There was a time when I thought black or dark charcoal were the best colors for a roof .

Then I moved from the midwest to the southwest. :) And realized what a narrow perspective that was.

A darker roof color does mean more heat accume - they get hotter. How big of a deal that is all depends on your region. i.e. Here in El Paso if someone has a black roof one automatically assumes the people who live there are from the midwest because no one who knows better does that here. The streaking issue isn't necessarily related to the heat accume.

The other thing I realized was that color on a roof scape can kinda be fun and look good if you do it right.

I just got the new CertainTeed colors brochure - I don't have samples. But I'm curious if you've looked at Heather Blend

I suspect that would "match" your house the best and you could go different directions with door and shutter color. But you can always stick with Moire Black; summer isn't all year long after all and you'd know exactly what to expect from that color.

We are in the Carolinas and got a new roof 2-3 years ago. Our house is also red brick. Moire Black is very black! We went with Colonial Slate, which is a nice color and not too dark. The Georgetown Gray and Weathered Wood were not options then, but they would work. Heather Blend has too much brown in it. Driftwood has some brown but is more grey. Driftwood probably would have been my next choice given other greys were not available then.

Make sure you get a ridge vent if you don't have one. That made a huge difference for us.

We had a tree limb go through our storage shed, so we had that re-shingled with the Colonial Slate this summer.

But I'm not sure OPs house is red brick - it looks more terra cotta in the pic, on my monitor.

If it were classic red brick, I'd agree that HB would be too brown.

Good point. It may have more brown than ours. You are definitely the color expert here, so I trust your judgment!

Here is a picture which shows the Color of the Brick. As you can see, it is Not the classic red brick - goes Toward Orange and has several shades in it. We are in process of extending the roof over the porch. Working on the underside now. Need to get the roof done very soon.

The siding is not a true yellow - more of a Cream/Yellow, but it takes up a little more of the house than just if it were trim so I would like to get something that blends with the siding and the brick. As it is with the black roof, the siding seems to stand out. I think total brick front, would make decision easier.

http://www.capstonetn.com/#!our-work/ceb2 I believe the photos on this link of Driftwood are the Same as my Brick, but one has a total brick front, the other had light/grey siding vs. mine has the cream/yellow. I have a sample board of the driftwood - it is a cool tone. Does the roof tone need to be warm like the house tones. I think the driftwood looks great on these houses, but mine is somewhat different because of the siding. Also, let me know if you don't think the brick in the photo is the same. The lighting, other color combos can make such a difference.

Have not seen the colonial slate in person, but thought the bit of red in it might not match. I am certainly not a color expert, and do not want to get something as large as a roof wrong for 30 years.

Would the Georgetown gray work. Can't really tell much about it from the computer. Would the weathered wood be a consideration?

The sample boards I have are driftwood, weathered wood. The roofer also pulled out pewter, but that looked like a scary choice to me; but might work for all I know.

What colors would be my options? And, of course, would like to choose the best one.

Please scroll down to my 2nd photo to get better idea of brick color. Hopefully, going tomorrow to look @ more sample boards.

Getting boards is the right thing to do. I'd look at primarily the colors of the brick because 1) they have the most color and 2) the siding may be replaced before the brick, and before the roof - never know what can happen.

You can either align the colors roof to brick or you can choose a gray that harmonizes with the brick.

When you put the samples next to the brick, hopefully one of them will 'click' and make it easier for you to see which works best.

There is another roofing thread ... I'll cut/paste my answer there, which applies to you too ...

CertainTeed will have a list of all local installations that used those colors. Your roofer should be able to get you the list, so that you can drive around and see the different colors in person. I would not rely on internet photos!

I also wouldn't base my decision on tiny sample boards!

Thanks for mentioning look @ real life jobs. I sent the roofer an email on that this evening. Sample boards might prove helpful just to get a starting place - better idea of color with my house. It's hard to find one with the exact brick and siding which is also using the same brand roofing materials. Some of the colors look so different depending on the house they are on. For example: That roof looks great, but then it is on pinkish brick.

I thought there might be "rules" about which colors would be definite go's or definite no's, but I don't know's. I better quit my comedy. Seeking . . . the roof color knowledge.

