue HC-159 or Van Deusen Blue HC-156 for the front door. Keep the white trim throughout.
The idea here is to neutralize the house style since it’s a ranch and not a cape, highlight the white trim (very Nantucket), and focus most all the attention on the front door. Make sure it’s nice and semi-gloss shiny! You might also want to remove the shrubs from beside the front steps and replace with a variety of shrubs and perennials — low maintenance of course since you’ll be renting.
See what you think…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara- I hope you can help me! We have a tan ranch in CT (sent you a picture) and we must replace the roof. We prefer black/gray roofs to brown ones, though we do like our tan house with black shutters. However, we are open to re-painting since we are due anyway. The houses on either side are blue, so that is out. There is a grey house and a yellow house across the street.
When you approach our home you look down on it from the street, making the roof appear prominent. We plan to enhance the front porch with larger columns/arches and some architectural details to draw the eye down. The window to the right will become a french door. All windows will be re-trimmed to brighten them up. We will also be re-landscaping (the winter crushed us!).
There is a 6 ft cedar fence on either side (not in picture) with an arbor/gate to the left and a large gate with a curved top to the right. We were thinking about a wood door to compliment the fence, but are not sure about how many colors to bring in.
Our house appears long and flat. We would like to give it more of a cottagy/classic look.
Any help will be appreciated! We have spent weeks on this decision and must come to a conclusion shortly. Thank you. Pam
Hi Pam,
If you like gray, there’s GAF Timberline’s Oyster Gray — a nice soft color much like what you have now. I wouldn’t go with black since the roof is so prominent and the house is so horizontal. I think the black might cut the house in half visually. But here’s another idea:
How about something like Weathered Wood or Driftwood for the roof color and then either Coastal Fog AC-1 (Ben Moore) or Nantucket Gray HC-111 (a gray-green) for the body color? By keeping the house/roof in the earth-tone natural color palette, the house will blend better with the yard. Then with white trim, the house will not only look bigger but will give you that cottagey feel. The shutters could move toward a striking Boston Brick (2092-30) or a more subdued (traditional) Tudor Brown or Jackson Tan. I know you said you weren’t crazy about brown but have a look at the palette and see if you’re ready for a switch from gray.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We are putting a new roof on our house and are debating about color. The architectural style is mixed. The house is a Craftsman-style bungalow with large overhangs and dormers, but not a true Craftsman, especially inside, where it’s got more of a Victorian/farmhouse feel. It is painted all white, trim and body (no shutters), as it the huge adjacent barn. The barn has a silver-coated corrugated metal roof, which will not change. The house has the same corrugated metal on the dormers and dark grey shingle on the rest of the roof (it was a farm). The house has a lovely natural stone foundation and chimney, with a variety of beige, brown, sand, and grey tones.
In an effort to avoid ice dams, we are thinking of putting a standing-seam metal roof on the whole thing, which means that whatever we pick will be with us for 70 years. Originally we had been thinking of a medium to light grey (maybe a dull pewter tone), but recently I saw a nice weathered bronze (“antique bronze” by Fabral) that I’m thinking might pick up the earthy tones in the stone and give the whole thing a slightly warmer and less stark look. Whatever it is has to go with the barn and perhaps accommodate a paint color change down the line (there are some nice trim details that get lost in the white on white, though it is immensely practical and fits with the barn).
We would appreciate your thoughts. I will send you some photos either through the site or via email.
Many thanks.
Hi Charlotte,
Although the Charcoal Gray will also work, you have a lot of gray on that barn roof (silver actually). So my vote is for the Antique Bronze on the house. It’s much warmer than the Charcoal and it will bring out the vaious tones in your stonework. I’m not a huge fan of metal roof styles because of their “barn-like” look, but I realize their practicality and they’re growing on me. We just put one on our cottage as a matter of fact. The Antique Bronze color is very appealing! And it will allow you to paint the house something other than white whenever you want to do that. No problem!
You’re all set!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
I was wondering if you can please help me. My husband and I are buying a house that badly needs some curb appeal. The roof of the house is light charcoal grey color and the walls of the house are a mixture of a dull grey (with white trim around the windows and doors) with light brown brick color.
If we had to paint the house what would you suggest we do to spruce up the look of the house? I was thinking of painting over the light grey walls of the house with a darker grey and in some black shutters, but I feel like I could do more to make the house pop.
Here is a photo of the house:
Truly appreciate your thoughts and tips – and thanks for all you do on this site!
Hi Bahati,
I know you have a light gray roof but the brick is clearly brown and I would focus on that color to round out your palette. Take a look at Ben Moore’s Decatur Buff HC-38 for the siding color with your current white trim and something like Texas Leather AC-3 for the garage door. Then you could either use the same color for the front door or a pop of brick red like Georgian Brick HC-50. Don’t worry about the roof. It’s very neutral. Focus the eye downward on the entry area. You’ll see a huge improvement in the overall curb appeal. If you want to tie in the gray in the roof, replace all lighting with satin nickel. That “gray” will tie the whole look together!!
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi
I need help selecting a roof asap. My house is brown and all trim is brown. I would like a little contrast in the roof. Do you think GAF weathered wood will work? Any other thoughts?
Tks
Hi Tammy,
Try Mission Brown (GAF) instead of Weathered Wood. The Weathered roof has kind of a green undertone — okay with your house but I think the softer Mission color is better. It won’t contrast a lot but rather it should make the house look bigger.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks! I will get sample boards. Are there any other colors I should check out? I assume the Certainteed Weathered Wood also has a green undertone?
Hi Tammy,
You can grab a sample of the Barkwood and Hickory too, but I think the Mission Brown will work the best. Never really know, though, until you hoist the samples up on the roof and stand back at the curb. You’ll know instantly…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I would appreciate your help picking out a new roof for our red brick and white shingled house. The roof is currently black, the trim and shingled areas are white, and the shutters and front door are dark forest green (they read black). We live in CT, so the roof will get quite a beating in the winter. I was hoping to go with a lighter color roof, since I heard the lighter colors will last longer, but we want to do what is best for overall appearance of the house. This will be a need to be a completely new roof, so we want to make sure we get it right. Also, if you don’t mind letting me know your thoughts on the wood on the back deck. The railing is white wood in a chippendale pattern, but the floor of the deck is painted a light gray. I love the white railing, but would like to remove the paint from the deck floor and go with a stained wood instead. I am thinking of going with a darker colored stain, but I am very unsure. I have emailed photos to you separately.
Many thanks,
Audra
Hi Audra,
Have you seen GAF Slate? It’s a lighter alternative to charcoal and dark brown (also options for your house) and because your brick is multicolored, the slate might just work. Check it out. Otherwise, Barkwood or Charcoal will be my other suggestions.
And yes, a darker stain on the deck will look terrific. Don’t forget to do the stair treads as well!!
Thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We purchased a house last year that needs a new roof and I am stuck on colour choices. The house is a beautiful timberframe that looks like it should be in the mountains, but we’re actually in the city. I’d like to keep the “lodge” feel but also give the house a bit more of an updated look. The siding on the house is a very dark brown board and batten (with grey undertones). The windows, doors, trim and roof are currently green. We are stuck with the green windows (they are vinyl and cannot be painted) but I don’t like the green roof or garage door. Too much green for me!
I’m looking at Landmark Premium Max Def Driftwood for the roof. Also looked at Weathered Wood but it seemed to have too many sandy beige tones in it. Will the Driftwood work with our green trim? Also, can we get away with a natural wood garage door or should we stick with the green?
I have emailed photos to you separately.
Thanks for your help.
Lori
Hi Lori,
I do like the Driftwood roof. But I have a couple of other suggestions. Since your window trim does not actually match the windows, I would take advantage of that opportunity to paint the window trim (not all the trim) something more neutral — from your stonework. Look at either Pismo Dunes AC-32 or Valley Forge Tan AC-35 as potential trim colors. You can either paint the garage door that color too or go with a natural wood (a very nice choice!). If you go with natural wood for the garage door, I would match the wood for the front door and paint your window trim a warmer “wood” color to coordinate with the new wood doors.
A couple of ideas there…
The green windows are fine but will look even better with different colored window trim. See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I have a dilemma. I own 1/2 of a twin home. About six months ago, my neighbor rushed out and replaced her roof with a color much lighter than the original, with no input from me. My HOA is now forcing me to match the new, lighter color. Is there anything I can do to make it work? I was thinking maybe changing the shutter and door colors? Also, do you have any suggestions as far as roof colors for me to choose from that would blend well with the new roof? I would rather not go as light, if I can get away with it. Thanks!
Photo link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Am8Z_kcjF7NEsWJgPge7YSi9Xa_smaQs5CtS-GjFEfw?feat=directlink
Hi Lori,
How about Certainteed’s Heather Blend? It’s darker but it has the same yellow undertones as the new roof next door. Or you can put on the same roof. But I would definitely change out the door/shutters. Take a look at Ben Moore’s Caponata AF-650 for something a little different or Gloucester Sage HC-100. The blue is not my favorite for that brick so I think your unit will look spectacular with a different shutter/door color. Even if you have to go with the same roof.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you so much! I have been agonizing over this for weeks 🙂
I will get some samples and give those a try.
I have a follow up question: do you think the Certainteed Landmark would be too busy? I like the look of architectural shingles, but I’m afraid it may be too much going on. I’m leaning towards Resawn Shake.
Hi Lori,
Make sure you get a big sample of the architectural shingles. Your brick doesn’t seem too busy. But check it out first! What color did your neighbor use? It looks a little like Resawn Shake. ??
She used Owen Corning Desert Tan. It’s similar in color but more monochromatic.
I’m so glad I found your site! I need help with some decisions on the exterior of our house. I found your advice to others really great and I hope you can help me as well.
First: Thanks to hail damage, I have to choose new roof and I’m having a really hard time deciding on the color. The house is a 1938 Cape Cod- style two-story house with a 1968 addition. It’s a white paneled house with a stone facade on the front side and stone chimney. The house sits on a diamond-shaped lot on a corner, with three sides of the house visible from the street. The current roof is a reddish-brown, monotone, and I liked it when we first bought the house. My first choice was to just replace what is there, but roofer says they don’t make anything identical anymore. The red-red shingles the roofer showed me look too bright for me, so I’m currently leaning towards GAF Hickory, to retain the reddish hue. But I’m wondering if the black constrast in the Hickory will look too busy with the stone front of the house? I think the added dimension could look good on other faces of the house, but not sure about the front. What do you think? I saw that you usually recommend black or grey for white houses, but the warm-toned stones on the front of our house seem to suggest a roof in the brown or red or sand family to me. But maybe I’m wrong about this? Pictures sent by email. (We’ve removed all the brown-red shutters because several were in bad shape when we bought the house, so exterior is plainer than it appears in this photo. We also took out the formal evergreens from the front, and plan to replace w/ more informal/soft landscape).
Second: The house has a formal front door that no one ever uses. Eventually, I’d like to redo the driveway and front entry path to direct people to the front door instead of the sidedoor, which you access from the driveway (see photos). I’ve thought about painting front door a vibrant, deep red while leaving side door white to help draw people to the front door. But really I think the pathway will need to change before people will use the front door. I’ve attached photos. Any thoughts on the front door or other solution to the sidedoor issue?
Thanks in advance for your advice. I look forward to your response!
Hello!
My home is a long 50 yeat old ranch style bungalow. The roof line is a very prominent feature.
The brick colour is “blond” (a light yellow colour).
The aluminum around the wimdows and evestrough is dark brown.
I am replacing the roof and would like to know what colour shingles would work best with my current colour scheme?? Grey..cedar…terrocata..brown
Thank you
Debra
Hi Debra,
Got your email. I’ll respond over there…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
So happy to find your blog!!! We’re building a house and I need help asap with the exterior colors and roofing. We need to decide our choices in a day or two!:) We’ve decided to go with Hardie Board’s Monterey Taupe as the main body colour and Timberbark Hardie Board shakes as an accent in the “peaks” of the house (they suggested these two colors on the Hardie website). We liked Arctic white as the trim color. We have no shutters on the house. First:
1. Do all three colors go well together?
2. What color of roof would go well with this combination? We’ve decided on Certainteed Landmark Plus and are not sure what one to pick…Cobblestone Gray, Weathered Wood…etc.
3. We’re purchasing Silvermine stone for the bottom exterior. What stonework on the bottom part of the house would go well with this mix? Gray or a mix of gray with some browns? They have a list of all the choices you can pick.
Your help would be much appreciated! Thank you!!!
Hi Janice,
Yes all three colors go great together! As for a roof, I like Weathered Wood although it’s light. The tones are very nice with your siding colors.
As for the stone, I liked “Terra” as it seemed to pick up the taupe tones in the siding and offer some additional contrast with both the black and the golder stones. Not sure I was looking at all the options so to answer your question, a mix of grays and browns will best incorporate the gray/taupe tones of the siding. I would not go all gray with the stone — it’s nice to have a mixture that includes the house color.
If you feel the house is well-coordinated, then perfect. If you feel that the elements match each other too well, then write me back. You can always introduce more contrast and complementary colors into the palette but personally, I like the colors to all go well with each other and then introduce complementary accents — front door, garden furniture, landscape plantings, and other things you can change and switch in and out. The roof… needs to be perfect.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks, Barbara! We ordered the Weathered Wood roof today. Having your advice was just what we needed. Thanks again!
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for the suggestions. However,the color of the storm windows is brown and not bronze. I regret the error.
Thanks ,
Gerri
Hi Gerri,
The brown should be just fine!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We are trying to decide on a roof for our house as the cedar shingles are badly needing replaced. We have considered using cedar shingles again, but a thicker shingle that would hopefully last longer than the current ones which have lasted only 20 years in our wet climate in the Pacific North West . Thicker cedar shingles are quite costly so we are also looking at high quality laminate shingles such as Certainteed Landmark TL but are having trouble deciding on the color.
Our house has quite a red brick(redder than I would like) along the entire front of the house as well as the archway in front of the front door. Some of the brick is less visible due to the various plants at the front of the house. Our house is a tudor style home and so is fairly busy with all of the trim. Our house stucco color is Benjamin Moore HC95 Sag Harbour Gray and our trim color is HC100 Gloucester Sage. Our front door is Benjamine Moore Raphael but we added black to the color to make it darker but is still has dark red tones especially in the sun.
We have looked at Certainteed Landmark TL in the Old Overton color but wondered if it would be adding another color into the three colors on the house already. We looked at Moire Black but wondered if it might be too harsh. We also looked at Black Walnut and Shanendoah but thought that they might be too red as we would rather downplay the red. We would like a roof color with flexibility as we may change paint color in the future although we don’t plan to make a change just now.
I am emailing a photo of our house separately.
Please let us know what colors you think would be suitable on a house like ours. We would also be interested in knowing which of the Certainteed Landmark TL products you think might work well, or work the best.
Thanks,
Fiona & Robin
Hi Fiona and Robin,
How about Cumberland?? I like that one as it is dark enough to provide some contrast with your trim color (and stucco) and it has a touch of warmth to it without being overpowering. I agree that the Shenandoah is too red (if you want to downplay the brick). And the Moire Black is a bit severe. Weathered Wood is quite light and is probably more of a “match” to your house but I think you need some contrast to highlight the interesting roof angles and architecture. The Old Overton would be my second choice. It’s a bit lighter and quite like the look of your current roof. I think either will work but get big samples before making the final decision.
Hope that helps!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I need your help in picking a color for my new metal roof. I am about to put on a new 26 gauge metal roof – previously had a white shingle roof. Over the years, the white shingles have turned grey with mildew and stains. The brick on my house is mainly dark red with various of darker colors, a darker red, almost brown and at times, what appears to be a charcoal. The mortar between the bricks is pronounced and of a beige/dark cream/ivory color.
I had almost settled on the country red roof color (not bright patriot red, nor burgundy) for fear that a white roof would just be too much of a stark contrast. However, the secretary of the roofing company says NOT to put on a red roof on a red house as it looks awful. I am now thinking that one of the white colors would look find – if it didn’t look out of place with the green trees which stand all around the house.
I have no shade around my home or yard. My house is in the sun from sun up until sun down. I do not want black or charcoal, not even dark brown. I am very interested in putting on a roof color that will reflect the sun’s heat and not absorb it into the attic, but I do not want my roof to be stark or an eyesore to the neighborhood. I have installed a SEER 15 heat pump and A/C unit and then blew R40 insulation into the attic and I do not wish to undo the measures I am taking to keep the house cool by putting on a heat absorbing color. I have just this year hung sun shades of a beige color over the windows that face the west in an attempt to control the heat gain inside the house through the single pane windows (new windows will be a project for another year).
The window trim is painted in an off white, the gutters, the soffits and fascia are painted the same off white and the door is also an off white.
I will send photos to your email address including a color chart for this metal roof application. One photo shows the house in the snow – showing the white as it might appear on a roof (not so bright white though) but remember the ground and all the trees are generally all bright green. One photo also shows the house when I bought it 2 years ago – showing the white roof, turned grey – showing what a grey roof would look like, but I don’t think that is the right color for this roof.
Thank you for your help.
Clayetta Montee
We are replacing our siding, roofing and gutters on our 1983 colonial home. I can e-mail pictures of our house. We have brick on the front with a small area of siding near the roof line in the middle. The sides and back of the house are all siding. There is a fireplace on the back side of the house. (I am able to send photos via e-mail.)
I like the classic colonial look and want to know if the following choices will give us the look we want and coordinate with the house.
Almond by Mastic (Quest) as the siding?
Any suggestions for the style of siding? Double Dutch 4 1/2 inch lap, double 5 or double 4? Or any other suggestion you may have. (We definitely do not like the contemporary Charleston Beaded style. Keep in mind that there is that small patch of siding that appears on the front of the house.
Charcoal by Timberline (30 year) or Moire Black (Landmark by Certainteed) for the roofing? We live in the DC area so it does get hot in the summer. Our contractor said that the color doesn’t matter that the amount of heat felt in the house due to color is negligable unless we go with a really light color close to off white. (Is this true?)
And, keeping the trim and gutters white and shutters black.
Hi C.A.
Thanks for emailing the photos. I do like Almond for your siding color –I think Desert Sand will also work if you want a slightly richer tone. As for the style, the big thing with siding is to avoid seams (obviously, the seams kill the illusion that you have wood siding). In the front, the seams will not be an issue but along the sides and back, they will. I do like the 5″ lap (4″ is okay) but I’m not crazy about the Dutch lap at all. Kind of shouts vinyl to me since wood does not bend like that. So either 5″ or 4″ double long or super long if you can manage it. Just to minimize seam lines.
As for the roof, you’ve chosen my two “go-to” roof colors from the two roof different roof lines. I like both the Charcoal and the Moire Black. Neither is so dark that heat will be a problem. I’m not a roofing expert, but from what I understand, if the roof is installed correctly, the color should not matter. (Unless you live in Florida, in which case white is your best bet.) I would NOT put a white roof on ANY house like yours in the DC area. You need traditional and Charcoal/Moire Black is the way to go. Either color will work perfectly so you can choose the roof company/pricing/warranty, etc.
Trim and gutters white. Shutters black. Check!!
You’re set to go!
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am choosing colors for new vinyl siding for 4 dormers and front/back peak of a small bungalow style home and a detached garage and a shutte for the front window. The base of the house is stucco with an open front porch. Plan to have white trim and new gutters so it will look nice and fresh.
Do you recommend painting the stucco the same color as the siding?
The roof is a pebbled multi color medium brown with some black and light speckles.
Colors I was considering: savannah wicker, desert tan, silver ash or hertigage cream. 6.5 beaded style
Thought to stay with neutral
Thanks for any recommendations,
Nancy.
Hi Nancy,
Yes, if your bungalow is small, I would paint the stucco to match the siding or at least be a shade of the siding color. That will make your house look bigger and less chopped up. Larger houses can have multi-colored palettes, but it’s harder to pull off with a small house.
I would go as medium as you can with the siding color. Savannah Wicker is fine. But so are Buckskin and Natural Clay. The white trim will stand out even more with the medium tone on the house and you’ll love the effect!
Hope that helps.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your recommendations. I don’t have a swatch for Buckskin siding but will check it out.
Given the recommended palette…what color of door and shutter?
I was thinking black but also like some tones of red.
Hi Nancy,
Yes black would be good for shutters since there’s some black in your roof. (If the roof is mostly brown, you might consider Ben Moore’s Tudor Brown for the shutters.) Then Cottage Red or Dinner Party (both Ben Moore) might work great for your front door.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Color Coach,
I am in the process of adding 2 gables & new stone steps to my front entry. My home is a ranch style. Currently the roof has 2 feaux dormers attached. I will be replacing my current roof & removing the 2 dormers & adding a large gable in the center of the roof & a small gable over the front door.
My existing roof is black or dark gray. The brick color is predominantly brown with some cream interspersed throughout.
I am currently looking at the IKO Cambridge Architectural shingle as a replacement roof. I am torn between 2 colors: Dual Brown & Heatherwood.
My hesitation with Dual Brown is because I have so much movement in my brick color & do not want to make it worse by having a lot of movement in my roof color.
I am leaning toward the Heatherwood but concerned it may be too dark & overpower the house totally. Please help.
I am planning to keep the trim color a lighter taupe/pebbleclay color as seen in the photo.
My new door will be wood & glass ( wood color Walnut).
I wil try to send photos through this email. Having some difficulty will also send to your email.
Thanks,
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
I think the Dual Brown may be too orange but I do like the Heatherwood. It seems to bring out the red tones in your brick. And it contrasts nicely with the siding color. When it comes to architectural shingles and how busy they are, it seems that the darker colors have less “variegation” so I don’t think that will be a problem.
Another favorite is Driftwood, but it’s not as warm a color as the Heatherwood. I would get samples of each.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I will also be adding stone to the entryway. I am currently pondering a engineered stone by Horizon Stone. What is your opinion on the stone color to coordinate with the current brick & new roof color (Heatherwood)? I am thinking about Pinehurst blend in the ledgewood style. I would appreciate your input on this as well.
Thanks for your reply on the roof color.
What is your opinion on Weatherwood???
Hi Melissa,
Nice colors… medium tone… goes with everything. Very popular.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Color Coach,
We have purchased this side split home and it needs a new roof and exterior updating. The red brick will stay. I need some input as to roof color, siding color and trim/garage door/front door color to complete the whole look. Eventually, we will replace the windows (white). I was considering a black metal roof or do you think shingles would be better? Should I paint the front door for some punch? Add shutters above the garage? Not sure how to add a photo so I will send it to your email address.
Thanks,
Deidre
Hi Deidre,
I like the idea of a black roof on your brick home but whether it’s metal or shingle really depends on a) price and how much you’re willing to spend; and b) the neighborhood — are there other metal-roof houses in your area? My choice would be shingle for your house style and vintage. Look at IKO’s Dual Black for one option. As for siding color, you might go with a shade that coordinates with your brick. How about Ben Moore’s Wheeling Neutral HC-92. Then you could use a gray-green for the garage door/front door — something like Gettysburg Gray HC-107, which would tie in well with your foundation plantings and contrast with the brick.
White is fine for your trim/windows regardless. Can’t go wrong with white although there are lots of other color options out there if you plan to replace ALL the windows at the same time. In terms of shutters, your windows do not requre them, but black would coordinate well with the roof and dress up the house a bit more.
See what you think of that palette.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We’re replacing the roof on our Stucco/Stone home and hope to use the opportunity to obtain a bit more curb appeal. The safe bet is sticking close that we we already have which our our contractor would be Timberline Weathered Wood HD. We’re wondering how Timberline HD Charcoal would look (maybe we could paint the front door black?).
Photos:
Timberline HD Roof Color Choices:
http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential/Products/Shingles/Timberline/Timberline-High-Definition/Timberline-High-Definition-Shingles.aspx
Thank You!
Wayde
Hi Wayde,
You cannot go wrong with Charcoal — it’s the traditional choice, of course, but the contrast with the house color/stonework will add drama and that’s what you’re looking for. (Your house already has curb appeal but all the colors blend. Not a lot of contrast.)
As long as you have other black accents (your mailbox) and add new ones (replace the gold urns with black on the front step), then you can paint the door black or not. Picking a warm color from your stonework would still work even with the charcoal roof. But black doors are traditional too. So either way.
If you decide not to go with Charcoal, just avoid anything too yellow. Look at Barkwood over Weathered Wood as your house is taupe. Although there is a little yellow in the stonework, I would avoid any yellow undertones on the large expanse of roof.