I thought a medium grayish blue.

No, you don't want that. Any hint of blue on a roof usually isn't a good thing. In addition, you have what is in essence orange brick. Orange and blue are high contrasting complementary colors - complementary not in a good way in this case.

You want the roof and the other elements, brick and siding, to have a cohesive curb appeal; the roof is the last thing you want to jump out.

Looking at existing roofs is a good idea, just keep in mind that shingle color can vary lot to lot, year to year. So the weathered wood from the same manufacturer, etc. on your neighbor's house might not be the exactly same color of shingle available to you today.

The streaks on your roof are from algae. It is dark, and that's why many people go with a darker roof--- to hide or at least minimize the appearance of the streaks. Since your house is sited where the roof is shaded for some portion of the day, you are going to get algae or mildew on the new roof, too. If you go with a light roof it will look streaky in a few years.

We also live in GA and in the middle of the woods. After looking at every color, style and mfg of shingle, we went with Atlas Pristine shingles treated with a 3M product that has a limited lifetime warranty against algae. It's the only product with a really good warranty. Other shingles have a different 3M product or more copper granules and have a only a 10 year limited warranty.
It's a dimensional shingle that is very slightly larger than most other companies. It's about the same price as most of the major companies' similar products.

This is our roof in Pristine Black--- it is more like a charcoal than a true black.

I am not a GA native so am learning about the algae. It is very humid here. Guess you love the trees around the house like I do. We had a storm recently and insurance is paying for one small section, but we have to go the rest (most of it); and we did not want to have a hillbilly patch roof. Guess that's what you get with premium insurance payments. Insurance also does not pay for the thousands of dollars in tree removal costs unless tree hits house. Love the trees, but it is getting expensive and time consuming cutting them down and trimming broken limbs.
So it seems I might back to moire black. The driftwood color is nearly black, but it is cool toned. I can tell that. I really do not know color terms. It is a mix of brown black. The weathered wood was warm and lighter with some beige, but it also has blue, maybe wrong. Did not know that I should stay away from roofs with blue in them. To my eye, my current roof has a bluish cast; but as I say I do not know the color terminology.
Still wondering about the Georgetown gray or other colors.

This post was edited by roofcolor on Tue, Nov 12, 13 at 22:11

By the way, some of the net photos of the moire black seem to have a bluish cast. Does this mean I should stay away from this one if I notice the bluish cast when I view in person tomorrow?

Like I said in that thread from 2009, a black or dark charcoal roof affords the most flexibility as far as color schemes; they coordinate with the colors of many other exterior element.

And I think I also mentioned that it's hard to find just a black/black roof without any other hues speckled throughout.

Yes, you are correct. You will find black shingles with specks of warmer colors like brown (brown is essentially dark orange) or specks of cooler colors like blue and hunter-ish-looking greens.

I would opt for the black roof with warm colored specks in the same range as the brick and not the black roof options that include specks of cooler colors like blue and green.

Personally, I think your current roof is not the right color for the brick and siding. It has too many cool colors and I think it's too light.

A warmer black/charcoal that is a snidge darker would be the first option I'd seriously consider.

Second option would be a dark brown but it would have to echo the same hues and tones as the brick. And NOT go rust or orange when all of the shingles are en masse, done.

Roof colors are tough. Because the color choices are limited and you often end up choosing 'the best you can do' from the limited color selection available.

kswl, house is gorgeous, btw. Looks great.

This post was edited by funcolors on Tue, Nov 12, 13 at 23:31

There is a brown/black called burnt sienna in the line which is dark, but looks like it might go all orangey on my house like you mentioned.

http://augustineroofing.com/projects.html The 6th house in the photos has the burnt sienna, and I believe the name is correct. (I hate it when you can tell they have mislabeled the photos, but what color??)

Anyway, this house is looking good, almost too good. The brick is not as orange as mine. This one looks like a painted doll ready to hit the town. Don't know if this burnt sienna color would work on my house or not. Would it suffer from the gone all orangey effect that you mentioned? Don't believe I would be able to use the painted doll look in my neighborhood, but then who knows. Most likely have to go somewhat subdued, but might be able to consider if it would work and not be too hot or have the gone all 70's look.
My house is not all that old, but as you can see, it needs a lot of work.