Hope that helps!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
What color roof do you think we should pick for our house? We need to replace our roof. We are looking at Owens Corning Duration Premium ashalt roof shingles. We narrowed it down to Brownwood, Teak, Driftwood, or Onyx Black (charcoal). Our house has cedar shakes (brown/cedar color) with a forest green color aound the roof line trim. The downspouts are painted brown. We would appreciate your help. If you need us to send you a picture of our house please e-mail me, and I will send it to you.Thanks.
Peter,
I would love to see a photo. You can send it to my email at bmeglis@yahoo.com. When it comes to picking roof colors, pictures are worth a thousand words…
Thanks.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color coach
Hi Peter,
I like the Teak best — has great colors in it. (The Brownwood was a little too much brown, the Driftwood — too gray, and the Onyx — too black). As for the front door, I really love the color the way it is with that wonderful stain. It really lightens up the house and actually may tie in nicely to the Teak roof! I would opt for restaining as is unless the upkeep is just too difficult (or the door is in the sun). Let me know if you REALLY want to paint the door, and I will get you a paint color.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I posted my question late yesterday but do not see it so I will post again.
I have emailed you a photo of our house( in winter time because it was the only one I could find in a hurry). The roof which is not visible is gray. The man who is going to replace our roof said the old color is slate. He then showed me a Slate in Timberline. That sample had a greenish tint, but I never saw green when I looked at our roof. I just don’t think it’s the same color.
Our brick is a fairly light coral pink and the mortar is gray. There are some patches of brown and gray in the brick itself.
The shutters we have now are painted a sort of slate blue.
My husband wants to use the Timberline architectural shingle, but I do not care for a chunky look in a shingle. I am completely undecided on the Slate Timberline because I do not want a greenish roof.
Can you suggest another color that would go with our brick and our cream color trim ( I believe the trim is Casa Blanca by Sherwin Williams but am not sure). We are not going to change the trim because my husband recently repainted. I am very willing to change the shutter color and the roof color.
Do you think that something like Driftwood in Owens Corning would work, and if so what color shutter might look good with it?
Or do you think gray looks better with our brick? If we go with gray I think we would continue with the slate blue shutters.
i do not have an eye for color so I would appreciate your suggestions.
Grace
(I changed my email below to match the one on the Paypal account that I used to donate.)
Hi Grace,
Have you seen Timberline’s Pewter Gray? It has a blue undertone that would look very nice with your current palette. I do like the grays with your brick/mortar. But if you would like a change, then the Driftwood will work great. You can change your shutters to something like Ben Moore’s Texas Leather AC-3 that will pick up both roof and brick colors. Stay away from the “Slate” colors as they do look green. Very nice, but green.
You might paint your door Roycroft Copper Red for a warm alternative to the blue.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I do like the Pewter Gray, but have been told that in our area it is not available in Timberline Natural Shadow. I am reluctant to go with the Timberline HD because I am not sure I like the variegation. Do you know of another brand of shingle that might have a similar color, but without the dimensional effect of the HD?
Also, I know I said I don’t like a greenish roof, but that preference doesn’t necessarily extend to shutters. If we went with the driftwood, is there some shade of green that might go with it and with our brick? I personally like the colors you suggested, but my husband seemed a bit cool to the copper red door.
The small one-story home we just purchased (a foreclosure!) was built in the late 70s when slanted wood was being used on the exterior. Would adding shutters in order to add color and visual interest work on this?
We need to leave the house cream, with the same white door, but need your advice about trim color, roof color, and landscaping color. I am emailing you a photo.
We need to tell the roofer what color tomorrow. I think it depends on what color the trim and flowers will be. Help!
–Jonathan
Hi Jonathan,
How about Certainteed’s Heather Blend for the roof? Then you could add an accent trim color around the windows (look at either Georgian Brick -Ben Moore HC-50 or the more subtle Alexandria Beige HC-77) and long shutters in Davenport Tan HC-76, a medium cool brown that will complement the roof/siding without chopping up the facade too much. Paint the corner posts the same as the house color to make the house look a little bigger.
As for the front door, you can go with the Alexandria Beige to accent the door but avoid too much contrast with the white storm door.
Then pull the brick into the landscape with a big orange pot of white annuals/greens or just greens. Another accent color for a pot is a rich teal color. That will contrast nicely with the brick/roof shades and add a real punch of color to the front.
Keep the landscape simple but think about adding a couple of tall shrubs in front of the slanted siding to camouflage just a bit. The rest will come together nicely.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
We are going to get the timberline slate roof that my husband wanted. I sent you a photo last week of our brick which is a coral/pink color. Our trim is a cream/ivory color. Do you have any suggestions about shutter and door color?
Thanks,
Grace
P.S. I hope your 50s party went great.
Hi Grace,
So sorry for the delay. Yes, the 50s party went great. Some of the company is still here — the rest have returned to Canada.
Anyway… take a look at Kendall Charcoal HC-166 as a possible shutter color. It’s a gray-green but should look really good with your Slate roof and cream trim. As for the front door, since you don’t have a lot of cream trim around the door, how about Richmond Bisque (a darker version of the trim)? That way, the door will stand out from the surrounding brick/roof colors.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello, I’m struggling with what color to paint my siding with the new roof I just had installed. I’d like to send you a pic, but I don’t see how to do that on this web site. The roof is called pewter gray from Timberline, but it has a bluish-grayish look. I don’t want something boring but also not anything outrageous. Thanks
Hi Kim,
On the photo of the back of the house with the four small samples, I like the one in the upper right. I think that’s the sample that you painted on the front of the house too (?). Anyway, I like the darker medium blue as it has enough contrast to make that gorgeous freshly painted white trim pop and go well with the roof color without being too dark. The blue also has just the right amount of gray in it to make the house very tastefully done — blues can be tough if they’re too clear (bright). So you are on your way. The lighter shades of blue are too light — not enough contrast with the trim and a little too ordinary-looking. The medium gray-blue is perfect.
How’s that!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I need some help with a roof shingle color selection. We will be using Certainteed Landmark shingles. I have sent two pics of the outside front of the home via email to you.
We are thinking of using either Weathered Wood or Cobblestone Gray…but I’m not sure if the gray is too light or even the right color at all.
Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Donna
Hi Donna,
Either of those colors work but the Cobblestone might be a bit light for your area. The Weathered Wood is okay but it seems to make the brick look a bit muddy as it brings out those green undertones. The roof I really like with your house is Georgetown Gray. Have you considered that one? It’s darker than the Cobblestone, very appropriate for your climate, and spectacular with your gray brick trim around doors and windows. The gray keeps the orange brick looking crisp and does not introduce another color into the mix.
See what you think. But get large samples before making a final decision. Once you prop them up against the garage, you will be able to make a quick decision. Much easier that way.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for your suggestion as to the Georgetown Gray. I think that color will look super. The roofing guy is coming out next week and will bring a few of the shingles with him. We are also going out tomorrow night to look at another house done by this roofer in the Georgetown Gray. We will be taking your color advice. Also having a look at a nice steel roof too which would be gray also but don’t know yet….very expensive unless we qualify for the neighborhood display home 🙂
Thanks again, your help is much appreciated and I will send you a photo once the roof has been done. We will be doing some inside decorating also once we recover from the roof payment…lol… and I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to contact you again for your color advice.
You have been super, and thank you 🙂
Donna
Hi Donna,
My pleasure. Thank you!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
We are renovating our home and have narrowed down the colors for the house to the Benjamin Moore Historical Colors.Monroe Bisque, Manchester Tan or Putnam Ivory.
The home is a cedar lap siding and I have snapped in a front and side shot of the plan below.
( we had to send this in a seprate email to you)
Not sure if you can make it out well from the plan diagram but the stone porch pillars and the garage will be trimmed with a New England Stone veneer and the front door and porch with be mahogany clear finish and the garage doors with either be mahogany or cedar – again clear finish.
Here is the rub – we cant quite pin down what to do in terms of the texture and color for the roof.
After much hand ringing and a check to Consumers Reports we seem to have zoned in on the Certain Teed, Landmark Series as being the right price range and potentially right definition but are still not sure on color.
http://www.certainteed.com/products/roofing
Our preference on style seems to lean toward the LandMark series but not sure about which one is right texture and coloration
TheReSawn Shale looks perhaps too light and the Weather Wood perhaps looks a little dark?
We are open to other suggestions on roofing that you may have. (Not sure can afford a real cedar shake roof and it would in any case be out of character with our neighborhood)
We are spending a good amount on this renovation and have confidence about everything else we are doing but there is quite a bit of roof showing to the street view of our home and we want to get this right.
Thanks for you help in advance!
Hilary and Joe Perettine
Hi Hilary and Joe,
I suggest either the Weathered Wood or Heather Blend in the architectural (Landmark) series but not the Max Def (maximum definition) series since you have both stonework and textured shakes on the house. I think the Max Def would be a little too busy (in my opinion — although I see it all the time!). Those roof colors will not be too dark for your large house. Resawn Shake is a bit light, however.
As for house color, you might also consider Lenox Tan HC-44 as it is a richer medium shade that will contrast with light trim and still look terrific against both stonework and your mahogany doors. The medium shades look better on bigger houses. See what you think. The colors you mentioned are all okay though and will contrast with the stonework nicely.
Have to run but I’ll check back later for a follow-up in case you still have concerns.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara-
Thanks for the great feedback!
We like your idea on the HC-44 as we think it will stand up well to the stonework tones and provide starker contrast to white trim and painted wood. I think we are leaning toward the Weathered Wood as it just seems to have a little more nature neutral / grayish vagueness to the tone whereas the Heather Blend seems to lean toward a brownish tint. But it was a very close call here and we are still no commited. If you had to pick one which would it be?
We might switch to a Pennsylvania Veneer stone which has a more naturally uniform brownish shade to it vs the New England which is more classically greys and browns. (also about 1/4 the price)
One question – I really like the LandMark shingles but can’t tell if there is an design difference between the LandMark and the LandMark Premium – not sure if you have any experience there?
Thanks again.
Joe an Hilary
Hi Hilary and Joe,
I like the HC-44 with the Weathered Wood. That’s a nice combo. Weathered Wood is very popular because it goes with just about everything. As far as I know, the difference between Landmark and Landmark Premium (besides price and durability left to you, your budget, and roofer), the Premium is Max Def which means that the color variation is more pronounced (= busier) than the Landmark. But your roofer can advise you. Visually, for me at least, the less busy roof is preferable when there are multiple finishes on the house (rock, shingle, brick, etc) or multiple siding colors. But again, look at the warranty, etc, when making the final decision.
Having said that, if you go with HC-44, consider a rock that has both browns and grays for maximum interest. A one-colored rock has texture only and if it’s brown, you already have brown covered with the siding color. Just a thought.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, Barbara! We are first roofing & then painting our 1920s era home in Memphis TN. It is a Georgian-style home with reddish-brown brick & a brickish-toned grout that even appears slightly pinkish. (I am going to email you four photos of our home & brick.) Our current roof is monotoned grey & our current trim color is white. We are wanting to really provide a lot more curb appeal for our home by choosing more attractive roof & paint colors. We’ve been looking at roof colors (Estate Grey, Driftwood, Dual Black, Rustic Black, Harvard Slate). The black roofs look too black to me & the Harvard Slate seems too busy. I’ve liked the Estate Grey & the Driftwood so far. We are thinking of painting our trim a non-white color, such as a color similar to the limestone on our house. Can you please offer your suggestions for a look that would give our home its best look possible?
Thank you so much!
Cara
Hi again Barbara,
One question I forgot to ask you. The roof color that you chose for our peach brick house was Certainteed Georgetown Gray which we will be using. The valleys and flashing will be done in prefinished black I am presuming. Since all window trim and door trim is white on the front of the house, should we request white flashing around the garage roof? The garage is attached to the front of the house.
Thanks again, Donna
Hi Donna,
I think I would use white all around instead of black. That will maintain the current look of the house with the white gutters/flashing/trim. Sound reasonable? I would not use different flashing colors for garage and house.
Hope that clarifies.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks again Barbara, will be using the white flashing. You have been a great help and it’s wonderful to find someone like you on the internet.
Have saved you in my favorites for the next time we do need some color advice 🙂
– Donna
Please help me. My roofer promised to replace my shingles with a red color.
Instead, he used a brown colored shingle. It looks awful.
The roof was already finished when I came home.
The roofer said that he couldn’t find red so he replaced it with brown. He never tried to contact me about the change in plans.
What can I do??
Anne,
Send me a photo to bmeglis@yahoo.com. We’ll work this out together.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We are in the process of replacing our roof and want to take advantage of the many advances in roofing products today to improve the overall look of the homes exterior. The home is a well designed contemporary colonial that is pretty bland in its color scheme. The vinyl siding is almond and all its trim including windows and doors are white. The present roof color I believe is a “weathered” weathered wood with a predominate brown tone. As stated in some of your blog posts, can this bland exterior justify a more interesting roof? My roofing choices I’m considering are Certainteed Landmarks Max Def Heather Blend, Max Def Weathered Wood, and Max Def Driftwood, and GAF Timberline High Def ultra Barkwood.
My thoughts were that a dark brown roof does provide contrast with the peaks but many of the Certainteed browns appear to orangish to me (GAF barkwood does not) Also, I’m not sure if dark grays are a warm enough color with my cream siding and that my home already sits between a Black roof neighbor and a Gray roof neighbor…
The light colored stone in the Max Def Weathered Wood is almost an exact match to the siding color and it has some blue colors may go with my evergreens but it does not have the contrast of a Barkwood and sometimes can appear to be just a light gray roof if looking at a home from a distance (depends on lighting). So the question is which multi-colored Landmark Max Def or Timberline High Def ultra would you choose for the best look? Also, what color choice could I use for the front door as it’s about the only thing that’s paintable or any other suggestions to produce a successful and stunning home exterior make over? I will email some pictures – Thank you for providing a wonderful service! Steve
Hi Steve,
Okay, I do like both of the brown options, the Heather Blend and the Barkwood. You cannot go wrong with either one. I think the Weathered Wood is a bit blah with your house color. Now, having said that, I would love for you to consider a smashing roof color that will perk up your vanilla house and create a wonderful stir in the neighborhood. If you’re up to it, here it goes: Atlantic Blue! Have a look. Pair it with a Sherwin Williams Dignified SW 6538 blue front door and you have excaped from the neutral neighborhood.
It will attract attention. But it’s a fabulous, drop-dead color for a neutral house such as yours. I’ve seen it on white houses and beige, natural cedar-shingled houses. As long as you pull the blue into the palette with door color, flower pots (blue), and maybe some blue deck chairs or lawn furniture, you’re all set.
Fall-back option: either of the browns. The Max Def will make a huge difference on your house regardless of the color you choose.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for the guidance, after recovering from the initial shock of the Atlantic Blue color and getting a sample from my roofer, I can now see that this would truly be a spectacular transformation. Now I just have to try to get up the nerve to make such a bold statement in the neighborhood! Thanks also for ranking my other choices as a fall-back option with the browns first followed by the grays, weathered woods, etc… If I were to go with a brown ( I like barkwood over heather blend ), could I then paint the front door a coffee bean color or would that be too dark or the wrong shade for the color pallet? What paint code would you suggest? – Steve.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for being a good sport. Hope your neighbors talk you into the blue! But if that doesn’t happen, then the browns are fine. With Barkwood, you could definitely use a rich coffee been color for the door. Picking the front door color from the roof color is a nice way of tying the whole house together. Sometimes we use shutters for that, but not necessarily. Your house color goes with just about anything — sometimes there are too many choices. But I think we’ve narrowed the field down so that any choice now will be a good one.
All the best,
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello,
My husband and I are at a standstill for the color of roof we should place on the home. Because winter is coming and the house is framed, we want to get the roof on. We are going with Niciha sierra premium fiber cement siding (Sequoia color.) Not sure about the roof. We want to keep costs down but need a roof that is 40yr warranty and ice/water shield (we live in the sierras of Reno, Nevada.) Need help with the color. Interested in certainteed? Also, if you have suggestions on the faux rock siding that would go good with the cement siding color and our windows are going to be either Windsor or Pella red exterior, pine interior. Would like to email you pictures of house so I will take it off of the Paypal receipt if that is okay with you.
Hi Rachel,
Taking a look at the Sequoia siding color. Very nice. But with the Brick Red windows (I’m looking at the Windsor brochure), were you planning a contrasting trim color? Because the siding and windows are about the same color. (Am I right here?)
Anyway, you didn’t mention a trim color but a contrast, something like a dark charcoal, will help distinguish the windows and tie in with the stonework. Speaking of stones, I would bring in some cool shades of charcoal/light gray/tan to go with the Sequoia.
And for the roof? How about Colonial Slate or Georgetown Gray (both Certainteed Landmark)? I think with such a warm house color that you need a cool roof color — something in the medium-dark-charcoal gray family. I would avoid browns — all of them including the combo colors like Driftwood and Weathered Wood. Use the rock to pull the whole palette together. Pick the roof shade first and then include that color in the palette of stonework. Mix other shades and tones into the rock to make it visually interesting.
Does that help break the impasse??
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I tried to email our 3 architectual drawings that shows the house but it came back your mailbox was full and no service available.
Rachel,
I got your three drawings on my bmeglis@yahoo.com email accouont. Thank you for being persistent. ( I am having trouble with that other account.) You’ll hear from me first thing in the morning.
More soon.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
Good morning. We are replacing our roof and siding, and we need to make a decision on the roof color right away. We’re struggling with the decision and would appreciate your feedback. We have a small ranch with a gray roof, brown siding, red door and black shutters. There is brick on the front of the house that is a very light color…almost white with just a little touch of very light brown in it.
When we bought the house 6 years ago, the aluminum siding was a light blue. We painted the siding brown about three years ago, and with the red door and the shutters, we have really like the coloring overall, though we’re not sure the roof color is optimal. We have found an exact match for the new vinyl siding (Mastic Quest Rugged Canyon) so we plan to keep the siding color (though that isn’t set in stone and would love to hear your ideas).
For a roof, we will be using GAF Timberline HD shingles. We are leaning towards the browns, but really the very light brick color is throwing us a little bit. We want to make sure everything blends well. We will change the shutter colors if needed.
I’m not sure the best way to get you a current picture of our house. I will send it via email to the yahoo account you note in your blog. If you need me to send it somewhere else, please let me know, and we can upload lots more pictures if you want to see other angles, close ups, etc. We unfortunately need to make a decision quickly so our contractor can order the materials and get going before we get into worse weather. We are glad we found you before making the decision!
Talk with you soon.
David and Sara
Hi Dave,
My emailed options still work if you go with Rugged Canyon. Pulling that color over to the shutters would help to pull the two sides of the house (and the two finishes — brick and siding) together and coordinate with the roof as well. Don’t worry about the brick. The grout lines are similar in color to the siding — everything works.
The front door color is a little too cherry, perhaps. Moving toward a little more rustic red will coordinate better. Look at Dinner Party AF-300 (Ben Moore). That color will work with all three of the roof options.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We have a yellow vinyl siding home with dark green shutters, do you know which color we should choose for our shingle roof?
Hi Cyndi,
Dark Charcoal will work great. Very versatile. All the roof lines carry this color. And with your palette already established, you really don’t want to add another color to the roof. Green, of course, would also work but that would lock you into green for that “fifth” wall (the roof) and would dictate the shutter color for the life of the house. This way, with charcoal, you can switch shutters to black at some point for a different, more formal look, or even navy blue.
Hope that helps. Black is another option but the dark charcoal should be sufficiently neutral to allow for the color on the rest of the house.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Good evening–
We have a brick home (built in 1970) with black shutters and white trim. I hope to send you several pictures of the home so you can see the color of the brick. We need a new roof (soon) and are really unsure what color of roof to go with. We are hoping to change the white siding to a tan color in the next year or two–although, we are open to suggestions about that too. I would like to add some sort of shake for some texture (perhaps on the two eaves and in the back of the house–above the porch area?). If we were to go with tan siding (the windows are white)–what color roof with this funky brick color would be best?
Thanks for your help. I will try to send photos asap. Diane.
p.s. I think I did the paypal donation correctly!
Hi Diane,
How about Certainteed Landmark’s Georgetown Gray for the roof with Ben Moore’s Revere Pewter HC-172 for your future siding color? Stonington Gray HC-170 will also work. The lighter roof color brings out the variegation in your brick and is less of a contrast so the house is not chopped in half.
See what you think of that combo.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, Like many people writing to you we have a short amount of time to replace our roof before winter. We own a Modern Colonial with a nice facade and roof angles. We’ll be replacing the siding in spring and plan to paint it SW 6193 “Privledge Green”. It’s difficult to go from the look of a cedar shake roof that gave the home a lot of texture to an asphalt roof shingle. Liked the color of Malarkey “Storm Grey” but not the dimension of the roof shingle on homes similar in style to our home. Decided to go with a Ultra HD Timberline roof in Charcoal but a friend recently had this installed (after a waiting for it to arrive) and it definitely looks more black than dark gray. We want to keep and enhance the curb appeal our home once had. Many homes in our neighborhood are neutral in color and are not attractive in winter when we often have snow for at least six months of the year and receive a lot of sunshine. The house facade faces south and receives a lot of this beautiful winter light. Out home also has mature fairly lush and green landscaping for the area. We need to keep the exterior remodel simple with white trim the brighter green paint we’ve chosen (possibly with a little gray added to it and painting the door gray) in spring. Although many people prefer neutral and “earth tone” colors they are not always that lovely with so much snow on the ground. I’d like a dark to medium gray roof color or even a softer gray roof in Ultra HD to keep curl appeal and give our home a classic elegant roof with some dimension. We also looked at Certain teed “Georgetown Gray” but found it had too much green in it. Unfortunately, Timberline Ultra HD charcoal as mentioned looks more black than gray where we live and Pewter Gray or even Cobblestone gray may not be available in our region…we’re also hesitant to order it without seeing a sample in person. Knowing our time is quite short and exterior remodel budget is limited to new siding, roof and light fixtures what would you suggest please for a lovely, harmonious color that will add some texture and dimension to our roof. (There’s also a small chance we might paint the house a gray with a bit of blue in spring)…which might make an almost black roof work better….most importantly on such a big investment we want an elegant roof that will look good with the green paint we’ve most likely chosen in all seasons! Thanks so much!
Hi BA,
Have you considered Owens Corning Oakridge Estate Gray? It has a terrific mix of color undertones that include some of your green. Definitely get a large sample from your roofer, however, before making ANY roofing decision. Our computer screens can play tricks on us colorwise. Also look at Certainteed’s Colonial Slate as well as GAF Timberline’s Barkwood. The brown roof colors look very good with dark green homes. You don’t see a lot of that combination, but it’s such a natural pairing. But gray works well too.
See what you think of those options.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi. We really like your blog and are hoping you can help us with selecting a roof color. Our house is a colonial with cream-colored vinyl siding. We have a red front door which we’d like to keep the same color, and brown shutters. Our house faces the south west, so it gets a lot of sun all day. The current roof used to be reddish brown, but most of the brown has worn away and now it looks very red. We would like to replace the roof with a brown shingle. My husband likes the contrast of a darker brown shingle against the siding, without what he calls “splotchiness”. I think that means less color variation. The problem is, we’ve bought a number of shingles, including ones discussed on the blog, and many of them appear orangey up on our roof. We’ve looked at Certainteed Heather Blend and Burnt Sienna, GAF Barkwood, and Owens Corning Brownwood and Teak. They all appear orangey, although Teak is probably the least orangey. We also looked at GAF Mission Brown, and it was frosty looking. Does anyone make a brown shingle without orange tones? Should we consider a different color other than brown? Thanks so much for your help 🙂
Hi Marie,
It is hard to find a brown that doesn’t have too much orange in it as brown really is a darker version of orange. Have you considered moving to a dark charcoal roof like Owens Corning Onyx Black? A classic look and one that does not get old. Then you could switch out your four shutters for red (or black). Again, a traditional, timeless look to a colonial. Something to consider. And it would give your house a freshness that replacing the brown roof with more brown simply would not do.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
TruDefinition Duration Shingles – Onyx Black
Hi Barbara,
What a great resource you are!
We need to choose roof color ASAP (by tomorrow night/Wed am latest) so hope you receive this in time… :o)
We live in LA and just bought a very simple Tudor (Revival?) home with yellowish paint and brown trim (yawn), no stonework, brick or half-timbering. We live on a corner amidst modest homes around us (ours is not big but it is one of the only two stories around). We do not plan to paint yet but when we do, we will definitely not go with yellow/brown and add half-timbering to bring back some of the style that has been lost over the years. We also just installed white vinyl windows and have planted bushes around the perimeter of what is a small, barren plot so far.
So, since we are still undecided on the ultimate color scheme, what color of 3 tab GAF roof do you recommend? We’d like to stay on the lighter shades to minimize the heat issues but would also like to choose a flexible color that will be workable for now with our yellow but will also transition to another scheme…any suggestions? I’d be happy to email a picture since I don’t have a website.
Thank you!
Tasha
I should mention we’re bored by the brown so we are leaning toward the slate color (because of our ideas for the future – maybe a pale grey/blue with white trim, red door) but wonder if that will look awful over the next year or two till we can paint… I sent a pic via email…Thanks!
First mistake was a red roof on a no color dark brick front. We are desperate, painters coming tomorrow. What colors should we paint the shutters and front door. Presently they are a dark brick color and invisable from the street.
Hi Jeannine,
Send a photo to my email and I’ll help you out. The payment link is right here on the blog (along the margin). Happy to help.
-Barbara
Your Home & Colo Coach
Our house is two story western cedar….want a new metal standing seam roof….which of the following colors would compliment western cedar best? We are surrounded mostly by pine and cedar trees with a few hardwoods about. Thanks for your advice!
Teal Patina
Hemlock Green
Hartford Green
Mansard Brown
Hi Joy,
Without a doubt, Mansard Brown.
Enjoy!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara, need a huge favor. I need help selecting color for our roof shingles: charcoal, slate, weatherwood or barkwood. I’ll attach a link or our house and hope it works. Also, what color should I change the shutters? Right now shutters r burgundy and need help with front door color. If you don’t mind could you rush me an answer on the roof color. Roofer is on me and I promised to answer today but I just found your website!! Thanks. I have done the paypal btw. DO YOU HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN SEND U MY HOUSE PHOTO? My brick is a pink/salmon color with a kinda lighter burgundy. Should shingles be charcoal, slate, or weatherwood?? I don’t have any pictures loaded on the internet unfortunately. Thanks again!
Hi Rhoda,
I like Charcoal the best for your roof color. It contrasts nicely with the trim and balances the warmth of the pink. I think the Slate might be too green on your roof and the Weathered Wood might be too light.
As for shutters and door color, look at Ben Moore’s Kendall Charcoal HC-166. It’s a dark gray-green that will again contrast with the pink brick but tie in with the roof as well. I suggest nickel as a metal color — or black — instead of the aged bronze.
Hope that helps — in time!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I would like to send you a check or money order instead of using PayPal. If this is possible please let me know which one you prefer and I will send along with photos of my home. I am trying to determine color for the roof. I thank you
Hey Barbara – This is a follow up 2nd payment of $20.00 to address the roof color on my home that I am replacing along with trim colors. I will paint brick if necessary, but hope you can help me with a color plan to update/warm the house for me. (We will be putting in landscaping – just spent $6,000 on waterproofing basement.) I attached the photo to an e-mail.
Thank you! Leah Martin
Hi Barbara,
We could really use your help in choosing a roof color for our home.
Our house is a two-story colonial in suburban Maryland (photos were sent to your Yahoo email). We are happy with the existing colors of the brick, siding, shutters, door, and trim but would like to change the current red-toned roof that was installed by the builder 20 years ago. Our initial thought was to go with a dark, charcoal grey, but we are having some trouble finding the right shade and are not even sure if that’s a good idea to begin with.
The front of our house has a southeast exposure and is in bright sunlight most of the day. Looking around at our neighbor’s roofs, it seems that the roof shingles, when installed, appear much lighter in color than when viewed on the builder’s samples. Since we were hoping for a dark-toned roof, this is making our selection that much more difficult. Our roofing contractor will be using Tamko “Heritage” shingles, and our selection is limited to this manufacturer. The link to the available colors is:
http://www.tamko.com/shinglecolors/heritagemap/heritage-frederick
Listed below are the colors that we are considering, and our thoughts on each:
Aged Wood
Pros: A “warmer” grey, with some brown tones; it may complement the brick.
Cons: Too light? Color will probably end up looking lighter than the sample. May give the house too much of a “cottage” rather than a “traditional” look.
Virginia Slate
Pros: A “cooler” grey with more blue to complement the shutter color, but still some rustic brown tones.
Cons: Too light? Color will probably end up looking lighter than the sample. Too blue? (We don’t want the roof to mimic highway asphalt)
Thunderstorm Grey
Pros: The darkest grey shade available. Nice blend of colors.
Cons: Very variegated…almost a checkerboard look. Could be too “busy” combined with the variegated brick color.
Rustic Black
Pros: Safe color…goes with everything. Very traditional.
Cons: Too dark? Too “flat” in color? Could make the house look boxy and dark.
We’ve been thinking this over and over and can’t seem to come to a decision. We would most definitely appreciate any advice you can give. We’re open to any and all suggestions.
Thank you in advance,
Diana and Steve Domotor
Hi Barbara–
What a wonderful service! We live in Ohio, in a Midwestern subdivision. We recently added a cedar deck to the back of our Tudor-style house, which also has some light red-brick trim. The yellow tones in the cedar don’t seem to be working with the taupe panels and trim on the house. Fortunately (or unfortunately), it’s time to paint the house and replace the roof. Any thoughts on colors for both? I’m going to try to send pictures, as soon as I figure out how.
Many thanks–
Shelly
Hi Shelly,
How about a Weathered Wood roof (Certainteed Landmark or GAF — actually most of the roof lines have a Weathered Wood color)? Then you might go with something like Monroe Bisque panels (HC-26 Ben Moore) with Alexandria Beige HC-77 trim.
Or a Driftwood roof (Certainteed) with Carrington Beige panels (HC-93) and Jamesboro Gold HC-88 trim.
See what you think. Get large roof samples to put up against your brick before you order.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
HI Barbara,
Sent all the info, payment and pictures via email. Am I supposed to post the questions online here? Thanks
Wilai
Wilai,
We’ll work via email. I have your info.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am in the process of replacing a 19 year old roof. My colonial house has a pinkish, coral red brick front, with white siding on three sides, white trim and white shutters. My contractor is going to use Timberland Prestique HD shingles. I want to be certain on my color choice and am considering mission brown or charcoal. I also plan to replace my front door which is white to a fiberglass door with 2 sidelights, and a trilite . I want to get your input on the roof color along with the door style and fiberglass color. I am considering a Polaris or therma tru door with decorative glass. Any assistance you can provide is appreciated. I will also send a photo of my house to you via email.
Thanks
Aliece
Hi Aliece,
The Charcoal roof is the most traditional and it will really look nice contrasting against your white trim and brick. The Mission brown is a little light and I think your large house needs a more classic look.
As for the door, here’s one possibility. I would stick with raised panel (for at least some of the door) to coordinate with your shutters and other woodwork. But a few curves will set the door apart from all the boxes everywhere else. I’m not a huge fan of ornate glass as I think it’s a little busy with all your brick and other architectural features. But I do like the idea of the fiberglass for ease of maintenance.
http://www.thermatru.com/products/entry/fiberglass-entry-doors/ccm/index.aspx#/go:gr/cfg:dbslt/dso:door-3_panel_scroll-ccm701/ssor:sidelite-full_lite_sidelite_flush-glazed/ssol:sidelite-full_lite_sidelite_flush-glazed/
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Oh,I’m Sooooooo happy I found this site! I have to make a quick response by tomorrow noon on my roof color. I can’t make up my mind until now! Please help! I’m trying to pick a color from IKO Cambridge http://www.iko.com/products/residentialus/residential.asp?product_id=577®ion_id=1&task=ProductDetailsColours
I’ll send my house picture to your email @ bmeglis@yahoo.com shortly, please give me some advise on my roofing color, if I can ask more, please give me more advise on my garage door and front door color too! Thanks a lot! It will be really really appreciated if you can get back to me ASAP. -Lily
Hi Lily,
I just replied via email. Choose your roof color first and then we can talk about the garage and front doors.
To be continued…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am losing sleep over shingle selection. We have driven by houses to look at specific colors, hoisted sampleboards on our roof, used the online virtual house guide and still don’t have the answer. We are using GAF HD Timberline and currently are considering mission brown, weatherwood or barkwood.
My issues are that barkwood appears heavy, dark, and flat. I like weatherwood but am afraid it is too washed out for my brick and siding and that my gutters will clash. Mission brown is a new regional GAF color that may be too gray and may not have a long shelf life in the GAF inventory.
Your suggestions regarding roof shingle color choice and also siding paint colors for our next project would be appreciated. For now we are keeping our siding/trim colors. Will our reddish brown gutters and downspouts be a distraction if we don’t change them. Help, please!!
Here is a link to some pictures of the house:
Hi Ellen,
You’re right about the Weathered Wood. I think it’s too light and will blend in with your house too much. There needs to be some contrast and since your trim color (except for the gutters) is the same as the house color, the roof would melt away.
Mission Brown has a gray undertone. It looks great with taupes, but your brick is very orange/warm, and I don’t think it’s a good combo.
That leaves Barkwood, which would have been my first choice anyway. The HD should make the roof less “flat” and I think the color will be fine with the gutters. Actually I like the current palette and I think the Barkwood will be a nice addition.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara; I will try to post pics if I can. We are going to replace our roof and siding. Our current roof color is orangy, with brown brick and tan siding. We are up on a ridge and our neighbors both have yellowish homes. We have 2 out buildings, one is an old barn but the roof is shingled just like the house (to be replaced also).The shop used to be an ugly green and I had it painted to match the house (It was expensive.) Now I would like to change the house colors to a more classy look. The brick does have some burgundy colors scattered throughout. The front door is stained wood but can be painted if needed. The house window trim is very dark brown, as is the garage door. I cannot see anywhere here how to post pics. If you let me know I will send you some.
Hi Mary,
Unfortunately the blog doesn’t allow us to upload photos. But you can attach a link to a photo album site or simply attach the photos to an email and send them to me at bmeglis@yahoo.com. I will be sure to get them there.
Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I just paid with paypal, hope it goes through fine. My question: I have a split level house on the lake and am redoing the whole exterior. I have torn down the brick and am replacing the sides of the house with a silver myst brick from aircraft, it is a lightish grey colour. The road side of the house appears as three levels. The garage level will now be a light grey ledge rock from an Ontario quarry, the one side of garage will be the same as will the very back of the house which is the lakeside. The upper level above garage will be cobblestone Hardieboard with white trim work. Then above that will be a skirt/saddle and then above that will be same hardboard on the gable. I will have white soffits and fascia and eaves troughs. Need to pick a colour for the roof asap as my builder suggested I change the roof shingles now. Our product that we are looking at are Timberline shingles. We are thinking of dual black , or charcoal, or maybe pewter grey. I am leaning towards the first two choices myself. Slate colour was suggested as well but I am not too keen on it. I will try to send you pictures if possible of how the ledgerock will end up looking in a couple of years (house in this area). Maybe i can send a bit of a picture of my house as well. Thanks, Gregg
Hi Gregg,
Although your stonework is gray, it appears to have a green undertone. That’s why I do like the Slate roof option as well as a color called Canadian Driftwood, a black/brown/gray combination that picks up the warmer tones in your stone and coordinates well with the Cobble Stone siding and white trim.
The Dual Black (IKO Cambridge?) as well as the Timberline Charcoal are certainly options — more traditional than the lighter roof options with more color. Either of the charcoal/blacks will work. And if you’re looking for a) traditional styling; and b) contrast, then the dark roof is the way to go. (I don’t see Dual Black under Timberline, but Charcoal will work. The Pewter tends to have a blue undertone and it’s not as good with your stonework.)
If you are looking for more subtle hues to go with your neutral palette, then either of the mid-tone roof colors I mentioned (Canadian Driftwood or Slate) would look terrific.
Not sure I helped you narrow it down under this time deadline, but those are my thoughts at the moment.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I sent you an email with the house pics, and a donation.
The house is mixed brick with creme siding and white trim.
I’m likely going with Certainteed dimensional shingles, and have narrowed it down to Burnt Sienna or Heather Blend. I like these two based on other houses I’ve seen. But I’m actually open to any advice!
Thank you!
Hi Robert,
The Burnt Sienna is okay and probably the most predictable choice given the color of your brick and the existing roof color. But since your brick is so warm, you might consider a contrasting roof color, something like Moire Black. Here’s the link:
http://www.certainteed.com/Products/308747#
Pewter would work as well. The dark gray is a more traditional look but it would not compete at all with your brick. The only potential problem with the Burnt Sienna is that the color palette is the same as the brick and that means there will be a lot of that brick color and perhaps a pattern fight. Get a large sample and hoist it up on the porch roof, stand back at the curb, and check it out. See what you think.
The Heather Blend is fine but it looked a little washed out next to the vibrant brick. Again a large sample will tell you one way or the other on that one too.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara,
I am emailing a picture to you for help with roof color. I will also be posting about trim color in a separate blog. We will be changing the roof color and all the brown trim as well as the vinyl gable inserts. My tastes are traditional and I would like my house to have nice curb appeal. I will be paying through Paypal.
Hi Denise,
If you would like to keep the warm coordinating tones, check out Landmark’s Heather Blend. It certainly goes well with your brick, and will make the house look bigger. Then you can have a contrasting trim and vinyl insert to break up the warm tones.
If you would like to get away from the warm browns, however, take a look at Driftwood. It should bring out some of the cooler tones in your brick.
In either case, get large samples from your roofer to lay up against the brick. Stand back at the road and take a look. You can send me the photos if you’d like another opinion. Happy to do that.
Now on to the trim.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
HI Barbara, Just got in to view your comments. I am including one more picture that is closer up on the brick. sorry I didn’t include this previously. My husband commented that he likes a solid color roof rather than one with variation. Would it be a mistake to go as dark as Black or Black Walnut? In the meantime, I will get with the roofer to obtain larger samples. Thanks so much! Denise Parker
Hi Denise,
What about Heather Blend without Max Definition. Here’s a link:
http://www.certainteed.com/Products/308747#
Black walnut also works but make sure the maroon color in the shingles works okay with your brick (a sample will tell you). Ordinarily black works with almost everything but since there is so much brown in your brick, I don’t like the straight flat black as well as the roof colors with a little more warmth. Straight brown would work (GAF Timberline Barkwood is a good option.)
Settle on the roof decision and then we can revisit the trim color (no extra charge).
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hey Barbara,
We are getting a new roof put on our 1950’s red brick ranch. This will be one of the last steps in a major remodel in and out. I will email pictures.
We have a new mahogany front door, red brick veneer, some tan siding trim and some white trim. We have a new front porch with stone columns, and a brown metal roof over the new porch. Currently the shutters are black. We are looking for suggestions color recommendations on the following:
Roof Color (GAF Timberland HD)
Shutter Color
Other trim color suggestions
Best Regards,
Jeff & Meghann
Hi Jeff & Meghann,
Nice job with the renovation. Here is one idea for your roof/shutters.
Take a look at GAF Timberline’s Weathered Wood. Here’s a link:
It’s relatively light but it goes very well with your stonework. It’s also a nice change from the traditional black and dark brown options. Make sure to get a large sample from the roofer and lay it up against the brick and then the stonework to see how the roof will look. Stand back at the street to view. You’ll know instantly if you like it.
If it appears too light, then look at Barkwood– since you’ve already established the brown over the portico, putting brown shingles on the rest of the roof makes sense.
For the shutters, consider Fairview Taupe, Ben Moore HC-85. It’s a very sophisticated color that coordinates well with your stonework and will go with either roof color.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/fairviewtaupe
If you do go with a brown-based roof, you might consider changing out the number/lighting to bronze. Also be sure to paint the vents on the lower part of the house in the front. (Doesn’t have to be brown — just blend.)
The panel to the right of the door is a bit of a mystery, but you can always put a large potted plant or a porch chair there if there’s enough room.
Since the windows are white, I do like the white trim. No need to switch out.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara, we have recently updated our Virginia wood mold, red brick house with a new front portico and back decks (and painted the trim) all in a khaki color. Our shutters and front door are Sherwin Williams’ green black, sometimes known as Charleston Green (6parts black and 1 part green). The roof is currently a sort of colonial gray badly streaked with algae, and we are replacing it with Atlas Pinnacle shingles that have a 20 year warranty against algae growth. What color would you recommend for our new color scheme? We are also considering a lime wash/ mortar wash on the brick that will mute the red color—- you can see the first efforts on some of the pictures in the front. The colors we’re considering are Hearthstone, Weathered, and any darker color of the Pinnacle Atlas shingles, which look a bit different than their other lines.
This shows the brick and trim color in late afternoon. The steps and one of the decks is now a chocolate brown, and the patio is a variable sized river rock aggregate. The whole effect was to go for a more natural, harmonious look:
Adding, I have looked at many photos on roofing sites and don’t know whether people get the shingle names wrong or just make them up, sometimes! I am struck by how much lighter shingles look in place than on the sample board! Because I like the shutter color I am strongly considering the darkest Pinnacle color, Pristine Black. But with so much roof exposure from the front, will that sort of visually pull the house down? All the iron railings in the front and on the back decks are black, which looks good with the khaki trim, I am just worried about the mass of black roofing in the front.
Hi Katrina,
You are right about the lightness of the medium-toned roof colors like Weathered Wood. Depending on the pitch of the roof, the color can be quite light.
Since you are lightening the brick, you will want contrast with the roof color. I too like the darkest colors since your shutters are dark. It’s a traditional look. I’m not crazy about dark shutters with a light roof.
Let me take one more look at the roof colors. But you really cannot go wrong with black. It’s quite striking.
Back in a few.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi again Katrina,
Believe it or not, the Woodland Green (if it’s as dark as it looks on screen) would also work with your house. Yes, it would lock in green shutters, but it would be different from black and offer a bit more color to the roof. Just make sure that the sample “value” (how dark the color is) looks the same as the black sample. And also check out photos if you can.
Those are my best suggestions.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I did look at some photos of homes with that woodland green roof and it looks much more green en masse….in some instances almost a Kelly green.
Our shutters are so dark they really don’t look green at all, more of an “off black,” if that makes any since.
We will probably go with the Pristine Black despite the fact that there is very little shadow definition because they are so dark. I came across some photos of roofs that combine architectural composite shingles with clay ridge and hip tiles, and LOVE this look. We are going to talk to the roofer to see if this is something he can do. It seems this is a fairly common practice in Louisiana on higher end homes. This is a photo of what I would like to duplicate. The tile colors would be perfect for our brick:
http://www.premiersouthla.com/ourwork.html
You have to scroll down tho the two photos of Atlas Pinnacle Pristine Black and click on either one. I’d be very interested in what you think of this look.
Hi Katrina,
It’s certainly a very polished look with some color detail that will warm up the black shingle color. I pulled up the two photos side-by-side (your house and the roof with the clay ridge tiles/Pristine Black roof shingles, and I agree that the clay tiles look excellent with your brick. I think you have a winning combination.
I am home on the big screen now — thank you for your patience this past week while I traveled.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you so much for your help and opinions, Barbara. I did some emailing and calling and found the manufacturer of the tiles, which are not clay, as I thought, but concrete. I showed the picture to our roofer who loved the look, and we are going to order them tomorrow. Surprisingly, the tiles in that photo are a combination of charcoal tiles and light brown tiles put on randomly. This is going to add several thousand dollars to the cost of the roof, but I think the extra definition of the ridge and hip lines are well worth the extra expense. I will email you a photo of the finished product so you can see how it turns out, and thank you again!
Hello! We are building a new home and have selected the color scheme for our siding/shakes, stone, and shutters. I am having trouble selecting a roof color however.
I am sending you a picture of the exterior elevation of our home. I am also sending a picture of a home in our area that has the same color siding (Portmouth Country Beige), stone (Wisconsin Cream City) and shutters / door (black) that we plan to use.
We aren’t crazy about the roof color on the home after which our color scheme is patterened — the color is Driftwood. In short, we would like to use something else.
Could you please provide some advice? I have submitted payment. (Would you please check to be sure I didn’t pay twice?)
Thanks for your help.
Hi Julie,
Since you are aiming for a French Provincial look for your house, I suggest a gray instead of the warmer Driftwood as shown on the house photo you sent. Gray is decidedly French and it will coordinate nicely with your stonework and contrast against the shake siding. Not knowing your roofing brand preference or budget, here is my choice:
It gives the impression of slate so has a very French, high-end look. Here’s a photo I found on Houzz that shows what I’m talking about.
As for the shutters, I would definitely not use black as that is just too Colonial American. The French love to use color on their shutters and use the shutters and door as an extension of their gardens. So I suggest choosing a shutter and door color from your plans for color in your garden. You don’t have to pick pink, yellow, or orange, but French blue or a gray-lavender would look terrific. If the thought of color on the shutters is too much for your neighborhood, then just choose a medium-toned neutral. Almost anything but black.
I hope that helps.
Thanks for posting, Julie.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara! Wow … I am so impressed with your quick response!
I will definitely consider gray. I like the idea of a gray roof, but wasn’t sure that a cool color would work with the warmer tan. It sounds like that would be a good choice after all. GAF is readily available in our area. Does the gray you proposed have a blue cast?
I am telling you that I want a French Provential look, but I don’t really like the idea of using color on the shutters. You are absolutely right about that not really working in our traditional neighborhood.
Maybe I am not really trying to achieve an authentic French look after all as I do like the black that is on the shutters on the existing house now. Also, I ordered 3/4 glass (European) double doors for our entry in … you guessed it, black. I am guessing we could paint over the black however.
* Could you please recommend a specific shutter color in gray /blue, as well as recommend a specific neutral that would be an alternative to black.
* Should we use gray on the roof if we want to stick with the black shutters and door?
Please let me know if I need to submit another PayPal payment. I have been stewing over this for weeks. I may actually get a good night’s sleep tonight with your help! 🙂
Thank you so much!!
** Julie
Hi Julie,
Gotcha. The gray roof color I recommended should also work with black shutters and door. I can’t be sure about the blue undertone on that particular shingle– you should definitely get large samples of your roof options to check against your siding and stone color samples before ordering. A darker charcoal might work even better. Since the door is black (no need to paint), I do like the idea of black shutters. They will tie together nicely. But since the door can stand on its own (I assume you’ll have black lighting fixtures to coordinate), then the shutters can be a different color. Here are a couple of ideas: Evening Dove 2128-30 Ben Moore — a smokey medium navy; and Texas Leather AC-3 Ben Moore — a medium taupe with a green undertone that would look great against both siding and stone and would tie in the beige.
Oh and yes, white trim is okay if you want to show off all the architectural detail around the doors and windows and roof lines, but for more of a French Provincial look, you might consider a trim color that’s a shade or two darker than your siding color. The result will be to blend the trim with the house instead of highlighting the perimeter. More European, less American. But either way really… since we’re not trying to be completely true to style.
See what you think.
Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you. I have one gray shingle sample at my house now — GAF Estate Gray. It goes a little bit green so I will go back for the one you suggested in the morning. I like the look of the GAF Camelot shingles in addition to the Grand Welsh Gray you recommended.
I like the shutter colors you suggested as alternatives, but still considering black — my husband’s clear favorite.
Last question … if we stick with black shutters and door, do you think a black or charcoal roof color would be too harsh? The tan on the shake shingles is a soft color … and the stone is pretty creamy.
Greatly appreciate your help.
Hi Julie,
The pitch of the roof is quite steep so the roof is very visible — as you well know. I think a black roof might be a bit harsh even with black shutters and door. Charcoal would be fine.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I sent a picture of my 1927 Craftsman Bungelo that needs a new roof. My roofer uses Owens Corning. I liked the idea of the archtectural shingles, but my house is busy enough without a lot of variance in the roof. I’m at a loss……….