Burnt Sienna is very often roof code for "orange". Beware.

Sample Roof Color Pictures. It is a cloudy day and nearly dark so not the best for pictures, but wanted to get feedback. Clockwise direction: weathered wood next to shutter, driftwood on roof, Georgetown gray tacked on roof to right of driftwood - Georgetown gray has the tiniest specks of beige and brown, heather blend to right.
From the small samples we are leaning toward weathered wood, Georgetown gray (which has some definite green/blue, but also blackish gray), driftwood picks up the brown but does not seem right in tone. I will try to get better pictures tomorrow. Hard to imagine how whole roof will look in color though. They were supposed to have given me colonial slate too, but must have forgotten. Let me know if you think that one is even a contender.

I'm going through pretty much exactly the same colors for my bluish grey house (except for Weathered Wood, which is too brownish) and Heather Blend.
In what way is Pewter "scary"?

Shingle Colors in Window. Left black - Right Georgetown Gray. Regarding the Georgetown gray, the top 1/2 is the part that doesn't show. The bottom half is the shingle color. When I first saw the top part, I thought "that's it." Then had to realize that was the non-showing portion. (Someone should get a laugh out of this.) As I said before, cloudy, nearly dark - bad time for picture taking. Please see previous photo as well. As far as laughs, my neighbor keeps thinking the multi-colors on the top are part of the shingle; and I have to say, just look at the bottom.

nosoccermom - Pewter seemed scary to me . . . that it might not be the right shade for my orangey/red house. You know, if it's the right shade, it looks pretty. For all I know, it might work for my house, but haven't seen example of it with the colors of my brick and siding.

I like the weathered wood with your brick. If you stay with shutters, I wouldn't do the black. If the door is as bright sharp a red as the first photo, I would also tone that down or change it to complement your new softer color scheme.

snookums2 Yes, I am up for any needed changes to door and shutter colors. What colors would you recommend? If I go with weathered wood?

One thing which concerns me about weathered wood is will it look mostly gray or mostly light brown on my house. I tend to like when it looks mostly gray. Also wondering if it will be a little too light. But, I think it goes with the brick best as well. http://www.certainteed.com/idea-center/gallery/roofing?pid=308747 Photo of entire roof in weathered wood from CertainTeed website.

Wish the Georgetown gray had a bit more brown and beige in it. If it would work, it might be better with the CONCERN ABOUT ALGAE ISSUE. Http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=georgetown+gray+shingles&FORM=HDRSC2&id=B7BC98A199ED6D9272CE79C2EE711E952428D571&selectedIndex=64#view=detail&id=B7BC98A199ED6D9272CE79C2EE711E952428D571&selectedIndex=0 Looks good on this townhouse, but every house it different. http://www.goshanco.com/roofing-pictures.html Don't like the look of the color on this one - my opinion not so good.

http://www.ontopsroofing.com/roof-pictures/portfolio/?show=gallery LOOK @ 1st PHOTO. This is kind of a diversion. Take a look @ this lovely roof color if anyone has the same color siding as I do and has the moola for the 50 year shingle. Wish they had this color in other price ranges.

http://www.ontopsroofing.com/roof-pictures/portfolio/?show=gallery LOOK @ 1st PHOTO. The roofs over the windows (don't know the proper name for them) look similar to the Georgetown Gray. This house has the brownish stone and mine has the orange/red brick. So does anyone have any thoughts in regards to if the Georgetown Gray shingle color would translate to a workable color scheme or not.

I pasted pictures of Georgetown Gray on your roof. Not an accurate depiction, obviously, but how does the color strike you?

Georgetown Gray doesn't look much like that in person. It is the shingle under the ladder and the shingle in the window to the right in the other picture. Someone in the family likes it, but they like green a lot. I am undecided. Plan to take better pictures tomorrow, weather permitting.

If you use the weathered wood, which looks like a good option with respect to color, I would def paint the shutters a rich dark chocolate brown and the door a lighter shade of brown.