Hi Jane,
Take a look at Teak as a possibility. It’s an Owens Corning color — hopefully it is available as one of the options that your roofer has recommended. It’s warmer than the charcoals (which will also work) and it brings out the warmer tones in your brick.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We are building a new home in a subdivision with French Country Homes and need advice on our roof color as it will be very prominent. I would consider our home’s style European Cottage…maybe more European Farm house. I will email you a picture of a house that is very similar to ours. The focal point our house will be the stone on the gabled end of our garage which faces the front. We are using a Moss Rock Fieldstone. The stone is a dark brown with a covering of green lichen and moss. The 30 ft. covered front porch will be cement siding (struggling with that color too). It will have a wainscot of Cimarron Brick by Trinity which is a smoky brown with some cream highlights. Our goal was to pick a very neutral brick so the stone could take center stage. The rest of the house will have the Cimarron Brick all the way up except for a couple of end gables, the dormers and the back porch. Our windows (which I fell in love with the color) will be patina green aluminum clad. We will have a large copper cupola as shown and copper chimney cap, both with the green patina. We are looking at Malarkey architectural shingles in either Heather or Natural Wood. I like the green in the Natural Wood, but am afraid the roof will be too busy…especially since there is so much of it. I have been going back and forth between doing the trim and siding in a BM Kennebunkport green HC-123 (matches window color) and a more neutral color like Alexandria beige BM HC-77. If we went with the green trim, we were thinking we would do the columns in natural cedar as well as the shingles on the sides of the dormers, shutters and the inset triangle at the gable peak in front. Our front door will be a Wood Divided lite in a dark stain similar to walnut. The French doors on the front porch are in the green patina. We back up to a creek so it is a natural setting and since I am a gardener by profession, it will extensively landscaped . We are at the top of a slope so we will have extensive retaining walls also in the Moss Rock. When the stone masons do the stone, they will have to work the stone which will reveal edges of unweathered stone that will be a red clay color. I love the green, but I am also afraid of overdoing it. I will email you pictures of the stone and brick also. Thank you!
Jane
Hi Jane,
Very creative color palette and it certainly will set the stage for your magnificent landscape. With that in mind, I suggest using the green sparingly — just the windows and the green-patina on the roof. Just that much green will serve as an accent to the stonework and will draw the eye to the landscape. Using more green will dilute the effect of the windows/roof.
For the shingles, I suggest Heather as it has more brown and will blend better with the brick. Then for paint color, I like Alexandria Beige, again because it will blend with the stonework and allow the different colors in the Moss Rock Fieldstone to take center stage. Keeping the rest of the house neutral will allow you to feature the greens and other subtle hues in the overall palette. I don’t think you want to feature the trim by painting it green– it will detract from the window color.
Walnut is perfect for the front door.
I think that’s it. Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks Barbara. That really helps. What did you think of the cedar accents or would you paint them a dark color like the Texas Leather?
Thanks again!
Jane
Hi Jane,
As long as the cedar is not too orange, then it’s okay. But Texas Leather is one of my favorites. Goes with everything! Considering all the brick and stonework, the Texas Leather gets my vote.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, Barbara. After I posted on the “home color” board, you helped me think through putting Hardie’s Heathered Moss alongside my (fairly winey) brick. We went back and forth, finally deciding against it, in part due to the strong contrast between deep colored brick and soft colored heather.
We still think Woodstock Brown looks a little too dismal due to the shade we usually get, so we have decided to use Hardie’s Evening Blue. I’ve seen it with enough brick (like mine) to think it will work. The brick actually has some browns and blues.
Now we need a roof. Help? I just made another PayPal payment, since this is clearly a separate consult. I’m sending an updated photo of the addition and one of the brick.
Now that I’ve backed off the grey-green siding, I think I’m also off the Owens Corning Teak or Certainteed (Landmark Pros series) Driftwood. But I’d be curious whether you disagree. You recommended those browns as a way to pick up browns in the brick and warm up the roof.
With the depth of color we have, the medium greys — even Landmark Georgetown Grey in “Max Def” — seem perhaps too light, like the roof is going to fly off. The faint colors seem to work only if there is actual stone slate on the roof. That said, the blacks look harsh with the steep pitched gables of our quasi- Cape Cod.
I know you like Charcoal for roofs. Isn’t that just … black? I’m being directed to the Certainteed Landmark series unless I push back on my GC, and that Charcoal seems very dark. Very, very formal. Is it? I know we could do something formal, but I like something a bit softer (like actual slate). I can’t tell if “Moire Black” is lighter or darker than Charcoal.
Just for reference: The neighborhood has many slate roofs on Capes and quasi-cottages, so if I choose something with a slate pattern it won’t be out of character. I’m curious whether you think the Certainteed Colonial Slate is dark enough to “anchor” the house, without being so bleak as a sharp black. Also curious if there are other colors I should consider. If there is something much better from Owens Corning, I will fight the fight with the contractor.
Thanks! Kathryn
Hi Kathryn,
Check out Certainteed Landmark’s Pewterwood. Here’s a photo. http://www.zimmermanexteriors.com/gallery.php. I think it has a better undertone for your siding and brick than the grays that have a lot of green in them. See what you think. It’s also not so multicolored that it competes with your brick. But it’s not as dark as some of the charcoals.
Hope it works perfectly for you. Get a sample to try up against your siding and brick before you make any decisions. (I like the Evening Blue with your brick. There’s nice “energy” between the two.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
My question is about my porch roof color/material. I bought my house in 2011–pictures from before I posted are on this album. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150181970178302.299781.638023301&type=1&l=e48e2a41a6
The photos are from before I bought it. The roof is only a few years old and is a brownish orangey color. The siding is beige. The windows are white trim. (I am thinking of adding shutters at some point.). The roof on the porch however was not redone when the rest of the roof was (it’s the original from when the house was built in 85 and covered with moss…I’m in some woods. I think it’s dark grey underneath. It needs to be replaced and I did receive two estimates–the lowest was from one company and it was to match the architectural shingles. The other company gave a higher estimate and it was for rolled rubber roofing (color wasn’t discussed). I was thinking of just getting the matching shingles, however I have always loved metal roofing. The company that gave an estimate can do the metal roofing (we didn’t discuss details) for same cost, although my cheapest option is still just matching shingles with first estimate. In any case, the house sits up on a hill a little bit, and we never really see the porch roof (the driveway from where you would walk around the house is lower so you just don’t have the angle to see the roof very much, you will see from the photo). I mainly get glimpses of the roof when I’m in one of my bedrooms upstairs. So, I have always loved a metal roof but was wondering what you feel will look best since I’m not changing the other parts of the roof. So option 1 is match roof tiles which is the cheapest. Option 2 will be to do a metal roof on porch which will cost twice as much (I’m not going to do rolled rubber roofing) — if I do that option, what do you think and what color would you go with. Plain “tin” color which is neutral? I really don’t like the look of brown metal roofs, and I see dark green ones around but that would be too jarring and different. If I did the metal my inclination would be either traditional tin color, considering a copper color or perhaps bronze, or maybe one of the pale metal light green tints I’ve seen. Please opine! thanks, Valerie
Hi Valerie,
Since you don’t really see the roof much, it is hard to justify spending twice as much on a metal option, but I do like the idea of a metal on an “accessory” roof like a porch or dormered window. My favorite metal roof color is Antique Bronze — it’s a sophisticated gray-brown with kind of a green undertone so it doesn’t look just straight cocoa brown. It’s also not as cold as the grays — more suited to outbuildings like barns. The greens all look unnatural to me. The shades of green do not really match anything in nature.
So aesthetically speaking, not financially, I would opt for the metal roof. You’ll love it.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I can’t find your ext. house color suggestion on your site. Can u send me the link?
Also…of u were to go yellow with a green roof, which shade ?
Many thanks, Catie
Hi Catie,
Is this what you’re looking for? Let me know if you need the other color suggestions.
https://yourcolorcoach.wordpress.com/?s=Consider+your+home%27s+roof+color
For a yellow siding option, check out Concord Ivory (Ben Moore HC-12). So cheerful! And it looks great with the cypress shutters.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/concordivory
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi again Catie,
A lighter, airier option is Windham Cream HC-6.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/windhamcream
One of them should work for you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
hello, i am starting a new home. its all hardi. hardi shakes, with hardi board and battin style siding. also hardi trim. the roof is copper and is posing a problem with picking colors. i want 3 colors, trim, siding and shakes, oh yeah and entry door. any suggestions?
Hi Jason,
The Photo Gallery on the Hardie web site is a great resource. The wonderful thing about using all Hardie products is that the colors can be grouped quite easily. Check it out. The copper roof should not be an obstacle. It will go with most every available color palette.
Send me a photo if you need specific help.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I just sent the $25 pay pal donation for your help to pick out a ROOF COLOR for my house.
I will be using architectural shingles and my zip code is 63125. I’m wanting to go darker than the current color that is on my house now.
My house is all BRICK and the brick colors are mostly RED bricks with mixed TAN and DARK BROWN bricks and the grout is a cement (grayish) color. Trim and Gutters are White/Bright White.
I’ve attached pictures of my house in a seperate email. Please advise that you received.
Please Help!
Thank you,
Beth
Hi Beth,
I have the perfect roof for you. It’s a new color by Owens Corning:
Peppermill Gray
It is an Artisan color that has a little gray and a little brown, is darker than your current color yet it does not go too brown like your neighbor’s house.
See what you think.
http://www.roofing.owenscorning.com/professional/shingles/oakridge-ar.aspx
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara thank you for your suggestion but what is your second choice for a roof color?
Beth, I will take another look in the morning.
More soon.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Beth,
Take a look at Owens Corning’s Teak or Brownwood. Since you have some brown and tan bricks mixed in with the red, it does make some sense to go with a dark brown for the roof. But you want to make sure it is different from your neighbor’s. Get big samples. If you want to stay with gray, then move to a darker charcoal.
Hope that helps.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara…when uresearched the pepperidge gray is this available in my zip code of 63125?
Yes, Beth. It’s a new Artisan color.
Hope that works out for you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am trying to decide bewtten GAF Timberlin Arch singles in Petwer Gray and Charcoal . My house is a colonial with a step roof , basic lines , white shutters and trim . I may change the color to more of a blue/teal in the future but the white shutters are here to stay . I need to decide by Friday at the lateset . They start onMonday
Hi Judy,
I would love to see a photo — you can email to me at bmeglis@yahoo.com. But in the meantime, the Pewter has a bit of a blue undertone to it and that would look terrific with your blue/teal house color should you decide to change it. And the lighter roof color is less of a contrast with the white shutters. Pewter has my vote but I will double check against your house photo when I see it.
Thanks, Judy. Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We will be changing our siding in the next several weeks to Hardieshingles in Monterey Taupe and need help deciding on a roof color.
Our contractor has given us the Certainteed Landmark Series line to choose from. I have emailed you a picture of our house – it is a garrison colonial whose 1st level siding is mixed red brick. The upper level, sides, and rear of the home are red cedar shakes painted a taupe color which is nearly an exact match to the Hardie Monterey Taupe we have selected. (I like the neutrality of this color). We are most likely going to go with a dark shutter (black, dark gray or a very dark taupe) as opposed to the lighter cream colored shutters that we currently have and the trim will probably be either Hardie Arctic White, Sailcloth, or Cobblestone.
Our neighborhood has a good mix of roof colors but there is a predominance of a weathered brown or gray. Of the Landmark architectural shingle options, which would coordinate best with the colors we have selected and that would give us the versatility to change accent colors (shutters, door) in the future without clashing?
Thank you so much for your help!
Loretta
Hi Loretta,
Try Driftwood– it’s a medium-toned option with grays/taupes and it would give quite a bit of versatility in terms of accent colors. Charcoal is the other (darker) option. Always neutral. But you may not want to go with the quite overused Weathered Wood. It has a green undertone but it seems to go with lots of house colors. That’s why we see it so much.
I would avoid the roof colors that have a lot of color in them — like Slate — even though they may go with your current brick. Those roof options do lock you into certain accent colors.
Try Driftwood and see if you like it. Make sure to get a LARGE sample and put it up against the house color. Any of the trim colors you mentioned should work with that roof. But choose your trim color to coordinate with your window color — you don’t want the windows themselves to pop (unless you have designer windows).
I like the idea of a darker shutter color. Use a shade out of the roof or a darker version of the house color for an updated look.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, Barbara!
Surprise! I need help with a roof shingle color. I already sent the fee via PayPal and sent a link to your Yahoo! account for the photos.
Some details:
– the house is recycled brick on the front and right sides; white vinyl on the left side and rear
– the left side faces the dead end of the street
– the brick is more orange than red; many are black / painted
– the two skylights in the pictures will be removed and shingled over
– the roofer is going to use Timberline HD by GAF
– we are considering Hickory but Charcoal is in the lead, I think
I included some pictures of the neighbors houses to give a sense of the varied styles in the neighborhood as well as pictures from 45 degrees left and right of center of my house. The early head on pictures were taken yesterday which was slightly overcast, the rest are in today’s full sun in SWPA.
Hi Steve,
Looking around your neighborhood, I see lots of brick with brown and lighter-toned roof colors. So although you could do that as well, I like the Charcoal. It will look great with the white, pick up the depth of color in your brick, and separate your house from the other bricks in the neighborhood. A traditional choice, perhaps, but an appropriate one.
Go for it.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks, Barbara!
It is great to get a professional opinion on something you have to see for the next 15 years or so. 🙂
I have a question about the porch posts. I need to replace at least the R corner one but maybe others. If replacing all, can you make a recommendation on style? For example, I don’t know if round columns would look right.
Hi Steve,
Chunky round white columns would definitely dress up the house. You might even consider shutters (black). Square columns are great on Craftsman style homes but yours is definitely not that. The round would also be a break from so many squares (on the garage doors, bricks, windows, etc.) But make sure the white columns are big enough — bigger is better than “dinky”– a sure sign of “cheap.”
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
My house has tan siding. Thought I wanted a very light roof (because upstairs gets so hot in the summer), afraid though that it will make the house look huge. Also want to retain resale value. Limited to Sherriff-Goslin Art-Loc colors. Currently choosing between Earthblend, Pewter, and Crystal Gray. Love the light gray, but again will it make house look enormous?
Hi B. Welling,
I am not crazy about the Cristal Gray. I think it will make your house look like there is no roof at all. Too light. The Pewter is very traditional and would be on your house 20 years ago. A safe bet, for sure. But what will make the house look updated is the Earthblend — it takes in the house color, contrasts nicely with the cream trim, and holds the most promise for resale. If I were going to put a roof on your house, from scratch, Earthblend is the color I would choose.
Hope that helps. (Maybe invest in central air? A HUGE selling feature. 😉
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Wonderful, although one sentence confuses me. You are saying Earthblend for siding color? Unfortunately not an option 😦
No, sorry. Earthblend roof color is perfect for your tan siding color. Hope you like it.
I just edited. Hadn’t had my coffee yet. So sorry!
Hi Barbara,
Love your blog! I am replacing my shingles due to wear and tear and have to make a decision on the color of new shingles soon. As you can see in the pictures that I have emailed to you, it is a ranch style brick house with green roof, green shutters, and green front door. The brick is sort of light/pale orange-ish, some spots are darker than others, and it almost looks like it was lightly whitewashed a long time ago. The window trim and gutters are white. There are some white vinyl sidings around the front door. I love the color schemes of French houses and décor, muted colors, blue gray, etc., and I would love to paint the brick walls someday, maybe putty or pale gray. However, after spending thousands of dollars on new shingles, I don’t know how soon I can get the brick painted. So, my goal is to find a shingle color that will look great with the existing color of the brick for now (willing to pain the shutters and front door to go with new shingles) and that will also look great when the brick gets painted in the future. CertainTeed, GAF, and Corning are my options. I was going to go with a dark charcoal gray, but there are so many different shades to choose from, and I am so confused. I think Pewter (CertainTeed Landmark or GAF Timberline Natural Shadow) or Slate (CertainTeed Landmark or GAF Timberline Natural Shadow) may look good but not so sure because they look so different in pictures, on sunny days, and cloudy days. I think Timberline HD may be too busy because the brick is multi colored. What paint colors do you recommend for the shingles, shutters, and front door? I would love to hear your ideas.
Thank you for your help!
June
Hi June,
I mentioned the Colonial Slate before but it has a green undertone and a bit of a maroon fleck to it so let’s forget that one. The Moire Black is fine for the current red/orange brick, but it will be kind of dark if you paint the brick later to more of a French look.
I think the Pewter is a good choice that bridges the two house styles quite well. It has a slight blue undertone to it so I suggest changing the shutter/door color to a blue. Look at Ben Moore’s Newburyport Blue HC-155 or Hale Navy HC-154.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/newburyportblue
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/halenavy
Then for your new house, consider a light sandy hue — something like
Shaker Beige HC-45
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/shakerbeige
or
Annapolis Gray (exterior)
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/pm14
with a really fun, French shutter/door color. Something like
In the Twilight 1434
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/inthetwilight
That combo will look really good with creamy white trim and your roof and will give you a fresh and French feel to your home.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you! Those are really beautiful color options! I think the Pewter shingles would look great once the brick gets painted. I can picture it in my mind. The Pewter is a lighter gray compared to the Moire Black. Since the brick is a pretty light color too, there may not be much contrast between them. Do you think the Pewter would still work with the brick? When shingles cover a large area like entire roof, would the color tend to look darker or lighter than a small sample piece?
Hi June,
Well, you’re right about the lack of contrast between the current brick color and the Pewter. And when the shingles are on the roof and hit by direct sunlight, they can look quite light. You can see that in your sample photo.
Since you cannot go wrong with a dark charcoal roof color — no matter if you keep the brick or paint it — then I think you’ll be happiest with the dark Moire. It will look spectacular, but in a traditional way.
Frankly, I don’t see anything wrong with your current brick color. So it’s okay with me if you leave the house brick. Painting is a “never-going-back” proposition and it really works best on houses that have terrifically ugly brick. Yours is not one of them.
I think the darker roof and the contrast that it will provide may help you to like your brick more.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We’d love your help with choosing an exterior paint scheme for our home. It is an agrarian ranch style with both brick masonry walls as well as newer hardie board wide plank horizontal siding with a light grey metal roof. It is in a rustic area with oak trees and lots of light. The house is set down from the road and right now I feel like all you notice is this big expanse of grey roof…so I would like to draw the eye away from the roof. A cream/tone color seems too washed out with the roof and I have thought about going really dark for contrast and to draw attention away from roof but dark colors can also make a house appear smaller and with the big roof line and modest size of our set down home I am concerned about whether that might make the roof seem all the more pronounced. The windows are a dark iron mountain color.
Our style is fresh organic modern and we are planning to use a lot of native plants for our landscaping. I am going to send you several pictures of the exterior via email. I appreciate your help!
Hi Carrie,
As you know, your house has a few things going on — the roof overhang throws a shadow down over the siding so we can’t really see it very well, the roof is prominent (we know), and the bump-outs are chopping up the house and making it look smaller than it is.
So, my suggestion is to choose a warm color that will advance (cool colors recede) and “square up” the house so that the siding doesn’t seem so far under the roof overhang. Then I suggest painting the whole house that color, minus the dark windows, so that the dark window trim is essentially your trim color. The several layers of color around the window are also making the house appear smaller. Monochromatic color schemes are more modern as well.
Take a look at the Ben Moore yellow-golds, like Dorset Gold HC-8, the lighter Concord Ivory HC-12, and the more mellow Chestertown Buff HC-9.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/dorsetgold
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/concordivory
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/chestertownbuff
See if those colors are too warm for your locale. I think a sophisticated yellow-gold will make the roof color look like an accessory color (gray) and take away some of its current prominence — it kind of steals the show at the moment.
The golds would also go well with your brick out front. THEN, to make the house more modern, replace all lighting and metals with silver (chrome, nickel) in modern styles. I see the pendant by the door. It’s cottagey (which is fine, but not as modern as you might like).
See what you think of that idea. Hope if works for you, Carrie.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I need roof help! I have cream painted brick home. Currently has green shutters but I want to replace with custom wood shutters and black hardware and eventually a new wood entry door. Trying to choose between barkwood and weatherwood high definition architectural shingles. Any help appreciated. I am traveling but will email you picture once I get home.
Hi Elizabeth,
Weathered Wood is the perfect roof color for you as it will add some depth and texture to the house that “reads” beige from the street. The Barkwood is fine, but it is a little heavy for the house. For shutters/door, you can go with a stain (something like Burnt Hickory — but check actual stain samples against your roof sample if you’re trying to coordinate the browns). But you might also consider a smokey grape for your shutter color to pick up on your landscaping and add a little dash of the unexpected to the front of the house. See Shadow 2117-30 (Ben Moore). And use natural wood for your door since the smokey purple would be too dark for under that farmer’s porch overhang.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/shadow
http://www.cabotstain.com/colors-and-finishes/families/Semi-Transparent-Colors.html
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
I am pleased that I found your service. The roof was due to be replaced and now the gutters in back broke, so I am very quickly trying to get a new roof and gutters for my mom! I kindly need roof suggestions and color suggestions for I am terrified to goof it up, and my mother and I have vastly different tastes. She likes weathered wood and cream houses, I am into simplicity and time limits because I have my own house far away! However, the most important thing is to make mom happy with her roof and color scheme. Who knew it would mean so many more dilemmas and projects!? Currently the house and windows are painted all white. The old brown and grey roof color mix that is 30 years old and does not seem to exist anymore, this grey brown mix was to match the grey brick under the picture window that my mom says looks like cement, but is definitely stone, and the brown awnings, door and shutters. My mom wants me to paint the brick work white and has been asking for me to do that for years, so the brick work color is grey, but could be white.
We had thought to go with Timberline HD in Charcoal, we are close to Canada so do not worry about a hot house from the dark color. We drove around the neighborhood and found examples of black and white houses, what we loved and what we did not like at all. We thought to possibly take off the shutters, as we dislike shutters painted black, but are stuck on the awnings which are paintable with metal paint. Do we paint the awnings black? White? White with black on the end escalopes edges? Do you have other color suggestions? We do almost all of the work on the house ourselves, so that is why we went with easy white, plus the windows are new and white metal so we would definitely leave the trim white.
However, I have recently read that a black roof is a no no for a small house! Ugh! My mom’s is a little story and a half! So now we are vacillating between the Timberline HD roof colors Slate, Pewter Gray, weathered wood (my mom loved this on her last house but the last house had cream brick work that made the cream flecks in the shingle pop- her current house would need to be cream to do that I guess) and of course the charcoal that i was set on before i read that black was a no no for small houses. Here is the link for shibpngle colors:
http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential/Products/Shingles/Timberline/High_Definition?postal=55116&x=57&y=35#
We want to get away from the brown in the roof and go to a grey or black and paint the awnings, maybe paint the shutters or remove them.
Please any suggestion you have, plus your thoughts on our black and white idea on our small house would be appreciated.
I have sent you the photos. Please let me know if you need better photos! May I kindly request that as soon as you are available after receiving my payment would you respond? I must give an answer as to the roof color on this upcoming Monday in order to have the roof started on Wednesday. I thought I could solve this but am desperately confused and must start painting to finish before I must leave. I just want to make mom happy, and you certainly know more than I do! I am so pleased to have found your service, and by chance when I google roof suggestions!
Kind regards,
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Okay, I looked at all the photos and yes I LOVE the Tudor style white brick with the black roof/awning. BUT it really won’t work on your mom’s house because a) there are two other black and white houses in the neighborhood (one directly across the street); and b) the roof of your mom’s house takes up half of the front facade. A black roof would cut the house in half. It’s done (as you can see from the other black and white houses but it’s VERY traditional, predictable, and not where your mom’s house can go.
Having said that, here is another option:
Looking at the stonework on the front, I recommend keeping it. Painting it will not help. And you can use the stone for a palette:
Roof: Weathered wood — it will pick up on the stonework out front and create less of a contrast with the white.
No shutters.
Awnings painted something like Ben Moore’s Copley Gray HC-104
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/copleygray
And a front door that’s light and bright since it’s under the awning and always in the shadows. See Concord Ivory HC-12.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/concordivory
See what you mom thinks about that idea. Hope I’ve helped.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
Thank you for the wonderful website. I would like your advise on my new roof to be. I have a sage green siding, looks mostly grey to me but other people said they can see green. My house is a very small colonial with dark brown door and blue stone porch. I am considering colors from GAF Timberline’s Pewter grey, charcoal and slate. Which do you suggest? Other colors are welcome too.
Thank you very much
Sue
Hi Sue,
I would be happy to help you with your roof. Send me an email at bmeglis@yahoo.com and we’ll work from there. If you have a photo of the house, you can attach it to the email.
Thanks.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
Wow! I love it! Plus I just have to paint the door and awnings so I can get it done this week for my mom so she does not have an awkward house. It saves me from painting the brick which I was always hesitant to do, plus takes off the dated shutters for a ‘new’ look on an old house. Thank you for steering us away from the black roof for all of the reasons you stated above. I appreciate your invaluable input and know I will ask for your help as I work through the interior of my mom’s house! I will show your suggestions to my mother later today when she returns. She loves yellow but is always afraid to use it. Your Concord Ivory idea is sure to be a hit with her, plus although she is no longer in our childhood home, she again has the weathered wood roof that she so loved on our last house. It is a validation that her gut to always go with weathered wood for the singles was right. I also appreciate your prompt response. I was really in a pinch and you have sorted it all out. additionally, your customer service, dedication and detailed response shows how you looked through my emailed comments and thoughts and photos. we thought we could make the color choices for our house, but after two weeks of vacillating and being so sure than doubting what a lucky find I came across your blog while googling for help. Your service was amazing.
Thank you!
Kind regards,
Melissa
PS. I will post my mom’s comments when she gets home. I am sure she will love it.
Dear Barbara,
My mom loves it! As does my fashion savvy sister who pointed out that grey and yellow are hot colors now. We think your advice was the best $25 spent ever! I emailed the roofing company and said we are going with weathered wood!
Kindly, my mom wants to know if the front door should be eggshell, satin or high gloss as she is so thrilled with the Concord Ivory she wants it to be perfect. She had see Concord Ivory at the Benjamin Moore paint store and thought it was beautiful for a room in her house, she is tickled pink to have it on her door. Would you have a suggestion for the sheen of the paint for the front door?
We will have you pick the colors out for the interior of the house in the coming months. The house interior is the next project to tackle. You are amazing!
Kind regards,
Melissa
Hi Barbara,
We are about to replace our wood-shake roof with composition shingles, and would like color suggestions. Our house is a modified rancher (typical for this area) with beige-brick wainscotting and lighter sandy/beige paint, with white trim. The walkway is tan-and-gray pavers. I’ve included a link to a few photos of the house.
We are thinking of using Certainteed Presidential line of shingles, to mimic some of the dimensional look of wood shakes, and these shingles are common in our area for new builds and re-roofing. I had seen a neighbor’s house with “Chestnut” color shingles, on a tan-and-white house. It looked quite nice to me, and I was wondering what you think for our house. It is an unusual color for comp shingles – more typically I see various shades of gray. Another option would be the “Autumn Blend” in this line – this is really dark gray with a bit of brown. Would you suggest any other approach?
Thank you
– Gary
Hi Gary,
The roof colors you mentioned are fine with the house color –most all of the options are since the house is light and neutral, but with the darker colors, you run the risk of weighting down the roof of the house too much. Since the house is one story and quite horizontal in presentation, you don’t want a heavy dark line going across the top or the house will looks squished. (That’s a technical term…). So with that in mind, I like the Country Gray the best. It’s light and variegated — at least on the screen — and looks the most natural-shake-like to me.
I suggest getting a large sample so you can prop it up against the house color and make sure there’s enough beige in the roof to make the selection look intentional with your house color. I think it will look sensational.
If with your neutral house you are craving color, add LARGE colored pots with floral/greenery displays in addition to your landscape color. Large palms in big pots make a big splash.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you, Barbara. We had also considered Country Gray, and I have large samples from the roofer in hand for all the choices mentioned…and I can’t say we love any of it. The Country Gray has beige granules, but that color disappears from a distance, and we just see a slightly warmer (and lighter) gray. Though we like the variegated look, the gray-on-gray tone is too “industrial” for my tastes. It doesn’t end up looking natural-shake-like, unfortunately.
We can certainly consider other manufacturers’ lines; the roofer has suggested Owens-Corning Woodmoor or Woodcrest, or GAF Grand Sequoia or Grand Canyon, or possibly the GAF Timberline (not as “dimensional”, but less pricey), So many options! We could use a few more suggestions.
Many Thanks
– Gary
Okay, Gary. I will take another look. Glad you got the large sample– critical. Back in a little bit.
Hi Gary,
I am away from my office so the computer screen is less than optimal, but check out these options:
GAF Grand Sequoia Mesa Brown
OR
GAF Grand Canyon Stonewood
Owens Corning Oakridge Brownwood
Your original choices are very similar, Gary. The brown, highly dimensional shingle should work quite well. It will give you as close to a wood-look as you can get with this type of shingle. But again, the large samples are key.
I will be back at my office by Wednesday (if you can wait). But check out the options above.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara,
Photos have been sent via email. We’re looking to replace the roof for our home that has predominately red brick in the front with beige siding and brick around the side and back. Most homes in our area seem to have shingles that have brown of some sort in the color but in driving around we do see red brick homes with black/dark grey shingles as well. We want CertainTeed Landmark shingles and have been looking at Heather Blend and Weathered Wood. We’ve been leaning slightly toward Heather Blend but Weathered Wood seems to be a pretty popular color. Just looking for another opinion and to make sure we’re not way off base.
Thanks very much,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Sorry for the delay.
Although the Heather Blend is okay with the brick, it actually may go TOO well, making the house too warm and without contrast.
Check out Driftwood. Or Georgian Gray. See if either of those offers a warm gray alternative to the brown. And see how you like having some contrast with the roof.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
Just sent you three images of our new england farmhouse and garage with some additional description of stone, brick, paint color names, etc – very much looking forward to your guidance!
We are replacing the ancient strip shingles, which are an old colonial slate color mix (includes some red flecks along with the black, greys and green). We are staying with asphalt and think we have narrowed it down to GAF Timberline in either slate or weathered wood. We really are struggling with HD or Natural Shadow, and have looked at sample boards on the roof but cannot get a feel for how it will look when the whole field is covered.
Do you see a solution in that or would you advise differently altogether in terms of color and definition?
Thanks! T&S
Hi T&S,
To preserve the overall look of your wonderful farmhouse, my goal is to make the house and the roof look like they belong together. The HD roof style just smacks of updated, contemporary styling so I eliminated it. And you’re right. The slate doesn’t look like real slate and honestly I think the color might be too green. The Weathered Wood is okay, but a bit overdone and again, I think the color might not be right. Too light and not enough contrast.
My favorite is the Charcoal Natural Shadow. It is soft, traditional, and I think appropriate for the age of your house and the kinds of roof colors they had back then. My second choice would be Pewter but sometimes, depending on the roof line, the pewter can have a blue undertone. You would want gray pewter — like the metal.
If you do want to stick with the Slate option and you are comfortable with an overall green (not too green) roof color, I would go with the Natural Shadow instead of the HD. I think you’ll be much happier. With your house style, the idea is to make everything look aged — softer, blended, without calling attention to a particular element, like the roof.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I need help picking shingles for a house with pinkish brick, trim is like a slate blue, windows and garage doors are cream colour. I am looking at CertainTeed Landmark Shingles, either Pewter which apparently has a lot of blue in it or Driftwood which has a lot of brown in it. I will email you a photo but the brick looks a lot pinker with the sun on it, Of course, a cloudy day today. Any help you could give me?
Hi Elaine,
The Pewter blue will only bring out more pink so I suggest the Driftwood. But another suggestion is to paint out the blue trim the same color as your current garage doors. And the same for the front door/sidelights. Once the blue is gone, your house will look less pink. Then you might paint your garage doors something like Ben Moore’s Silver Fox
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/silverfox
That color too should make the house look less pink.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
The pewter is a grey with a bluish tinge, still go with the Driftwood brown?
Hi Elaine,
It’s the blue I’m concerned about, not so much the gray. You could try a darker gray (either the Charcoal or Moire Black) if you’d like gray. Just not one with a blue undertone. The Driftwood is very forgiving, however, and it seems to go with almost everything. But get LARGE samples, prop them up against your brick, stand back at the street, and have a look. You’ll know instantly which one is best.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara, I had remailed you before asking for help on what color shingle to get for my brick home and you recommended Peppermill Grey. What color vents and chimney Flashings do you recommend? My choices are black or a silvery grey that is kind of shiny. I have white gutters and white trim. Please advise. Thank you Beth Baechle
________________________________
Hi Beth,
Silver grey. That will blend with the white trim best.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, charcoal is not available in my area even though I wanted a dark grey, so will go with the driftwood, thanks
Okay Elaine. It should be fine!
Hi Barbara,
I emailed you photos of the house I am purchasing The house is a traditional 1950s blonde brick ranch in a little resort town in Michigan a few blocks from Lake Michigan.
To me, the brick looks orange-ish. The realtor went over to take a close-up shot of the brick, and said it’s almost exactly the color of the dogs you see in the backyard photo.
I will replace the roof this year and am in quandary as to what color would look good. The roofer uses CertainTeed shingles
http://www.certainteed.com/products/roofing/residential
and I can choose any color or style, even the architectural 3-D shingles. The color selection is for zip code 49417.
I originally was thinking of going with a medium gray roof (the grout is gray) like Colonial Slate, but now I’m thinking something in a brown. Or maybe a gray-brown like Weathered Wood or Driftwood. There are so many brown and gray colors…..some warm, some cool.
On another post, you mentioned that you don’t like too much color variation on the roof of a brick house. I agree..…it would look too busy.
The area under the roof needs repainting. I’m game for painting any or all trim, doors, etc. Should I ditch the shutters?
The detached garage doors are vinyl I believe and I don’t know if they can be painted. Probably can.
I want the house to look sleek (not chopped up) and classy, if possible. I can’t think of the right adjectives. Maybe simple and understated, but classy. It’s in a beach town, but I can’t go with a beach-y theme because of the brick, but that’s okay.
I am across the country right now and can’t run over to re-look at exact colors, so I hope the photos give you enough information.
I will probably also want to re-landscape over time, and want to replace some or most of the grass with native ground cover. And go for native low-maintenance flowers and bushes, etc.
Thanks so much!
Bonnie K
Hi Bonnie,
I like Driftwood for your roof — it will calm the brick a bit. Then for the garage (if you can paint it), consider Ben Moore’s Briarwood, a taupe that again will cool the brick.
http://www.benjaminmooreonline.com/2596.html
For the soffit and other trim, look at Edgecomb Gray (HC-173) — the lighter color will brighten up the area under the overhang and coordinate with your grout color. You could paint the garage doors Edgecomb as well.
As for the shutters, try the Briarwood. I think you might like that — but leave the shutters off the large picture windows. No need. Only on the double-hungs.
For landscaping, add lots of creams and maybe some dark purple instead of the red. With the orange brick, you have the “heat” covered already. Purples will give you contrast and energy. The whites will calm.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
After a recent West Texas hail storm we will have the opportunity to change out a 30 year old wood shake roof. Due to the cost, we will probably stick with a GAF Timberline 30 year shingle. Here is a link to a picture of the house with a close up of the brick which has an unusual greenish stain on some of the bricks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/91165958@N03/).
Because it is a mansard roof (very prominent) we are very concerned about making a mistake on the roof color. We have considered black and charcoal, but are afraid that black might be too stark. We are leaning toward the charcoal, but are open to ideas.
We would appreciate your opinion as we do not want to make a big design mistake. I think every roofing company should hire your services for everyone of their customers. It would be a small cost to them and a huge benefit to the customers. Picking a roof color is a daunting decision! -Armand
Hi Armand,
In terms of color, I looked at Weathered Wood — very nice, but probably too busy with your brick. You would also lose some of the Mansard roof look because the roof would blend with the siding. Charcoal is close to your current roof color but colder — it lacks the warmth of the wood. Have you considered Barkwood? It’s dark enough to contrast with your brick, maintain the Mansard roof look, and warm up the house. In that particular roofing line, Barkwood is my first choice.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you, Barbara. We had not considered Barkwood. I did up a very rough rendition of what the Barkwood might look like. Please take a look and see if this is what you had in mind (http://www.flickr.com/photos/91165958@N03/). I used the Barkwood image on the Timberline site to quickly fill in the roof. Its a bit rough, but should give a rough idea. -Armand
Hi Armand,
Your renditions are exactly what I pictured. I still like the Barkwood best. It is warmer than the Charcoal but it offers more contrast than the Weathered Wood (my second choice).
Hope that helps.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I added Weathered Wood. -Armand
Dear Barbara,
I need help deciding what color to get for roofing shingles. We have a terra cotta color brick ranch house with a low pitch roof.Our roofer uses Certainteed shingles. I saw Colonial Slate max def. on a brick house that I liked but that had more red in the brick. I am open to any suggestions. I will email pictures…thank you in advance.
Donna Cochrane
Hi Donna,
Although gray will definitely work on your house (similar to what you have now), have you seen Certainteed’s Shenandoah?
http://stpaulroofing.com/Certainteed-Landmark-Impact-Resistant-Shingles.aspx
It is a mixture of grays and browns with some lighter golds and it would give your house a different look. It too is max def.
Georgetown Gray is a fall-back choice. I’m not crazy about the Colonial Slate as it has quite a bit of maroon in it — and it will not go with the terra cotta brick as well.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barb,
Shenandoah is nice but out of our price range. Do you think Heather Blend is a similar color? I’m not sure if it’s dark enough. I’m still keeping Georgetown Grey in mind. It’s a choice of which would look better…dark brown or grey…thanks..
Donna
Hi Donna,
I like the Georgetown Grey — with nickel metal for lights, etc. Heather Blend is okay, but it’s a bit matchy.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
So glad to find your site. I just paid on PayPal. My contractor is wanting an answer on roof color tomorrow and I only have samples of GAF weathered wood and slate. I live in Connecticut.
My house is yellow with white trim and shutters. I am going for an old farmhouse look. I think I want a roof that’s a warm brownish grey. I’m interested in possibly Weathered Wood, Slate, Mission Brown or Teak. Weathered Wood seems too light and Charcoal seems too dark. I think Barkwood may be too brown. I may change the siding to a cheerier yellow. (I’ll send an example of a house I like and a picture of how my house is now)
I have some brick but I don’t like it and may paint it white or give it a white-washed weathered look. The house was built in 1982 w/o overhangs on gables and I am going to add those. Was thinking of 10 – 12 inches with returns. Will add white railing and round posts to front porch and possible add medium natural wood door. (the house used to be a fake tudor with brown siding and no shutters). So far I’ve painted it yellow. Some of the trim still needs to be changed to white. The garage doors are yellow now but may change to carriage style white doors with windows along top.
I plan on keeping clapboard style siding b/c I don’t really want a cottage style house. I’d like it to be simple and cheery and not look like it’s new construction. I’d like it to look like it’s been around for a while. I’m going to change the roofing shape over the box window to be more attractive as well. The roofing will probably show on the tops of the returns (not sure if I’m using the right terminology – – I mean the part of the overhang than turns toward the center) Not sure if that will make it look too modern.
I live on a cul-de-sac with many types of houses (capes, colonials, raised ranches, contemporaries). The house next to me is a blue dutch colonial and across the street is a modern grey colonial. Kiddy corners is a traditional white colonial.
I wonder which roof color you recommend, whether I should have it installed on the overhang “returns”, whether I should paint the brick white and if you think a medium natural wood color door would be nice.
I am also trying to decide whether to have wider plain white trim around windows or have white shutters.
Thanks so much!! (I’ll email the pictures)
Joan
Hi Joan,
Have you seen the Owens Corning Oakridge Shingles in Peppermill Gray?
http://lowes.owenscorning.com/homeowner/products/roofing-shingles/oakridge-ar/artisan-colors—peppermill-gray/
The roof is a mixture of grays and browns and would give you the contrast you’re looking for in the roof but cannot find with the lighter roof colors like Weathered Wood. Charcoal is probably the truest color for an old farmhouse, but it looks a little flat these days with so many other roof options out there. But that would be my second choice.
As for the overhang and return, great idea. Shingling the return is a good idea as well if there is substantial horizontal area to cover. It will protect it and add much-needed architecture to the side of your house.
You might consider adding a gable vent for something additional to look at up there (even if you don’t need a real one). Use wide white trim.
I like the idea of widening the window trim all around and eliminating the white shutters. If you use shutters at all, I think black or very dark green would be ideal.
I love the solid medium-toned wood door idea and the white carriage-style garage doors. Be sure to switch out the lighting to black wrought-iron and enlarge a bit if you can.
As for the brick, I think painting it white might call attention to it, especially by the garage doors. Also if the brick is white, the garage doors will get a little lost. I suggest either a) siding over the brick to match the clapboards above (yellow); or b) painting the brick the siding color (yellow). That will blend the brick with the siding above and all you’ll notice will be the striking white doors and the black hardware.
Great project! Lots to do. But you have excellent taste and plans and I can’t wait to see the after photos!
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks so much Barbara! Your help is invaluable. I’m currently looking for a house with the Peppermill Grey roof installed so that I can see it an decide. So glad I asked you about the brick. I didn’t even think of that.
Hi there, we have a 60 year old house (in Australia) and it has a red metal roof. What colour should we paint the exterior of the house to compliment the red roof. The house has not been painting for many years and the colour it is at the moment is cream and dark green trimmings. I want to paint it a modern colour but not sure which way to go. Would be very happy if you could suggests some ideas. I was thinking maybe light grey and dark grey trimmings but the house has safety screens doors that are cream, would this matter?
Thanking you
Susan
Hi Susan,
How about a taupe (something like Ben Moore’s Briarwood — if you have access to that) with cream trim. The cream will take care of your screen doors and will serve as a nice bridge between the taupe and the red roof. A neutral is a must for the siding as the red roof is quite prominent.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Do you also pick colors for the house exterior walls ? We have a good roof, just need something to match. Thanks
Yes, Mike. Exterior and interior.
Hope to hear from you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello!
We recently had a leak in our roof and are in the process of replacing it entirely. Luckily it was due to wind damage, so our insurance has covered the cost. We have the choice of any roof colors within the Timberline HD line. We have somewhat narrowed it down to the following (pending that you do not have other recommendations)–>grey, slate or weathered wood as options.
The problem that we are running into is that we plan to update the siding within the next year as well (currently a wood siding, that is worn out). The exterior of our home is brick, stucco, wood siding and trim to match. Was hoping that you could recommend how to “tie it all together”….which color of roof would you recommend and what color/type of siding? We live a bit out in the country, and like more of a natural/rustic feel.
Appreciate your help!!
Hi Jen,
Have you considered Barkwood for the roof color? It’s darker than the Weathered Wood but very nice with your brick.
The Weathered Wood is also fine. I wasn’t crazy about the gray (too blue) or the slate (too green). I like the natural browns with your brick.
As for the siding color, you might consider something like Fairview Taupe (Ben Moore HC-85). Again it goes well with the brick and contrasts with the warmer brick colors.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/fairviewtaupe
But I think a contrasting trim would highlight the interesting architectural features of your house better than a blending trim. (I do like to do the garage door in either the siding color or a couple of shades one way or the other.)
Here’s a trim suggestion for windows and all other trim: Sail Cloth (Ben Moore PM-21)
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/pm21
See what you think. Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We are two of the many people who need to provide their builder with an answer in a few days. We are building a modern farmhouse. Exterior is white board and batten. Roof shingles we would like to use are Landmark Moire Black. We are looking at using a Buechel stone called Fond du lac in Heritage Blend for the chimney chase (http://www.houzz.com/photos/1840461/Fond-du-Lac-Heritage-Blend-details). We can’t decide on a color for the PAC-CLAD metal accent for porch roof and above dormers. We prefer not to do the Matte Black (surface sheen is too dull) and think the Dark Bronze will be too brown next to the black shingles. The roofer does not have a sample of Midnight Bronze for us to compare to the shingles, so he suggested a Firestone color called Extra Dark Bronze. Now we are considering a PAC-CLAD metallic color such as Silver or Zinc. It might provide the modern look we desire. What metal accent color would you suggest? Will the stone we selected work with the Silver or Zinc or is there a better option for the chimney chase? I will email you the PDF of the exterior of our house and submit payment.
Hi Diane,
I like the metallic contrast with the roof if you’re going for a modern look. The contrast will certainly make the roof accents stand out against the black shingles. The stone you’re looking at may be a little too beige/gold for the Zinc roof although it does go with the Silver (at least on paper). There are warm grays in the stone and the Silver is warm compared to the cool Zinc.
You might take a look at this Country Squire stone option that appears to go well with both Silver and the blue undertone in the Zinc.
http://www.buechelstone.com/shoppingcart/products/Chilton-Country-Squire.html
This stone has less variegation of color tones within the sample. The more monochromatic stone will make the house look more modern. Traditional homes tend to have a mix of natural stones — more like the Heritage Blend.
Make SURE you get actual samples of roof, stone and metal and see the ACTUAL colors before making the final decision. Don’t let the contractor push you into making a decision you are unsure about.
Hope that helps.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you. That makes perfect sense and will be very helpful!
oh good. Thanks for posting, Diane.
Hi Barbara, I need to select colors for the exterior walls of my rental units. The roof will be the same .Here is the property picture. Can you help me with the color for the walls ? Thank you, Mike
Hi Barbara,
I need help choosing exterior colors for roofing and siding. We are building a new, traditional center-hall colonial with some Federal elements in western Maine. We also have a modest portico in the design, but may leave it out. A portico is welcoming, but we’re concerned it may appear too formal. The house sets in a rural area, facing mostly south, up against some tall pine trees.
I’m leaning toward painting the house a soft yellow, nothing too pale or bright–similar to the Faded Yellow color that appeared in a California Paints (Andover, MA company) brochure years ago. Possibly dark green for the door. Trim would be white.
Here’s our dilemma: We have been looking at roof shingle colors in the CertainTeed, GAF and Owens Corning lines for weeks now, and nothing seems right. (My husband is shingling the roof himself.) We have mostly been trying the gray tones, but have been unable to find a nice medium gray that doesn’t look too blue or have too much definition. We don’t like high definition shingles; we’d rather the emphasis be on the house, not the roof. We could go with with either 3-tabs or architectural; the 3-tabs seemed fine, but the color choice is somewhat limited. I don’t want anything too dark or too light. Because of the house style, I don’t mind the shingle having a bit of a weathered look, but we didn’t care for the GAF Weathered Gray at all, and Weathered Wood seems so brownish, although I know it’s popular.
(Adding to the dilemma is the idea that we may want to have a white house with green shutters, but it may be asking too much to decide on a shingle that would be appropriate for both a yellow and a white house.)
Could you recommend a specific color scheme for roof, (yellow) siding and front door? Thoughts on leaving the portico in the design? Please help!
Barbara
Hi Barbara,
I can take another look, but the best roof for both yellow and white on a traditional, Federal style home is really a dark charcoal. I like the Certainteed Landmark Moire Black and Charcoal Black and you might notice that the darker colors (especially the black) are less “variegated” in appearance and more uniform in color. The medium-toned roof colors (like Weathered Wood) have a lot of color variation and they look too new for a traditional home in Western Maine.
If you are trying to make your new house look like it’s been there awhile, then I would suggest reconsidering the darker shades for the roof. Here in New England, dark charcoal and black are prevalent.
As for house color, white always works. But for yellow, look at Philadelphia Cream (Ben Moore HC-30) as one option. It’s not quite as yellow as many options and might blend better into your wooded environment. Just one thought there. See what you think.
You might consider black shutters but a green door like Ben Moore’s Caldwell Green HC-124. Traditional but with a twist.
Hope that helps. If you really do not want charcoal/black for a roof color, then I’ll be happy to spin the roof color wheel again for another option. But I’ve given you my best suggestion up front.
As for the portico, I think it’s not only architecturally appropriate for the house style — even in rural Maine — but practical for guests who are standing on the front door step in the rain. I’m all for it.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara, I am so grateful for all of this advice. I feel re-energized about the project now and feel better moving forward.
Interestingly, Moire Black is the color we’d started out with. It seemed too dark to me, but we will definitely revisit this, as well as the Charcoal Black. Given the softer house color I was aiming for, I was afraid the Moire Black would dominate the house. Initially I was thinking something with the same color value might be more appropriate….is there any validity to that idea?
Hi again Barb,
With regard to a roof color dominating the siding color, that is particularly important to avoid with roof pitches that make the roof quite prominent. We see prominent roof pitch in many modern homes, Capes, gambrels. In those cases, we blend roof color with siding so we don’t cut the house in half visually.
But on your colonial roof, we won’t see a lot of it anyway so the contrast is perfectly fine, and in my book, encouraged.
Hope that clarifies.
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara, I just posted a question regarding our new colonial house, but should have added that we have also looked at IKO shingles and have a sample board for that as well. Also, if it helps, the house is surrounded by numerous softwood and hardwood trees. I like the idea of a yellow house and would like your thoughts on that, but if you have an additional thought for a color scheme –possibly one that blends in better–I’m open to it. Thank you so much for any light you can shed on this decision.
Barb
Hi there,
Want to first start off by saying I was so pleased to see this when searching the web for ideas, what a fabulous thing you have here! See we have a huge problem on our hands as of a week ago when we got a new roof. We thought it was going to be a grayish color but it turns out to have a real greenish tint to it and the house is taupe! It is frankly disastrous! The roof looks like it belongs on another house. Look forward to hearing back from you with suggestions. We are open to anything at this point. I will email you pictures.