And as long as we are playing "If it were me," I would also tone down your white windows and guttering by painting them the same putty/taupe color of your brick mortar, and would paint your light yellow siding in a slightly darker tone of the putty/taupe. Then your house would read as a whole, instead of separate elements belonging to entirely different color schemes and esthetics.

"Georgetown Gray doesn't look much like that in person." No, the shingles never look like the promotional photos on the web. But it's all I had to work with, really. Your picture's samples are so small, and the color differential doesn't translate, so it would have been tough to photoshop them. Maybe if I find a picture of a darker gray, at least you could see if you prefer darker or warmer.

When we replaced our roof, I found that the viewing angle and distance affects the perceived color too. And the sun and the time of day. Roofs are hard!

So, Georgetown Grey is greenish?
Pewter looks quite light on the tiny sample I have. Have you seen a larger sample board?

The siding does sometimes look pale yellow there in the photos. I was thinking maybe it is a beige?

I was also thinking a brown for the shutters. I think you could still do a red on the door but something not so bold and sharp with brown or maybe a little on the rust side. That's what came to mind but I'm sure other colors would work also.

I believe Weathered Wood differs between manufacturers where some have more brown and others more gray. Online photos are so inaccurate as are samples and trying to gauge from small swatches. Very hard!! Can you get some addresses to look at installations?

The door would be the only thing we would have plans to paint. If changing shutter color, would prefer to buy new ready made in desirable color. Paint is not the way to go in this climate. The siding is vinyl, (realize it could use another power wash) and pvc is around the windows. We recently replaced the wood around exterior doors with pvc. Wood or paint does not hold up well here. Have painted shutters before; and unless you can't buy them new ready made in a suitable color/style, to me it is not usually worth the effort. Most of the time, it is not cost prohibitive to buy them new. I figured this out after years of cleaning sanding and painting things; for example, range hood - too much work, buy a new one.
Need to work with the white trim that is present and the white gutters. It would cost more than I would want to spend to change those items. Have lots of things inside and out that need $$'s.
Sounds like black may be the winner, if I cannot figure out if one of the grays would work any better. The color selection is a bit disappointing. To me all the blends in the roof colors make it harder, not easier since my house is not all one color.
Regarding the pewter color, it is lighter than navy if that helps.

Heather Blend Roof
Sherwin Williams Black Bean Shutters
Sherwin Williams Edgy Green Front Door

JMHO

I was in a quandary as to a roof color for our other home. The original roof was an orangey brown and they used burgundy shutters. It really looked bad together. I used charcoal(almost black) and had the shutters painted black and had a new black door installed. I was going to go with the driftwood roof and a colored shutter but a home a few blocks over replaced their driftwood roof with black and it looked so great that I changed my mind from driftwood to charcoal. It took the house from plain jane drab to a lovely classic look.

fun colors, The heather blend is the last one on the right next to the cream/yellow (more cream) siding. Holding it up to the house and the siding the brown did not seem to be right. Out of frustration, I picked up a timberline dark brown at home depot and that brown did not seem to work either. Read on the net, don't have the link, that roof color will appear 1 shade lighter and/or appear 1 shade lighter shortly after installation. So . . . if the moire black would fade a little, would be a plus to me. It's either the A/C bills or the algae.

Figured I might have to change to green or other shade of red for door with roof change. Pretty sure neighbors will not be anticipating that so more explaining may be in order. There is some work involved, not all fairyland magic. Anyway, the main reason for the red door was when you have the exposed door with no overhang the black door gets hot as HE_L and bakes like it's in an oven. It was originally black which looked good for color, but the color was melting. The roof extension will probably allow for more color selection. The red is popular here. Everyone comments on how they love the red door and many in the neighborhood immediately painted their door red too. Must admit it stands out a little too much with no landscaping. After the roof, the next outdoor project will be bringing in additional soil and replacing the walkway. It has cracks, sadly, concrete does that.

We love the color brown, but in sample form those browns did not look promising.

Keep in mind, trim and gutters will stay white, so let me know if some roof color selections will look bad given that consideration.

This is a very accurate photo of Georgetown gray

What roof did you end up going with? Having a hard time deciding on one!