Thanks.
Gretchen
Hi Gretchen,
It’s not horrible, but we need to make it look intentional. If you can manage a paint job on the siding, consider a lighter neutral from the stonework — something like Ben Moore’s Shaker Beige
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/shakerbeige (HC-45)
or Edgecomb Gray (HC-173)
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/edgecombgray.
Then pull the roof color into the accent color for doors/garage door.
See Gray Pinstripe 1588
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/graypinstripe.
Then pull it in further with some verdigris lighting.
https://www.google.com/search?q=verdigris+exterior+lighting&client=firefox-a&hs=j2Q&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=1vFnU4-vI4KiyASo5YLQCQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1172&bih=602
That should solve the problem nicely. Hope it helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
You are absolutely fabulous! Such quick turnaround! I am so excited to try the new colors on the house! And I would have never thought to use the colors you suggested, I was looking at all green tinted colors thinking I needed to match the roof. I truly love the verdigris lighting idea! I’ve never seen this type of lighting before, so beautiful. I just have one final question–would you use the Gray Pinstripe for the trim around windows and gutters too? I really love what you have going here, such a great way to help those who are clueless when it comes to this type of stuff. You have set my mind at ease, I no longer have to agonize about this anymore 🙂 Thank you so much for your expertise!!! I will email you pictures of the house when we get it completed. Have a great rest of your week!
Hi again Gretchen,
Along with the Pinstripe (that looks a little on the blue side), check out Amherst Gray HC-167 for your accent. I’m trying to pull a color from the roof. See if either of these two colors works.
Benjamin Moore amherst gray HC-167
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/amherstgray
Then after you have the perfect shade (let me know if you need another option — I’m working off a computer screen but I think one of these will be perfect), paint the doors and the windows.
I would paint the gutters the fascia color, which I would keep the same as the house color.
I did not choose a green for the siding because we want to make your house look bigger and not chopped in half at the waist. I selected a color that is in your stonework.
Spreading the roof color around as an accent will make the color choice look intentional. And I think you’ll be fine!!
Not to worry.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hey there,
I need some advice about a shingle color for my house. (I will send pictures to your email.) My roofer is going to put IKO Cambridge architectural shingles on my craftsman style home http://www.iko.com/products/architectural/cambridge/ due to storm damage. I need help with what color shingles will work best. I currently have a light brown roof with beige siding and white trim. However, the light brown shingles really show algae growth on one side of my home. It becomes very noticeable after a few years, and I end up having to use chemical to remove it. (I included a picture of the dark black streaks on the garage. These streaks were also on the roof of the house but I worked harder to remove them from the house than I did on the garage because it was much more noticeable on the house.) The Cambridge shingles are algae resistant , but I thought a darker color would work better to hide the eventual algae growth. However, I do not want to use a color that is too dark or won’t go with the color scheme of my home. I want something that will blend in and not stick out like a sore thumb. I am going to have to live with this decision for a long time, and I don’t want to make the wrong one.
After looking at samples, I am thinking that the earth tone cedar is too light for my taste. I am leaning toward driftwood or dual brown but I am open to any suggestions. I think my beige siding pulls more brown than gray so I am worried about the driftwood. My other hesitation about the driftwood is that triangle under the roof on the garage and house (I have no idea what it is called). It’s a brown (that has been bleached out by the sun) that may not look good with the driftwood. Also, worried the algae will be more noticeable on the driftwood in few years. My worry about the dual brown is that it is too dark and will stick out like that sore thumb I mentioned. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I have a few more questions about the exterior of my home. 1) Do you want your rocking chairs on your front porch to match your siding or your trim? 2) Would you ever put shutters on this house? If so, do you put them only on the front or on the front and sides? 3) If you would put shutters up, what color do you suggest? 4) The front door is beige too. Keep it or paint it? Feel free to share any other suggestions you may have. Any and all feedback is welcomed.
(Please note that I just divided the ferns on the porch and they will grow much larger throughout the season. I also have large planters that go on either side of the garage but they are not out for the season yet. The tiny pots are just out there getting my lilies some sunshine but they do not belong there on a normal basis.)
I am so excited to hear what you have to say. I have enjoyed reading your blog.
Thanks,
Stacy
Hi Stacy,
I do like both Driftwood and Weathered Wood with your stonework and house, BUT to be on the safe side and camouflage any future black streaks from algal growth, I recommend the Dual Brown. It will look wonderful with the house (perhaps a bit darker than optimal) but certainly not too dark. And it should help to hide future staining.
As for the rocking chairs, they should be trim color OR an accent color to show up against the house. Since your windows show “black,” I suggest white chairs.
In terms of adding shutters, you already have a lot to look at with the stonework and pillars and I would not recommend adding shutters. Your double windows are big enough — no need to add more width and cover up the siding. And with no shutters on the front, I would not add them to the side either. Your house looks terrific shutter-less.
Try Ben Moore’s Georgian Brick for your front door. http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/georgianbrick
It will tie in the brick on the front step and add that welcoming red punch. If that is too warm to add to your already warm color palette, cool it down with Cromwell Gray in a high gloss finish. http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/cromwellgray
You might consider adding another porch light to the right of the front door. That way, when they’re on at night, the look is symmetrical.
Everything else looks great!
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara, we need your help on shingle colors for our house. We live in a ranch style home in Denver, Colorado. Our home was built in 1952 and added onto in 1999. It is a red brick house with black shutters and a beige trim. ( I am sending pictures). Our existing roof was damaged by hail and so we are in the market for a new roof. Our roofing company pointed out that the existing color of our shingles (a light gray Tampko shingle from the late 1990s) dated the house. We agree. He suggested GAF Timberline Charcoal. We want a more updated, and yet traditional style, but were concerned if a black shingle would be too severe for our house. We didn’t want the shingle to compete with or overwhelm the pretty red brick. Our roof does not have a high pitch so you don’t see tons of roof on our house, so who knows maybe the Charcoal would be just perfect. Another idea that we think we like is a dark gray from Owens Corning called Estate Gray (darker than what we have but not quite black like the Timberline Charcoal). We are totally open to suggestions. Please help! 🙂
Thanks,
Jim
Hi Jim,
Have you considered Timberline’s Barkwood?
Since you have warm brick with dark red/brown and orange plus a taupe siding color, I think the dark brown would pull the color palette together. Dark charcoal is my second choice as it ties in all your wrought iron metal. Either should work. But I don’t like the lighter grays — they go with the concrete but that’s about it.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara,
I’m in a lucky position to be getting new roof and new siding at the same time!!! 🙂
I have a dutch colonial (built in 1943) that currently has a green roof, white siding & green shutters. I’d love a new and more modern look but still retain the home’s vintage appeal. I am also having the front stoop reworked to get rid of the metal posts and add back white pillars, and the side porch screen taken down and a more classic white rail built. I just had new replacement windows installed so I am tied to white as the trim color.
I am completely confused on the roof color. I realize with the roof showing the way it does if I don’t pick the right color it will look horrible!!
I am wanting a neutral color but something that looks fresh & maybe a bit unique if that makes sense. I love gray houses & I keep leaning toward light gray or a medium cape cod gray for the siding but then what for the roof?? I would be open to other neutral colors for siding though. My roofer wants to use Certainteed Landmark. I live in the midwest (harsh summers) so people are telling me black is not the best choice & I also think it will “cut” my house in half.
I’d love to hear your ideas on siding, roof color, door color (my daughter wants a plum door, lol)
I am going to email a picture of my house to you.
Thanks so much!
Anna
Hello,
I bought a house on a lake in upstate NY. I am putting a new roof on the house and detached garage. I am putting certainteed landmark architectural shingles on the roof. The house has light yellow vinyl siding with dark green shutters. Currently there are light brown shingles on it ( I will send pictures). Would you be able to recommend a few colors that you would look good and wear well ( NY winters, a lot of trees). Next I need to replace and paint the doors to freshen up the outside. Thank you!
Hi Nicole,
How about Certainteed Landmark’s Max Definition Shenandoah?
http://www.certainteed.com/products/roofing/residential/308956
Looks really good with both siding and shutters.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello, we are putting a new roof on our house, using Owens-Corning Woodmoor shingles. The contractor thinks we should put a brown roof on. He suggested Autumn Maple, but I think that’s too light. I think a black or gray roof is better. Our brick is dark red with some blue streaks in it. The siding is a grayish brown, kind of like a gray putty.
What do you suggest? Hopefully, this link will get you to the color options: http://www.owenscorning.com/roofing/browse-shingles/
Thanks,
Carol
Hi Carol,
I like what you have currently — so the Woodmoor Mesquite works for me. I agree bout the Autumn Maple. It’s too light and too busy for your predominately brick house. The Mesquite has less variegation so it will coordinate better with the brick.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am in the process of getting a new roof and I have to make a decision today about the color. It’s basically a tan/dark chocolate(in a few bricks) brick house with cream siding. It doesn’t have any black in the brick but its a dark chocolate brown in a few of the bricks, but primarily tans. Would black walnut or rustic black from this website http://www/tamko.com/shinglecolors/Heritagemap/heritage-Ok-AR be
the right color?
Please let me know as soon as you can.
Thanks so much for your help,
Laura
Is there anyway you can answer me at this time. They are ready to order the color?
Thanks so much,
Laura Cromley
Just answered. Hope it’s in time. Sorry I’ve been staging all day. 😦
Hi Laura,
Not sure if I’m in time (sorry about that). But Black Walnut is a warm black that should coordinate well with your brick color and certainly contrast well with the cream siding.
Hope that helps!
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Thank you so much for replying. I just sent you pics of the brick.
I didn’t realize that I needed to do that. Can you please look at
the pics and confirm that the Black Walnut will indeed be the
best color now that I’ve sent you the brick colors.
Thanks so much,
Laura
Hi Laura,
I apologize for the delay — I don’t know how I missed your photo. Yes to the Black Walnut if you haven’t already installed it. Hope you love it!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I’m in the process of replacing my roof and need some advice about the shingle color. I already sent you the pictures to your email. Our roofer is recommending IKO Cambridge architectural shingles but they also use Tamko shingles. Our house has a taupe/brownish brick with grayish/brownish shutters and I’m having hard time deciding on the shingle color. The salesperson recommended IKO Dual Black but I think this color would compete with the brick. Do you think Driftwood could work with the brick or do you recommend any other colors? Also, do you have any recommendations about whether to change the color of the shutters? I know that you’re busy but I need an answer tomorrow if possible.
Thank you,
Eli
Hi Eli,
I like the Tamko Rustic Black as it has a little warmth to it but there’s adequate contrast between the roof and the brick. In the IKO line, I think the Driftwood might be too similar to the brick in terms of tone. More contrast needed. Either the Dual Brown or Dual Black would work.
For shutters, check out Vintage Wine (Ben Moore 2116-20).
Benjamin Moore vintage wine 2116-20
Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
My husband and I decided to stain our suburban Massachusetts 1980s, contemporary home the same color it’s been for many years – Cape Cod Gray from Cabot. This solid stain color reads tan, not gray, to me.
We’ll soon need a new roof and our options are CertainTeed Landmark, GAF Timberline HD, and Tamko Heritage. I do NOT like the “busy-ness” of most of today’s architectural shingles and think they oppose the simple lines of the house. GAF’s Timberline HD Mission Brown is supposed to give a contemporary look (I think), but I don’t even know what color family I should be looking at.
The front of the house faces north, making the recessed entry dark at certain times of the year. I “missed” with the particular red I chose for the front door, and will look for some other color when I repaint next spring (purple family?). Also, the Cabot Dune Gray window trim will be replaced with Cabot Pepperwood, which I think goes with the Cape Cod Gray wood siding much better.
Please help with roofing choices given the options mentioned above. Many thanks!!
Hi Joanie,
Take a look at Weathered Wood in all three roof lines. Also Driftwood in the Certainteed. And Aged Wood in Tamko. Any of those should work beautifully. Don’t worry about the “busy-ness” of the architectural style. Your house is very well suited for the new contemporary roof. As for a door, consider something more like Brickstone or even Plum Island (in the Cabot line). The only shade of red that really doesn’t work is the candy-apple red (too traditional for your house).
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Your advice is invaluable!! Can’t tell you how much time and headache you saved me. I especially like the Tamko Aged Wood you suggested because it looks a bit lighter and cooler than other browns. I can’t wait to see a sample. Thanks for your help!
You’re welcome!! Thanks for posting.
Hello Barbara
We are replacing a roof need help with colors, I am sending picture that
will show layout of home and brick color. With the double garage and door being light in color and brick being a red orange I am thinking a darker roof would be better. Looking at IKO Cambridge Patriot driftwood
and weather wood. am I wrong? I want the best for the small house.
Picture to follow. Thank you Christine Derringer
Hi Christine,
Yes I think the Driftwood (with your current trim color — garage doors/shutters) will be perfect. Good choice. The Weathered Wood has more green in it and won’t go as well with the trim color. You’re all set!
Thanks for posting.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello. I really need some help picking out a roof and siding color. My home has a multicolored brick. The brick is reddish orange, black and white. The saufit is a beige and windows are white. These elements can’t be changed but because of a storm we need a new roof and paint job and I’m hoping to make the exterior come together. We currently have weathered wood shingles. With the brick being so busy I was thinking I need a more solid color roof. Black or charcoal? Or maybe a brown with some red orange mix to match the brick? I’m not sure if black would look ok with beige saufit. I was thinking a lighter paint color to soften things up. Maybe two shades lighter than the saufit. Thoughts, suggestions or pictures. PLEASE HELP!!! I will email the picture.
Hi Kris,
I do like the soffit/facia color for your siding. That will lighten up the area, particularly under the covered porch where it’s so dark.
Then paint the soffits and facia the same white color as the columns out front. That will also lighten your house up.
You don’t have much brick really. It’s not bad and there’s not enough of it to really be too busy. And I do like the weathered wood color — it’s not as hot looking as the charcoal. Also take a look at Owens Corning’s Teak. (attached). I don’t really think there’s enough black in the brick to warrant a black roof. But you can check it out. Get samples and stand them up next to your brick against the garage. And see which you like better.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We purchased our home approximately five years ago and are looking to start making improvements to the exterior of our home. As you can see from the e-mailed photographs, the brick is a brown tone with grey mortar. The trim is grey with black shutters. We are debating changing the trim color to cream and possibly leaving the shutters black or changing to a sage green. Our first concern is the roof color. We are trying to make a decision between a Timberline Charcoal and Weatherwood shingle. We are looking for any insight you may have as to what color combination to use especially as it relates to the roof color. Thanks!
ML
Hi ML,
I eliminated the Weathered wood shingle as it tends to have a yellow/green undertone and your brick looks brown with a pink undertone. I looked at Mission Brown as an option but it would mean a lot of blending brown and very little contrast. So the best choice appears to be Charcoal. Although it’s a lot of roof for black, the contrast will be very traditional and quite lovely with the rest of your house. I would definitely switch up the trim to a brighter tone — cream (Check out Ben Moore’s Sailcloth). But keep the black shutters.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, we are currently building a home with siding in pewter and trim in seal as like that picture via email except the garage door will be in dark brown wood color. We are stuck between natural timber or thunderstorm grey color for the roof? Please let me know and thank you for expertise!
Hi Angeline,
I love the Natural Timber as it is warmer and will tie in the dark brown wood door. The Thunderstorm Gray is okay but it’s much cooler. Both roof colors go well with your siding/trim choices, however, so you really cannot make a mistake.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I need some help/advice on roof color. I need to replace roof due to Hail damage and evaluating shingle color options. I am either going with the (Option A) Certainteed Presidential Shake TL or (option B) Grand Canyon GAF shingles.
I like the Presidential Shake TL – Aged Bark but I am not sure it will be a good match.
I will send you via email the picture of my house. It has red brick and batten board wood siding. Current roof is a greyish purple.
Thanks,
Jim
Hi Barbara
Please help with new roof shingle color . Don’t know how to send photos.
Barb, I figured out how to send you pictures, which I did to your e mail address. Hopefully, you received them. And I did use PayPal for the $25.
Excited to hear your suggestions.
Sandra
Hi Sandra,
Since you want to get away from the matchy, warm brown tones, have you looked into a warm charcoal/black? That would cool down the warm brick and pick up on some of the cooler gray tones in the brick palette. Just a thought.
Check out these two options and be sure to get actual roof samples before making a decision. Nothing like the real thing!
Tamko
Heritage® America’s Natural Colors Black Walnut
Or
Certainteed Landmark’s PEWTERWOOD
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barb,
I’m liking Black Walnut, I think. Have to get sample board. This won’t look like a dark hat on my tiny house? Tamko does not sell Pewterwood, at least in Colorado. They have Olde English Pewter, which is a light grey. Can you give me another choice along with the Black Walnut. I don’t have to stick with Tamko. (just a note: I just called Tamko and they are no longer selling IR shingles…interesting).
Sandra
Hi Barbara,
My husband and I just purchased our house. As you will see from the pictures, the exterior is a lot of brown. There are several houses of similar style immediately around us and they are all various shades of brown. We need a new roof very soon and I need help choosing the roof color as well as color for the garage doors, front door and shutters. Should the trim stay white? I want to get away from so much brown! I feel like this house needs some contrast in a bad way.
We like the idea of a blue for the front door, but would love your suggestions. Also, the downspouts and soffits are currently chocolate brown as you can see, but I would like to (eventually) paint or change those.
The siding color appears to be very close to Benjamin Moore’s Market Square Shell (CW-30), if that helps.
Thanks,
Gretchen
Hi Gretchen,
Try getting a sample of GAF/Timberline Mission Brown for the roof. That will take away the redness up there. It should work very well with the brick but test the sample piece up against the brick in various light conditions.
Then I would paint the trim a white — see if China White works. It’s kind of your grout color. You could go whiter but I think a soft grayish white will work better with the brick overall.
Then for an accent color for at least the front door (maybe even the shutters), see Ben Moore’s Schooner. (I’ll email you the info — you can see the color.) It might be just what this neutral house needs. But I would paint the garage doors the siding color. That will lighten up the garage area without making it a focal point.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Good laminated architectural shingles on peach colored stucco
I am hoping you can help me! I have to pick a shingle color today as the roofer is starting tomorrow! 😫
We just got done framing a French country house. The house faces the north so no sun shining on the front.
We are going with Foundry vinyl staggered shake in “vintage taupe”, which to me can look gray in the shade but also khaki brown in sunlight. The trim and window color are Andersons “Santone”(light clay).
I was thinking of going “safe” with GAF timberline “weathered wood” but seems like it would be too much of the same color all over and quite a bit of brown..?
So I was considering GAF timberline “slate”(does this have a green undertone though?) or possibly GAF timberline “pewter gray”.
I’m kinda wanting to get away from the brown weathered woods but not sure if that’s the “right” thing to do with this house..?
Need help in Michigan,
Christina
Christina, can you send me a photo to my email?
bmeglis@yahoo.com
And I’ll be happy to help you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Got the photos, Christina. Back in a few!
Hi Christina,
The Weathered Wood is a very good (safe) choice — it goes with almost everyone’s house and that’s why we see so much of it. But that’s okay! If you are looking for something less brown and a little more traditional for your French country house, check out Peppermill Gray (here’s a link):
http://www.owenscorning.com/roofing/browse-shingles/
It has both the cool and warm tones of your siding in different light. But it’s darker so there’s more contrast with the siding.
Slate tends to have a green undertone and Pewter Gray leans toward a blue undertone. Just so you know.
Before the roofer orders the roofing, make SURE you get a large sample of whatever you’re considering. There’s nothing quite like seeing it up against the siding in the proper lighting.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Best $25 I’ve ever spent!
I would’ve never thought to use Peppermill. Just picked up a sample, it is PERFECT!
Exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you!
You are MOST welcome! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Hi Barbara –
I’m kind of under the gun here. I’m in far northern Michigan and winter is coming. The roofer needs my shingle decision. As you will see from the photos we have been doing siding repair and are obviously in dire need of a roof replacement. The cedar siding is stained in Sherwin Williams Deckscape solid stain in their Flagstone color. We are having Certainteed Landmark shingles installed and I can’t choose the color. My husband likes the Moire Black, but even though black is my favorite color it looked rather busy in the houses drove by. I was considering Driftwood but I don’t want anything too light. What are your thoughts? Georgetown Gray seemed too blue for our warmish dark gray. What are your thoughts?
Thanks –
Karen
Hi Karen,
Actually a blue undertone might work great to enlarge your house. Check this one out (I know it’s not Certainteed but you may not be tied to that brand):
GAF Timberline HD Pewter Gray
Of the Certainteed options, the Georgetown Gray looks a little green to me but it’s a good “value” for your dark house. Another unexpectedly good color is Cobblestone Gray. I know it’s light, but it looks great with your siding color.
If none of those works for you, the warm browns (even though they don’t blend as well as the grays) will tie in your deck color. So that’s another viable option. Of those the Owens Corning browns are my favorite (Brownwood and Teak).
Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara, thanks for getting back to me. Our roofer deals with Certainteed, so I have to choose from those colors. The front of our house is the only side that is regularly seen so I’m most concerned with that view although I do want to take those views into consideration.
The front has the steepest roof lines, and with the low profile of that view of the house the roof does appear quite prominent. People are always surprised at how large our house actually is since the front appears so modest, but we rather like that. We did look at Cobblestone but as you said, it’s much lighter than the siding and I don’t think my husband would go that route. The detached garage which is the same colors as the house has an older charcoal gray traditional shingle roof that we’re not replacing at this time, and our pole barn has the red metal roof. Both are opposite the house, facing it, and are visible as you drive in although we’re not too concerned with that.
I agree with you about the Georgetown Gray. The sample board I had happened to feature mostly warmer toned shingles, but when I looked at the shingles at the supplier the cool green/blue really jumped out.
Do you think the Certainteed Driftwood is too red or muddy, as my husband suggests? He’s pretty sold on the Moire Black, and as I mentioned black is my favorite color, but I’m a bit concerned that this particular shingle will be too strong a contrast with the amount of roof exposure in the front, and I’m not sure if it will appear too patterned. The Flagstone stain doesn’t seem to photograph true to color. One photo looks blueish, the next warmer gray. The stain formula calls for a lot of both black and white, then deep gold with a shot of maroon. Not sure if that helps you.
I never expected that choosing a roof would be so difficult. We’re planning on selling next spring and curb appeal is so important. I’m pretty fearless with paint colors, but it’s easy to gamble with a few gallons of paint. A roof? Yikes….
Thanks –
Karen
Hello
So glad I found this sight! I am having trouble choosing a roof color.
We have a small (1 1/2 stories) craftsman style home which we are siding in James Hardie Evening Blue, sail cloth trim including arbors, and Tennessee Ledgestone on the pillars, chimney and front of porch (dry stacked). We want dark bronze leaders and gutters, but this can be changed if necessary.
There are no other significant structures on the property that would play a part in any color consideration.
I have no pictures to send as the project has not started yet.
The contractor needs us to pick a roof color and the contract is priced for a GAF ultra HD roof, but I just found out he will do Certainteed. Equivalent to the Ultra HD of course.
I believe it is our desire to have dark bronze fixtures, leaders and gutters that is causing us so much difficulty in choosing the roof color. I know with the right roof it will look amazing. I just don’t know what roof color that is!
Thank you for your help!
Melissa Hoffmann
Hi Melissa,
Have a look at Certainteed’s Pewterwood. It’s a warm charcoal with some brown undertones and I think it would tie in nicely with your Ledgestone. If that is unavailable in your area (I hate it when that happens but check with your contractor), then use a large sample of the ledgestone to pull the roof color. Don’t worry about the blue — that color goes with just about everything. But the stonework is the easiest place to nail down the roof since there’s a nice palette of colors in it.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara.
I was looking at Pewterwood as an option! I believe it is available in our area. I was also looking at driftwood. I have to say I didn’t think of using the stone to pull the color out. That helps a lot.
Thank you very much!
Melissa
Hi, we are replacing our roof and struggling with the color choice. I’ve attached three pictures. We like Charcoal but are afraid it might affect resale of house. Also looking at Pewter Gray, Weathered Wood or Barkwood in the GAF Timberline Natural Shadow line. I would like to make a decision by early next week as the roofer keeps calling for a decision and I simply can’t decide. Nancy (sent PayPal)
Hi Nancy,
I think Barkwood is the way to go on your house. The Pewter Gray was too blue with your multi-colored brick, the Weathered Wood was a little too green, and the Shakewood, although it went well with the light-colored bricks, was a little too yellow for the house. The Barkwood was just right.
Hope that helps.
Thank you very much for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
I have a cedar sided house stained in cedar bark semi transparent stain. I have been looking at roof colors and cannot make up my mind ( or too scared too ) I am also replacing the fascia board and need help with that color as well. I want my house to look beautiful and handsome rather than like a lodge. Some people have suggested black or weathered wood. My husband likes antique brown from malarkey but it matches the house too perfect? I will be choosing from timberline hd or malarkey shingles unless there is a better color from another brand. I emailed you my question with pictures and am now posting on your blog. Was not sure where to post my question. If I need to make another payment for fascia color, please let me know. However, I need to pick my shingles asap. Thank you, Judy Reinertsen
Hi Judy,
I know you said you don’t want your house to look like a lodge… but my suggestion is that you embrace the gorgeous cedar siding and the cedar bark stain on the house and take full advantage of the setting you’re in and go for a rich dark green trim color (like the color you’ve started on the windows and fascia — I think that’s perfect for your house). Then choose a roof that will coordinate with that. There’s Timberline HD Slate as well as Hunter Green. I love the look — there are many giant Adirondack “cottages” that have that same color scheme and they look terrific in their setting.
BUT.. having said all that… if you really want a different look for your house than an Adirondack cottage (and I get it), here’s another idea. Malarkey Black Oak has both charcoal and brown shingles and that roof would look very nice on the house. Then you could paint the fascia/window trim something like Ben Moore’s Kendall Charcoal (HC-166), a complex gray with a green undertone that is a much more modern take on your house. Try that and see if you like it.
Hope I’ve helped.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you Barbara. I was afraid to do a green roof thinking that the roof was too dominant. I will check out green shingles. The green color I put on the windows is Sherwin Williams Andiron. Do you think that color would blend well with a hunter green roof? I think you are right about embracing my house. Thanks for the confidence to do something I was afraid to do. Judy
We could use your help in selecting a roof color for our house. It has a fairly multicolored brick and the exterior is Sherwin Williams Favorite Tan. The trim around windows is a green color and the front door and porch railings are dark red. I will attach pictures of our brick and of our home to help you better understand our home style and colors. If you have suggestions for future paint colors or details (such as shutters) that you think would improve the look of our home, please let us know that too. However, we are happy with our current color scheme and plan to stick with it for the time-being as it was painted only a few years ago.
We are concerned about how to best match our brick and current paint colors. We also want to avoid our roof being too multi-colored (like many of the newer dimensional shingle options) and making our home look too busy! We have only seen IKO Cambridge or Owen Corning Oakridge shingles as that is what is used by our roofing company We have considered IKO Weatherwood or Driftwood and Owen Corning Driftwood. However, we are very unsettled and welcome your advice on what might look best on our house.
Thanks!
Jon and Polly Larson
Please let us know the best way to provide our pictures to you
Hi Polly,
You can send them through email to either address:
bmeglis@yahoo.com
bmeglis@yourhomeandcolorcoach.com
Thank you!
Hello Barbara: I’m having roof replaced and can’t decide between rustic black or antique slate. I live in little rock, Ar and not sure if black will be to hot. Also, I would be only house on block with black roof. Would antique slate be too white colored vs my white siding.(see attached pics.) Also, my brick is light red, some dark red and white splotchy bricks.(see pics). Window trim in front is dark blue. Thank you, Will Rose
Hi Will,
Have you taken a look at Rustic Slate? https://www.tamko.com/ShingleColors/Heritage/OK-AR (If you are using a different roof company, let me know.)
The Antique Slate doesn’t really go with your brick very well as it’s a very light gray. And the black is definitely too dark and hot for your state. Another option might be Weathered Wood — a roof color that goes well with almost all houses.
I would look at those two, get samples for sure, and see what goes best with your brick and siding. Don’t worry about the navy — that’s just an accent color anyway.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbra ,
I’m kind of in a bind & need help selecting a color for a composite shingle roof that is being replaced for hail damage.
My roofer will be starting in a few days & I’ve been overwhelmed trying to select a color.
The house has all brick & stone exterior
& all the trim was repainted a very dark brown last year….my ex wife’s choice of color.
Although the trim color looks great w/ the brick & stone facade I’m torn about putting the same drab weathered wood colored shingle back on the house or going w/ maybe a darker color like rustic black or black walnut …..I’m looking at using a tamco heritage or gaf timberline hd shingle.
I also plan on replacing the front door w/ a 3/4 glass divided lite front door to let in some lite into the dark foyer & would appreciate a color recommendation for it also.
Thanks, Pete .
Hi Peter,
Yes, the dark trim looks very nice against the stone and because of that, I would not recommend a dark roof — the trim will simply melt into the roof and be lost. And might even make the roof look heavier — and there is a lot of roof on the house.
With that in mind, yes Weathered Wood in both lines looks good if not the same as what you have now. BUT, have you considered
GAF Timberline Slate?
Since you have a modern Tudor, take a look. Slate (the real thing, of course) was used on the old Tudor homes and it often had a green overall look to it. If you want to get away from so much brown, the Slate might be an idea.
Get LARGE samples (they have them at Home Depot if your roofer cannot supply) and put them up on the roof to check the look from the street (or end of the driveway). There is a lot of roof there and you need to like green, but it will show off the stonework much better than more brown.
As for the front door, I would definitely stick with a dark mahogany (look) as you want the house to look old and real wood doors were the only option on original Tudors. The big thing there is to have adequate lighting in that little alcove of an entryway. But the stonework is lighter in there so the dark wood will stand out against it much better than a painted door in a lighter color.
Hope that helps. Get the Weathered Wood samples to compare. See what you like. Feel free to send me photos of the samples on the roof to help you.
And thanks again for posting.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
The roofer brought by the large samples yesterday & we determined the current roof is tamko heritage weathered wood, just a little faded after 16 years.
The the GAF timberline slate looked a little too green…..especially since this neighborhood is literally an oak & elm forest…..lots of green around the rooftops already.
I decided on the GAF timberline HD wearhered wood…..it looks like it has a little more depth of color to it than the tamko.
Is there any other options on this house for front door hardware & the coachlights other than bronze or brown tone that’s currently there ? I wanted to freshen it up a bit when I change the door.
Thanks, Pete .
Hi Pete,
Good decision. The Weathered Wood will highlight the architecture of the house without introducing another hue (like the Slate would). As for lighting, bronze is best as it will coordinate with the brown wood door and show up against the lighter stone color. I would not use black (wrought iron). The brown is your best bet.
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/bellagio-16-and-one-half-inch-high-downbridge-outdoor-wall-light__46910.html
BUT for the door hardware, brown will not show up so I suggest a lighter metal. Take a look at Antique Nickel. It will coordinate nicely with your gray stonework and stand out against the dark brown door. Nobody ever said the metals have to match each other. The styles of the handle and light should coordinate though. You don’t want anything too modern-looking for either one.
http://www.kwikset.com/products/details/handlesets/800an-lip-15a-smt.aspx
Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
I would like your help with choosing a roof color for my house. I am emailing several pictures to your email address, let me know if you do not get them. I have to give them color on Monday October 17th so I hope you will be able to respond in time.
The house is a 1850 sq. ft ranch with 2.5 car attached garage, built in 1966.
The bricks are 4 different colors ranging from a light tan to a brownish/red (see up close picture of bricks).
The rest of the exterior is white – vinyl fence, gutters, windows, shutters, exterior wood siding and overhangs, with the front door and garage door a cream/almond color (very light).
We are going with Tamko Heritage series shingles. For our zip (48134) below is a link to the color options and are struggling to pick the best option.
Link: https://www.tamko.com/ShingleColors/Heritage/Frederick
The two we have been considering is rustic evergreen (green) and rustic cedar (light brown). Concern with green is it going to draw too much attention to roof. Concern with light brown is it too much brown overall with the brick and only white accents? I know black is popular but it doesn’t seem to fit this house when I use their mockup tool. The current roof would be considered a light gray originally (now streaked with black due to age) and I didn’t have a strong opinion one way or the other on that.
We are open to changing front door, garage door, shutter colors to compliment the new color and would love to get some recommendations from you. We would also be able to paint the wood windows and other exterior wood trim/overhangs/siding but I don’t think we can easily change the vinyl fence color, can we?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Jay
Hi Jason,
Have you considered Virginia Slate? (sent to email) It’s a nice medium neutral that will calm the warm brick. I would not use green — too much contrast and green is a tough roof color. The Cedar is very matchy to the brick but I think it might be too much warmth.
See what you think about the Virginia Slate. And to coordinate with that, look at Ben Moore’s Kendall Charcoal (sent to email). You could use that for shutters/garage or just shutters. It would tie in the roof color nicely. And no, you are stuck with the white fence but as long as you have white trim/windows you’re all set with that. No need to worry. But you can add a dark color as an accent.
Get samples!!
And thanks for posting!
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi there and help!! I have to choose a roof color quickly. We have a busy brick pattern with rust, reddish and blackish brown bricks so we want to avoid a roof with much variation. The original color of our current roof is/was a chocolate brown with reddish tones, though it now looks much darker on the garage because of staining, age.etc. Funny thing though is that we love the darker look, and how it highlights the darker bricks in the pattern! I have added dark lighting fixtures and flower pots for the same reason. My problem is that I can’t find a simple shingle with dark blackish brown tones. Do you think Timberline Natural Shadow Charcoal would look good? I just want to avoid any real gray or blue tones.
I would love all of your suggestions!
(I will email you some photos in a few minutes). Please respond as soon as your able! Thank you. 🙂
Hi Mary,
You’re right. Dark is best — that way the roof will not compete with the brick for attention. Most of the warm, dark roof choices are quite busy (for example, the Landmark Shenandoah). Great color palette for your house, way too busy.
So I agree that the Timberline Charcoal is a good bet. It may be a little busy, “texture-wise,” but the overall color will be black.
But also check the Certainteed Landmark series: both Moire Black and Charcoal (a bit darker). Just to find the best undertone for your dark roof.
I sometimes recommend Pewterwood (Landmark) and Black Walnut (Tamko Heritage) — both too gray and too busy for your brick.
Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
My house is a white dutch colonial revival with navy shutters. While the house could use a new paint job, I feel somewhat committed to the same white/navy combo, as these have been constant since the house was built in the 1930s, and it is in a beach community off Lake Michigan, so we enjoy the navy in the spirit of “beachy”. The brick chimney is a blondish color. (I will mail pictures separately, as I’m not sure how to attach here).
The issue is the roof. Being a gambrel roof, the roof is much more of a factor than many homes. Traditionally, the home has always had a black shingle roof. However, I’m wondering if the black is too “heavy” of a look? Should I possibly consider something lighter? If so, I have no idea what would be a good choice.
I’m looking at a roofer who works with Certainteed Landmark shingles.
Many thanks for any advice you can offer.
Tom
Hi Tom,
Since you’re keeping the white siding color and you’re in a beach community off Lake Michigan, have you considered Max Def Atlantic Blue? It is a gorgeous roof color with a white or natural-shake house color. Really! And with the navy shutters, it will be stunning! See what you think.
If you are not keen on it, write me back. I’ll give you a runner up color. 🙂
Thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi – we live in a 1970’s mansard house and the cedar shakes are really old and need replacing. Our roofer has suggested Timberline lifetime shingles. I have no idea what colour to pick? The existing mental trim around the house is dark brown and the brink is orange and red
He suggested backwood , however, I really don’t like brown..
Hi Jenn,
If you don’t like Barkwood, check out Slate. It’s a medium tone, slightly green (like slate), but with your style of roof, it could look great. I’ve seen it a lot with brick. I would stick with traditional roof colors — nothing too contemporary — on your style of house.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
I’m having difficulty picking a roof color. My roofer recommends Certainteed or Owens Corning. The colors I am considering are Certainteed Pewter, OC estate gray, and CT moire black, OC onyx black or twilight black. I have reservations about each color. I’m not liking the bluish /silver undertone of Pewter, but will it work best for the house? Does the OC estate gray give a green undertone that will clash with the house? Ideally I would like a neutral charcoal without blue/green undertones, but are the moire/onyx/twilight blacks too dark for my house? The existing faded roof does have sorta brown color to it, should I consider gray/browns? My roofer is open to other company/colors, but recommends these two.
Some details about my house- You’ll see from the pictures that the back of the house is mostly brick that is painted gray (with a blue undertone), but you don’t see this color from the front of the house. The fascia/soffit and gutter/trim is a charcoal gray. The door is dark purple. I am open to color suggestions about these details. I will be replacing the soffits in the right lower front of the house (not garage); should I stay with the charcoal gray to match the garage or go lighter in color?
Thank you so much. Your expertise is appreciated!
Hi Esther,
Have a look at Certainteed Landmark’s Driftwood. I think it is the perfect color for your gray/beige multi-toned house. Everything else is fine color-wise except your garage door. I suggest painting it Ashley Gray HC-87 (Ben Moore). You will see quite a change in your curb appeal. The current garage door appears pink and it clashes with the yellows in the stonework.
Thank you for posting! Hope everything comes together beautifully for you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We have recently renovated a home near the beach in SC. We just found out the roof needs to be replaced. The predominant roof style in our neighborhood is a natural silver metal. We priced out a metal roof but found it was going to cost about 5 times more than a shingled roof. Our roofer uses Landmark Certainteed shingles. The current roof shingles look like they could be Georgetown Gray. We are torn between replacing them with the same or with Pewter. The house siding and trim color are Ben Moore Simply White. The shutters and doors are Ben Moore Gentlemen’s Gray. The porch floors are BM Platinum Gray. The roof lines are not really visible from the street but they are visual from the guest bedroom windows and upper porch. I will email you some pictures. Would the Pewter be too blue? Or is the Georgetown Gray the better choice? We don’t want to go too dark because we are in a hot climate. I also think a black roof could look too harsh. What do you think? Thank you!
Hi Kathy,
Since you’re in a beach community in SC, you have a unique opportunity to select one of the prettiest roof colors out there. So speaking of blue… Owens Corning’s Harbor Blue and Certainteed’s Atlantic Blue. With your blue shutters and white house, blue would look spectacular!! Give it a try. Get LARGE samples and see what you think — stand back at the street and take a look. I think you’ll actually love it.
Gray is okay… that would be my second choice.
Hope that helps!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you, Barbara! I will get a large sample of the Atlantic blue. My roofer only gave me a color chart of the Certainteed shingles. Is the OC Harbor Blue a better choice? Or are they comparable? Just for comparison sake, which of the gray colors would be your second choice?
So appreciate the help!
Sounds great, Kathy! I will defer to the individual manufacturers and the roofer in terms of which shingles are the best, but each company has slightly diferent colors, even the blues are a little different. Best to check both Atlantic and Harbor if you’re interested in blue. As for gray, my favorite colorwise is this —
Hope it helps! http://www.gaf.com/Residential_Roofing/Shingles/Timberline_Natural_Shadow/GAF_Timberline_Natural_Shadow_Pewter_Gray.jpg
Hi Barbara,
I am hoping you could help me with the colour selection for our new roof. We have a multi-colour brick house (red, dark and light orange, and mossy-green black), and I am having difficulty with finding the roof shingles that would compliment the brick colour and also have a uniform and non-patchy look. It looks like all shingles now are “high definition” and busy looking.
We can select from GAF Timberline, CertainTeed Landmark, Owens Corning Duration, IKO Cambridge and BP Mystique 42. The first two would be our preference.
In terms of colour, what do you think would be our best option – Timberline or Landmark Weather Wood, Timberline Barkwood, Landmark Moire Black or Driftwood? Are there any other options that I didn’t consider?
We are also planning to change the colour of the garage door, siding under the windows, columns and front door, and roof colour would dictate the direction we will be going with the colour on these. Not sure if we should go warm or cold colours, as the brick has both.
I am e-mailing you the pictures of the house.
Please help!
Hi Julia,
Since your brick is quite colorful and it changes with sun and shade, the best roof for you is one that is not too busy itself.
Take a look at GAF Timberline’s Barkwood or a warm brown in another roof line. It will coordinate well with your brick and offer some dark contrast to the brick pattern and palette.
See what you think. Hope this helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Just came across your site and it looks like you might be the “color expert” we need to make a decision on our roof color.
Like so many others, we suffered damage to our home when a tornado struck close by and we had multiple large pine and oak trees fall on our roof along with hail. As a result, we now are getting a new roof and skylights! We live in Northern WI on a lake and there are many large pines (red pine and white pine) and oak trees that surround our property. We have a log sided, single story 3/12 (low pitch) home at driveway level and a two story garage with multi-exposure 11/12 (high pitches). Wood on the dwellings are stained with a light to medium brown color. Decks are slightly darker cedar brown. Pictures will be sent for your viewing (please excuse the disrepair of the landscaping in spots and damages to the home).Landscaping have light tan tones with chocolate accents in the blocks. Pavers have yellows and off whites with some ribbons of darker chocolate brown in the walkway along with same providing borders in some areas.
All windows and doors have frames with a dark rich green color. Garage door is dark green, carriage style. Two storm and entry doors are fading and are being replaced with matching dark green colors. The current roof was CertainTeed Landmark Heather Blend from about 20-25 years ago. Brown with some hints of red and even blue.
We would like to change the shingle color somewhat from the existing to give it a new look and hopefully some “pop”. We originally thought that with the dark green window/door trim that we should go with a green roof. Our contractor would like to use CertainTeed products again and we lean that way as well (quality considerations). The standard Landmark shingle in Hunter Green we think would look real nice, but worry about whether it will appear too dark as the sample board we have seems rather dark (greens/blacks). Obviously, with the pines/evergreens in this part of the country, we have green all year round (even in Winter). The roof coloring will be a contrast to the siding color, which we think should be nice. We looked at the High Def. Hunter Green on another home, but think that maybe the lighter greens appeared too much like a checker board and we worried that it may be too busy against the siding/landscaping colors. We flirted with the Max Def. Resawn Shake because it had so many of the colors that we have in the siding/landscaping and it does stand out, and it would bring a lighter color to the roof, but again it may be too busy (patchwork). Does it look like a California Beach House and out of place; or, does it fit the Northern WI woods/lake/water motif and really “pop”?. (is it just the wrong color/look?) Plus, we wonder if it just leaves the green windows/doors on an island of browns and make them look out of place? Or does it work? Finally, we are considering the Max Def. Burnt Sienna that would bring deep, rich brown hews with a spattering of the lighter golden colors that exist in the siding and landscaping. But does it contrast the siding enough or just blend in and is it too much brown? Or, just the right tones working from the top of the dwellings on down with dark to light as you work out to the landscaping? The regular Landmark Burnt Sienna is a more uniform color vs. the Max Def. (just like the Hunter Green), which would provide less golden spattering’s of gold, and less “pop”. (again, is the green windows/doors left on an island? Or are we Ok with either of the browns if they work?)
Some of the other colors we have looked at across the different roofing brands, just seem to blend in and look so much like what we currently have. Just kind of “blah”. We think the green would be the natural choice with our window/door color and the natural surroundings that we live in – there is a certain richness to it and I always thought a green roof would look good. Is the Certain Teed green the right green? We have seen the Owens Corning Chateau Green with may appear to have more of a green that stands out color wise, but then again the Certain Teed may also and we just aren’t seeing it on the board that we have. Also, do “greens” tend to lighten up with weathering/time? The Max Def. Resawn Shake is bold, but not sure it even works? The Burnt Sienna is certainly a very rich color, but do we need a different color to break up the brown siding on the dwellings? On any of these, does the Max Def. just add too much “patchwork” to the roof and are they just too busy? Maybe one is Ok or the other?
Also, we plan on keeping the current brown fascia (wood, crown molding style- stained the same as the siding). If we go with the green, we will change the roof drip edge to a matching dark green only (that’s only the very edge at the eave/rakes where the shingles meet the edge of the roof). We have very little gutter/downspouts but they are a matching brown. Any issues/comments about that? Will the fascia’s look Ok against the green roof and extending into the brown siding as they do now?
Now, we don’t want to end up with roof color that “pops”, but just doesn’t work if we go in the wrong direction here. It’s an investment $$ wise as well as time wise (20-30 years at the least). We need to make a decision within the next day or so as now our contractor is eager to get going with the work. Unfortunately, we seem to still be on the fence with “color”. Hoping you can give us your thoughts and opinion. From your blogs it is apparent that you have helped so many people over the years. That is just great! Thank you in advance for your assistance!
Robert Johnson
Hi Robert,
Thank you for the detailed description and your emailed photos. All very helpful. Yes, I think green is the way to go for your log cabin home. I have to say it’s the only situation where a green roof makes perfect sense to me. But which green? Here is my favorite in terms of color:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GAF-Timberline-Natural-Shadow-Hunter-Green-Lifetime-Shingles-33-3-sq-ft-per-Bundle-0600723/100658152
I like the black in it — actually I would get a green that had as much dark (brown/black) as possible to avoid “popping” in the wrong way. Your roof should coordinate with the pine tree environment. So the darker the green, the better.
I would suggest trying a few brands just to see the difference in color. I understand that price and quality are important, but as you say, you will be living with the color for 20+ years.
In terms of fading, I cannot speak to that. But with possible fading in mind, I would keep the brown fascia/trim next to the roof and avoid trying to match paint to the roof color for any side-by-side treatment. You’ll be happy with the brown for longer. I love the garage doors/windows. Both very appropriate for your house style and location on the lake.
I didn’t like the Resawn Shake at all — way too light. And the dark rustic red-browns were more of the same. And since you already have green as an accent color on the house, it makes perfect sense to go with green for the roof. Just make sure that the green goes with your metal windows/garage door color and is not too light. Like I mentioned, the darker the green, the better.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Perfect!
You have confirmed what I think we were feeling all along – that green should be the color choice. Also, Thank You for your opinions on the type of green to use as well as the fascia issues.
Barbara, you have been so helpful and we appreciate your assistance and the quick response!
Best Wishes.
Robert
You are most welcome! Thank you for posting!
Hello,
I need your advice on roof color. We just painted our home Hale Navy. Our roof is about 25 years old/faded and pretty sure weathered wood color. I cannot decide on a color. We have brick on the front of the house that I do not like at all but cannot do anything at this time due to money. We still need to get the white trim on the windows as well. We live in the Midwest ..if that matters for choosing a color? We are picking from GAF Timberland HD or Owens Corning trudefinition line. I sent pictures to your email. Thanks
Hi Andrea,
Honestly, I do like your current roof color — Weathered Wood — as it seems to go with everything, faded or not. But also look at Owens Corning TruDefinition’s Driftwood as it has an interesting mix of colors that should tie in both the navy and the sandy brick. (I would definitely paint out the Kendall Charcoal to Hale Navy to unify the house, but don’t worry too much about the brick. It’s not terrible at all.)
https://www.owenscorning.com/roofing/shingles/trudefinition-duration#color=driftwood
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello,
Thank you very much for your quick response:) I couldn’t decide between a charcoal color or weathered wood and I’m glad what you suggested is what I had in mind. I was worried if I did pick charcoal..certain parts of the roof would be more noticeable as it fades?
Thank you:)
Our house was recently damaged by a hail storm and insurance has approved replacing our roof and painting our siding. This is the perfect time to update our siding to a color we love (natural slate- a blue gray color)… although it doesn’t have any direct relation to our tannish-cream-brown brick. So we are trying to find the perfect shingle choice to tie altogether. We are leaning toward Certainteed Landmark Weathered Wood. Can I email you pics of our home with brick, siding color and shingle idea? Looking for an outside opinion… thanks!
Sure, Jason.
bmeglis@yahoo.com
is the email to use currently.
Hi Barbara,
We just bought a house and the roof needs to be replaced. Currently, the sidings are White (I am emailing you picture of the house).
We have decided to go with Owens Corning Duration designer shingles. We have shortlisted two colors-Pacific Wave and Storm Cloud (I am emailing you the pictures of these shingles as well).
We want to change the color of sidings and we would like to know what combination of roof and siding colors will look good.
Also, by looking at the architecture of the house, do you think having fake brick or stone sidings will enhance the curb appeal? If yes, what combination of roof color and brick/stone siding color we should go for?
I have made a payment for two questions via Pay Pal. Please let me know if you need any additional information from me to answer the questions. Will really appreciate a quick response since we need to let the contractor know the color choice in next two days.
Thanks for your help in advance!
Regards
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
To answer in reverse order, I do not think that brick or stone will enhance the curb appeal of your home. And the reason for that is that your new roof, either of the ones you’ve selected so far, will have lots of color and texture and it would definitely clash with any stone or brick on the face of the house. So absolutely no need to spend more money on stone OR brick.
As for the roof choices, either is good. I do love the blue with your current white house but if you are replacing the siding, here is another color to consider:
Ben Moore’s Silver Gray 2131-60
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/2131-60/silver-gray?color=2131-60
If you are replacing the white with actual siding (not paint), then let me know. We can select a siding color that is already available.
For the Storm Cloud roof choice, you have even more paint colors available for the siding:
Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/SW6204-sea-salt#/6204/?s=coordinatingColors&p=PS0
Ben Moore Revere Pewter
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/hc-172/revere-pewter?color=HC-172
Sherwin Williams Silver Strand
https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7057-silver-strand#/7057/?s=colorDetails&p=PS0
Hope that helps.
Thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Are you still helping people with roof selections?
Hi Sue!
Yes I am! I’d be happy to help you! Just email me your photos — post the question here if you like.
bmeglis@yahoo.com
Thanks for checking.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
Home built in 1977. Cedar home..color stain -cedar bark. Trim in dark gray and gutters musket brown. Brick on front are a grayish brown. Current roof 3-tab in brown..been on for 20 years. Have a lot of trees.
Trying to decide on what color for new roof. Will be using an archetectural shingle. Looking at Atlas Pristine Pinnacle HD in color Weathered Shadow. Atlas has a good guarantee against algae. Didnt know if that would be enough color. Black seems harsh. .I have a lot of roof showing as you will see from photo. Also with so much roof was thinking anything to busy would be overwheming. Just really don’t know what to do.
Thank you,
Sue
Hi Sue,
Have you given Pewter a good look? It would coordinate with your dark gray trim and gray/burgundy brick while contrasting with the warm orangey brown without being as dark as the black. Pewter might be just the thing. Have a look — and be sure to get a large sample to try.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I emailed you a photo of the front of my house. Hoping to get some validation on the color choice for a new roof we are preparing to install. Owens Corning Estate Gray. I am not completely sure it will go with my brick color.
Thanks.
Mike
Hi Barbara,
We have a 1955 half brick on the front ranch home just south of Baltimore. We replaced light blue siding, aluminum awnings and an original white wood door with half brick siding on the front, forest green shutters and a dark red door and white trim. (No more awnings!) We are getting ready to replace the roof. We plan to sell the house in about 3 years and want to keep this in mind. Our thoughts were GAF Mission Brown or Barkwood. A real estate friend suggested that we go with a more neutral roof since the roof may outlast the siding and it would give more options to the future homeowners. I have also read that you should coordinate your shingles with your brick. Your website says a brown roof makes it look planned. Help! I am confused. I will email pix to your yahoo account and have already made the PayPal payment. Thank you
Hi Sue,
Although the Mission Brown and Barkwood both look nice on your house, I would go with a lighter roof to make the house look taller. Weathered Wood will be perfect. It is a medium-value color that coordinates well with your siding, and it is a very popular color in terms of going with just about every siding. So for resale value and curb appeal, I suggest Weathered Wood.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara
Like others here I’m putting on a new roof this week and need your help. My house is a near 100 year old brick bungalow. The present roof is red, trim is dark forest green & beige. Of course the trim would be no problem to repraintvdifferent colors in the spring if needed. You can see in one pic I have an original brick that hasn’t been exposed to the elements, it’s near orange. The brick now is dirty & weathered to a nice dark hue which I like. I’m open to any color you advise. I’ve looked at reds, greens, blacks, grays, earth tones. I’m getting materials at Menards so Atlas brand in the Briarwood Pro and Castlebrook 35 lines – or Owens Corning Tru-definition Duration and Oakridge lines. I have a hard time thinking outside the box when it comes to color. I’ve been leaning towards the Briarwood Pro Driftwood but am open to anything you think looks great.
Thanks
Phil
Hi Phil,
My favorite is Flagstone (Owens Corning), Phil. Although it is variegated, your brick is pretty monochromatic so the roof would not be too busy. On the contrary, the roof contains all the color on the house, including green. I think it would look great!
See what you think.
https://www.owenscorning.com/roofing/shingles/oakridge#color=flagstone
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I’m having such a difficult time picking out a roof shingle color and we’re in a time crunch because of the cold weather starting. Also, we have a leaking roof! I’ve been looking mostly at three companies: Owens-Corning Duration and Tru-Definition Designer Duration, GAF Timberline and American Harvest Timberline and Certainteed Landmark. I’d be open to any other suggestions too. Our brick is multi-colored with rust, camel (or caramel), grey, and dark brown colored bricks, which is busy. The siding on the top front, sides and back of the house is cream color, with brown shutters (which could be changed). Trim & door color is camel (something like Benjamin Moore “Roxbury Caramel HC-42, maybe a little bit darker). The trim color on the picture is not the true color; it’s more camel. The garage door is cream. A roofer brought over Owens-Corning Tru-Definition Designer “Sedona Canyon”, which pops with colors that match our brick, but is it too busy and too matching? A two-tone would be nice. I’m afraid of making a BIG mistake. There’s GAF “Hickory”, but I don’t know if reddish is right. “Weatherwood” may be too grey? “Brown” too dark?
If we could figure this out quickly, we might be able to get the roof on now and I could have peace of mind through the winter! Please help!
With great appreciation,
Nancy Stvan
Hi Nancy,
I think a nice compromise between using the brick palette for the roof (Sedona Canyon maybe a tad busy) and brown (a solid brown might be too dark and kind of like what you already have) is Owens Corning’s Teak.
It has just enough variegation to look updated and interesting but not enough to clash with your brick.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello. I’m afraid that I might have made a terrible mistake. I picked timberline hd slate for my roof because I liked it on another home without thinking of color coordination. I was also trying to get a medium to dark grey color for my roof, but my options were limited in my area and pictures of the slate looked dark grey under certain lighting. My old roof was pretty much black and too hot for Florida. I just changed my trim color to a medium/dark grey hoping it would help, and I don’t really want to paint my house anything green. I like dark and light greys, and some types of greige. Please take a look and tell me what you think I can do to make this work out. I really hope there’s some hope, Thank you
Hi David,
Thanks for posting. I think your roof is just perfect — no problem at all. It is very nice with the light gray-white of your house and it doesn’t look too hot for Florida. I applaud your efforts to paint the trim/caps a dark gray, but I think the color is a little too blue still to coordinate with the house. It’s not awful so if repainting is too much trouble/expense, it’s fine. But check out this color. I think it would really look terrific with both roof and house color.
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/hc-166/kendall-charcoal?color=HC-166
Then with all that neutral, you need some color. Either with the doors (I don’t see them in the photos) or plantings around the yard. A bougainvillea (raspberry ice) or hibiscus (raspberry smoothie) would look lovely.
Here’s a coordinating door color:
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/2078-20/raspberry-glaze?color=2078-20
Or go with yellows:
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/hc-12/concord-ivory?color=HC-12
So you’re on your way. Thanks for checking in with me — I’m sure you will be glad to know that your roof looks spectacular as is.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello
I’m in the process of replacing my roof, fascia, soffits and downspouts of the house while also putting down interlocking for the driveway and side of the house. The house is about 30 years old and we (as recent/new owners) just finished renovating inside of the house (transitional / contemporary style). The brick color is reddish orange. The windows trim and garage door are white while the front entrance door is dark grey.
The interlocking stone is grey/granite color with white and charcoal boarders. We’re trying to determine what would be best color for the roof shingles as well as the aluminum work (fascia, soffits and downspouts). We’re going with the GAF Timberline HD shingles so the color selections are:
– barkwood
– charcoal
– hickory
– shakewood
– weathered wood
– Canadian driftwood
– hunter green
– mission brown
– pewter grey
We’d like to have the exterior have a more contemporary style. Can you please help us to select the color combinations? I’ve sent you a couple of photos to your email box.
Thank you
David Y
Hi David,
Thanks for posting!
I suggest Charcoal for your roof to tie together the dark gray door and the gray stone in the driveway. And although I would prefer your brick to be a solid color, that would involve painting it which I don’t recommend unless the brick is REALLY ugly. And yours is not. So to further pull together the color scheme, I suggest matching as best you can the other metals on the house to the front door. That will give some modern lines to the house and accentuate the architecture.
I hope that helps. Oh, and although I love your lighting and house numbers, the metal color should also be dark charcoal/black (as opposed to brown — it looks like brown on my screen). Pulling those elements together with a common dark gray/charcoal color will help to create that modern vibe you’re wishing for.
Thanks again for posting.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello,
We recently bought a house and are in the process of making updates. We are currently choosing a color for a metal roof installation. Our house was built in 1950 with orange brick and white siding. The shutters and doors are currently painted blue which we don’t like.
The house has stone paths and brick patio surrounding the house.
Advice on roof color as well as color for shutters and doors would be helpful. We don’t plan to update the white siding at this point, seems to be in good condition. The brick color, while intense, is in pristine condition.
Thank you!
Leah
Hi Leah, From your description, I can give you a metal roof color and a color for your shutters/doors. I would recommend a medium/dark bronze. It’s a wonderful color that goes beautifully with your orange brick and neutralizes it nicely. Then take a look at Ben Moore’s Fairview Taupe for the shutters/doors. Again it is kind of like a grout color so it goes great with brick. Here are a couple of links: Roof — https://www.metalroofing.systems/metal-roof-colors/. And for the paint color — https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/hc-85/fairview-taupe?color=HC-85. Hope this helps. Thanks for posting! -Barbara
Hi Barbara, Thank you for the quick response. Glad I found your site. One of the choices the Roofing Company has given us is Burnished Slate (I’m not finding a bronze color listed in the palette sample they gave us.) Is this similar to a medium/dark bronze? It appears like it is but want to clarify.
Would you suggest painting the garage door Fairview Taupe color too? The garage is white, with the garage door painted blue.
Also, if I wanted to paint the front door a slightly different accent color would you recommend anything…or should I stick to Fairview Taupe?
Would you have suggestions on best landscaping flower colors as well?
Thanks so much! Leah
Hi again Leah,
The Burnished Slate is exactly what I was talking about. Very similar to the bronze color. So that’s a go!
I would paint the garage door Fairview Taupe if you want to blend and coordinate with the brick/roof and not highlight your garage door. But as for the front doors, you can certainly paint an accent color that will make the doors stand out. You said you didn’t like the current blue, but how about a richer Mozart Blue (Ben Moore). Here’s a link: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/1665/mozart-blue?color=1665
The blue contrasts with the brick and will certainly add a pop of Cool color to the front of the house. There is a lot of orange.
See what you think.
And I would be happy to give you some landscaping color ideas but under separate cover.
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We are moving forward with the roof but are most likely going to go with shingles now, due to the contractor we wanted to use, no longer being available. Should we still stick with a burnished slate color? We are probably going with Owen’s Corning Duration Shingles.
Thanks again!
Hi Leah,
I think the best Owens Corning Duration color for your house is Teak –I think it would look lovely with your brick. See what you think!
-Barbara
Thank you, I think this will work! Do you think the Ben Moore’s Fairview Taupe for the shutters/doors will still be a good choice too?
Should be! But roof first and we can revisit. Can’t wait to see photos!
We now have a new roof! We went with Owens Corning Duration Designer Summer Harvest, which was as close as I could get to the Teak but an upgrade to the Designer series. I will send new photos. The shutters have been taken down for painting. Do you still think the Fairview Taupe color is the way to go? Thanks so much…we love how the roof color tones down the orange brick!
Ooooh nice!! I will take another look when I see your photo!
Hi Barbara,
Just made payment by paypal.
Looking to get some advice on roof color, I’m in the process of selecting shingle color from GAF or Certainteed. Live in Orlando, Fl area
I have a one story ranch painted block/brick home on front and gagage side with smooth stucco on remaining walls of house. House had a hip roof with 33 inch overrhang. Pitch is 4/12. You see a lot of roof on my house. I’ll send photos of my house.
I would like to paint my house in the next year or so a warm white color and change trim color as well. My house is currently a grey/green with black shutters, Dover white trim and black roof.
Was wondering if I should go with Moire Black by certainteed or choose gaf weatherwood, slate or Appalachian sky. Or certainteed landmark Driftwood, weatherwood, Georgetown gray?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Amy
Hi Amy,
I love the idea of going with a warm white paint color. That will look spectacular. So with that in mind, I suggest either the GAF Appalachian Sky or the Certainteed Driftwood. Both of those are very flexible in terms of paint colors so you have lots of paint color options in the future. I would definitely not go with black again. Too harsh for your house and your sunny Florida location. Move toward the browns with shutters (dark wood shutters — or wood-like shutters) would be lovely. Check out Timberlane Shutters ( https://www.timberlane.com) — they will tie in your brick walkway better too. Hope this helps. And thanks for posting!!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Are you still active? I have tin roof/shutter color question for a historic house with tan stucco built 1739.
Hi Terry, YES!! My day job has kept me off the blog, but I am still answering questions. Feel free to post and you can send a photo or two to my email: yourcolorcoach@gmail. Happy to help you with your color dilemmas.
Hello,
We are in the process of replacing our roof and would like some help on the color to blend with our Dutch Colonial brick house. We have a variegated brick pattern with colors of various shades of orange, red and some brown. We have a gambrel roof with dormers that are sided in a tan color. The current roof color is gray but we are thinking that a brown might better compliment the color schemes. We are going with GAF Timberline HD shingle and are leaning toward the Weathered Wood, but would like to hear what color you think would work best. My husband at first wanted the lightest possible color for the purpose of energy efficiency but has decided that aesthetics should be the higher priority with the roof. Current door color is Behr Optimist Gold and shutters/garage doors are Behr Magnet although I’d like to leave room to change these colors in the future as well.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts,
Amy
Hi Amy,
Check out GAF Mission Brown, a brown with a gray undertone that would be very nice with your bricks. The alternative is Barkwood (a little dark and warm, but would be okay). Another alternative is Certainteeds Pewterwood — a warm gray with brown tones that might be a great compromise and the perfect color for changing things up in the future.
I will send you photos.
Hope one of these works for you. Get BIG samples so you can see the colors from the street at all different times of the day. Feel free to send photos back if you need another set of eyes for choosing the final color.
Thanks Amy!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara – Our home exterior needs a makeover. We are replacing the roof and painting and need help picking colors that will help the house look its best. We are using Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration asphalt shingles for the roof but don’t really know where to start in our attempt to update our California 1970’s ranch style house. Our home has a brick “belly belt” that has multi-colors of red, whites, grays and black. We have a 3 ft. overhang around the perimeter of the house and the back is a textured stucco. We are not changing the brick but we want to try and find a roof color that would update the look the exterior of the house. Our current roof is a light gray and the house is also light gray with blue/gray trim. I’d love to add some warmth to the exterior (roof and siding) but I’m struggling with how due to the colors in the brick and the 3ft overhang. (I’m concerned with the house looking too dark.) For roof shingle colors we were considering Owens Corning Duration: Mountainside, Mesquite, Black Sable and Night Sky. As you can see from most of these options we are drawn to shades in the gray family which contradicts my desire to have some warmth in the exterior. We just can’t figure out if there is a way to make a change.
What do you recommend for siding and trim/gutter colors? We plan on getting a new garage door once we figure out a color scheme. Should it be the same color as the rest of the house? I will send an email with a couple of pictures for you to see.
Thank you!
Rhonda
Hi Rhonda,
Here’s one option for siding/roof/trim:
Siding:
Briarwood (Benjamin Moore HC-175)
Trim:
Swiss Coffee OC-45 Benjamin Moore
Roof:
https://feed.owenscorning.com/roofing/shingles/trudefinition-duration/driftwood#color=driftwood
By having a medium tone for siding, there is less contrast between the siding and the brick band so your house will appear more unified –> bigger. Right now it’s cut in half around the middle = Belly Band, as you described.
By choosing a medium tone for the roof color, again the siding and roof will be united and the house will appear bigger. The white trim will provide accents and a visual break between the siding and roof.
I do like your door color. Very pretty and inviting!
See what you think of that combination!
As for the garage door, two choices: the house color or the trim color for paint. If you ever replace the door, you might consider a wood-look fiberglass door. No more painting!
And thank you again for posting, Rhonda!
Kind regards,
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello. I have a little bungalow which is in “The Campgrounds area” (affectionately known as Tiny Town) on Long Island, in North Merrick, NY. In the late 1800s into the turn of the 20th century the Methodists had summer revival camp meetings here. They built some summer bungalows which were later converted into all season homes once they stopped having meetings here. Mine is one of the originals and it’s estimated to have been constructed in 1908. I’m on the middle of three roads that are concentric circles. Unlike the rest of the south shore suburban Nassau County, we have very narrow roads with no sidewalks. My property is sort of pie shaped and my detached one car garage faces the road in the back. We have a lot of big old trees here too.
My insurance company is requiring that I completely replace the roof cover. It’s almost thirty years old, and it really does not owe me a dime!
I am having trouble deciding on a color. The roofer that I want to use is a GAF contractor. He wants to put Timberlane HDs on it. I’m used to my flat single colored three tabs, but I suppose I’ll get used to shading and patterns of the architecture shingles. He suggested going a tad darker than what I have with either Oyster Gray or Pewter Gray to go on my light blueish gray house. His office assistant said she would use charcoal gray. I have seen the charcoal gray on other homes and i like it. It looks sharp. I am not sure about it for my little house though. I thought the contrast would be nice, but is it too dark? Or does it work? What would you suggest?
I was also curious about their Timberline American Harvest line, particularly Appalachian Sky or Nantucket Morning (but from online pics that one looks too green and mottled). My other option is another contractor who uses Certainteed Landmarks, but I like the GAF contractor best and am about to sign with him. I’m so glad that I found you and I’m looking forward to your advice. I need to make a decision very soon, and am so unsure! Thank you. I already did the PayPal thing, and will be forwarding a few pics to your email in a few minutes.
Hi Lee,
I think the Pewter Gray is perfect for your house. It is a medium gray with a blue undertone. (GAF Timberline Natural Shadow Pewter Gray Lifetime Architectural Shingles). The Charcoal is pretty dark and for such a prominent roof, I think it will overpower your shaded front porch.
I looked at Biscayne — such a handsome color — and I think it would look smashing on your house, but the blues have to match and it’s hard to do that on my computer screen. But if you’re interested, I would suggest getting a large sample, along with the Pewter Gray, and holding them up next to your trim color. You’ll know instantly which one works better.
I also looked at Slate (on the green side, and your house is decidedly blue-gray although I appreciate your telling me that specifically. That helped a lot!)
I don’t think there’s any need to switch contractors. It’s important to trust the one you choose because installation is so important. There are enough colors to choose from with GAF.
Hope that helps.
And thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you very much for getting right back to me Barbara. I was driving myself kwazy! I’ll be checking out the Pewter and the Biscayne. I do think I’ll end up with the Pewter though, only because I don’t think the blues on my house match with the Biscayne. It is a really nice color though.
We have a heather blend roof with dark brown garage door. We are having white windows put in. Looking for siding colors?
Hi Diane, Honestly? White. With a wood-look fiberglass or actual wood front door. And wood-look shutters. Alternative front door color: a rich teal.
What specific artitectual shingle matches Benjamin Moore exterior paint Kendall Charcoal?
Check out Driftwood from Owens Corning Oakridge
Hi Barbara,
We are building a new home presently and I am still struggling with roof shingle choice. Our home is a 2 story on a small inland lake on a 68’ wide lot so it is a narrow home and the shingles will show on the North and South sides of home over 3 separate high pitched peaks 12/12 and 8/12…the lakeside has a 4 season porch across width of house that will have a metal roof…am looking at a charcoal.
I have chosen Mastic 5” double cedar wood grain siding with their cedar shakes 7” shakes in Harbor Gray.
My windows are Anderson wrapped vinyl in their white which has gray in it…and trim also white.
Please advise…am looking at CertainTeed Landmark Pro.
Thank you,
Mary Judge13@gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 14, 2020, at 4:46 PM, Mary Judge wrote:
Sent from my iPhone
PS…I can do Owens Corning shingles also.
Hi Mary,
Thank you for posting! I have to tell you for your Harbor Gray home with Charcoal metal porch roof and white trim on an Inland Lake, my favorite choice for a shingled roof is Max Def Atlantic Blue. Your location is one of the few where I would consider a blue roof and with the gray (any neutral) that roof is a knockout. If I can’t convince you to consider the Atlantic Blue, I would go with a roof that contrasts with the house and metal color. You don’t want everything the same color and the same hue value. So either go darker with a Pewterwood (max def) or something like Colonial Slate or Georgetown Gray both of which offer a variety of shades and tones in the roof. Hope that helps! Thanks again for posting!
Hi Barb,
Thx for your reply…am just seeing your response…I didn’t get an email and not computer savvy.
I already had chosen and purchased shingles unfortunately when I contacted you. I am concerned they are too blue…Max Def Pewter… the roofers only have a small portion done due to weather and I would still change. I like the Pewterwood but it is in their Premium choices so more expensive. And the Georgetown Gray was too green for me it reminded me of Owens Corning Estate Gray and it’s so overly popular. Harbor Gray has more blue than green so I tend to go towards the blue undertones. The Colonial slate has too much red for me. So I settled for the Pewter which is too matchy matchy and seems too light for Harbor Gray but hoping with the variety of siding I’m using…Board and batten on first floor, clapboard on second floor and cedar shake on peaks…and accents of charcoal metal roof and white trim it will be okay.😊Your initial choice is also a premium color and I am too chicken to go that blue….but it is beautiful. I wish I had more money…we are already over budget.
Please advise regarding the Landmark Pro Max Def Pewter.
Thank you,
Mary
I think you will love it. No worries at all. The other materials on the house and nice crisp trim will pull everything together.
I have a house with maple color sliding. It is a light color sort of on the line of beige. I have been told that dark color shingles would look best. Dark brown has been suggested or Burnt Sienna. I’am at a lost and could use some professional advice. Thank you!
Hi Velma, Have a look at Owens Corning’s Teak and Certainteed’s Driftwood. I think you’ll find that either one of those will be perfect with your maple siding. Hope that helps! -Barbara
Thank you Barbara, I really appreciate your help.
You’re most welcome.
Hello! I’m having a really hard time choosing a roof color, but we’re leaning toward GAF’s armourshield ii options (more limited color options) after a recent hail storm demolished our roof. Ironically, we’re in the process of refinishing our exterior with new siding, trim and sash colors. We’re in a 1923 craftsman bungalow with a simulated thatch roof. New house colors (current plan) are Ben Moore’s Durango Dust for the trim, SW’s Polished Mahogany for the sashes, and SW’s Rosemary or Dried Thyme for the siding. We’ve already started using the trim and sash paints (so those are set). To complicate the roof color dilemma, we have dark reddish-brown brick accents – the front porch and columns. The colors we’ve been considering for the roof are Charcoal, Barkwood and Weathered Wood, but the first two feel possibly too dark in combination with the rest of the house. And based on our current roof color (which I do NOT like at all), I am really hesitant to go with the weathered wood. Thank you in advance! I will email a couple of photos.
Thanks for posting your question, Elizabeth. I will be happy to help you. Feel free to send your photos to my email: yourcolorcoach@gmail.com OR bmeglis@yahoo.com.
Hi Elizabeth,
Lovely house — and I do like the exterior paint palette very much. It’s craftsman, for sure.
Out of the GAF Timberline AS ii line, I like Barkwood. It is warm but not too warm. The Charcoal does not relate to the house — if the windows were black, that would be different. I think the Barkwood is terrific with all the brick as well.
I will leave the application question (over the fascia) to the roofer’s discretion and expertise. I don’t mind having the fascia exposed as trim. It raises the roof line ever so slightly.
Hope that helps. I think you’re good to go!
And thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi! We are getting a new roof and we recently painted our home a light cream/off-white color. It was painted all a dark brown before so the lighter roof Driftwood looked okay. Our brick is a spotted orangey/brownish-charcoal/off-white color and I’m having an awful time choosing a shingle color. Our brick is very busy and I want a darker roof to now accent our lighter paint color. I have samples of CertainTeed & Owens Corning shingle boards. I liked a charcoal but my husband doesn’t. We also have Brownwood, Burnt Sienna and Barkwood samples.
They are ready to roof and I can’t choose a shingle that would look good! We will be getting a new white storm door and we are replacing the window frames in a light cream color. I’m excited to see what you think!!
Thank you!!!
I’ll get right to it this afternoon!
Hi! I’m trying to send you pictures of our house and it says your mailbox is full. Please let me know how I can send them to you.
Hi Misty, Please send photos to yourcolorcoach@gmail.com