What color is the front door going to be?

I'd suggest something medium to darker toned, but not so dark as to seem black. Depending on the color of the front door, you might want some of the roof tone to contain elements of the front door color.

From my viewing, light toned roofs look good for awhile but there's very quickly those inevitable, eye-catching (in a bad way) dark streaks coming down from the chimney area.

Your shutters might not always be black & your siding may not always be white, so select a roof that will go with more than the one color scheme.

If you want eyes to go to the shutters, do the roof in black. If you do it in a color other than the shutters, the eyes will go to the roof.

But….I like the hickory in the comment above and think it would look nice with the white and black.

Cedar Falls or Barkwood from the above choices. Or any similar color that will look like wood shingles. It's appropriate for your style of house and, as Beverly mentions, your house may not always be white.

Thanks! We are planning to have a black door as well. I was leaning towards a gray color so these responses really have me thinking.

I would do a dark grey.

This post was edited by porkandham on Sat, Feb 7, 15 at 13:41

We have white clapboard, black shutters and a charcoal roof. We have brick in the front though.

I disagree with Beverly (actually for the first time, ever. ) As long as s I am in this house, it will be like this. I am going on over twenty years.

Beverly makes a very good point, though, esp. about painting the house. Black is the best choice for versatility. I think it would also make the black shutters look best.

The roof on my ouse is red and brown and black; trim is red. I really want to eventually reside the house and paint the trim, more like weathered gray and blue…but that roof will disallow me from doing that. I wish the prior owner had just put a plain black roof on.

Would the answers change if I am certain that the paint will always be white with black shutters and a black door? I like this look and probably will not want to change it. Thanks - this is my first time posting and it's so helpful!

Black roof with black roof gutters -- and white downspouts ....

And a wonderful large door knocker with large black lanterns on each side of the doorway .....

I think I'd go with one of the slate colors. I think black roofs age quickly.

And I nice, shiny brass kick plate on the door along with a large brass knocker.

My recommendation would not change, as pitch black roofs do age quickly and the weathered dark brown shingle is a friendlier look for your home, IMO. Using a color close to real wood shingles would not prevent you from having black shutters and nice lighting and hardware. And at some point you still might want to paint the shutters and door a different color, if not the siding.

(Would def not paint the gutters black as--- on the homes I've seen with dark gutters---the color pulls the roof down on top of the house like a dark unibrow :-)

I'm with kswl on this one even without the aging issues she mentioned. Black is heavy and overpowering and depending on where you live, can make your home harder to cool. The solar load from a black roof is extreme. There are greyed brown shingles that straddle the line and offer plenty of flexibility for your (or another owner's) future color changes. And from experience, I will recommend NOT picking the color from online pictures. Ask a roofer or roof supply company for houses you can drive by and see the colors in place.

I'd go slate or grey -- staying with the monochroamtic idea but softer. I'm generally not a fan of brown roofs on white houses, but actually seeing the house in better light and seeing the actual colors could make a difference. Very good idea to go look at houses with the color(s) you are considering. Even looking at a few shingles can look very different than seeing them across an entire roof.

If you want to do something a little unexpected -- traditional but not so predictable, consider doing your shutters and doors in a deep admiral/navy/midnight blue.

Black. Our black roof is 10 years old (at least) and looks new. I think black actually holds up better than many lighter roofs that often show black streaks and dirt. And, I just like the look of a black roof-I do think it tends to be less noticeable as well.

I love white houses with black shutters, gloss black doors, and rich brown roofs. It's a great classic color combo, one you could live with for a long time as it looks good in any season.

I think black would be too harsh looking and I don't think brown goes with black shutters and door. I would pick a gray, especially since it doesn't sound like you will be changing the siding anytime soon.

Dark Charcoal grey. It works with all your colors and is neutral if you change your mind down the road. It is a classic color and look for the style of your home.

Charcoal.

I have a perfectly good brown roof, and I hate it. I wish it would be in disrepair so I could justify replacing it, but no. When I bought the house, it actually made me hesitate knowing I would have to live with it for a decade or so. IMO, unless it is cedar shingles, I think brown roofs often look dated.

Dark grey. It will ground the white house and blend with the shutters and door. Don't go light or brown. Light will make the roof seem like it is disappearing (not in a good way) and brown will be too much going on. With a black and white colour scheme, you want black and white - not black and white and brown.

Drive around your neighbourhood. There are likely other white and black houses. See what you like and what you don't.

Some examples of white homes.

Here's an example of brown/black/white. I'm seeing this combo more frequently in my area & really like the look. The roof manufacturers are making some beautiful brown shingles these days.

My house is not white but we will be putting on a new roof in the spring and we have picked out Owen Corning's Oak-ridge Artisan Shingles in the color Peppermill Grey. Although its a grey there is some brown in it too. It might be a nice compromise between the grey and brown suggestions given by some of the other posters.
Here is a close up of it from their website. It is compares real well to the shingle sample I had.
{{gwi:2144558}}

And a mock up of it on a white house with a black door. The color in the mock up appears a little more solid grey than the shingles are in real life.
{{gwi:2144559}}

I have a charcoal roof and I am quite partial to it. I live in a cold climate, so I think it works well for energy reasons, too, but it has just been a very neutral, versatile roof. It is aging, though, but that's not surprising after all these years - so are the brown and red roofs around the neighborhood.

New roof late summer due to storm damage. In Beverly's examples the original was Sky, chose Slate for new. Her pic is darn close to the brochure/shingle colors.

The Slate made a huge difference in the look, which was unexpected. It just looks like a higher priced shingle and makes the house look larger. The house looks similar to the one with window awnings. I have white shingle siding with black shutters too.

Everyone around was doing their roofs, so it was easy to take drives and see how they looked. My area is a mix of houses in every size, shape and design possible. A lot of cottage styles.

Perhaps a personal take, but the lighter and darker roofs seen didn't give me a comfort level. Not sure what it was about them. The roofer I had actually helped decide. Am wondering if location, terrain, trees,ect. make a difference on what is chosen.

A roof color is difficult to decide on.

Changed my mind after seeing the lovely brown that awm posted. But the brown grey of the Peppermill would be perfect if that's an option. Just don't go for a light or reddish brown which is what I see around here.

Like steph, we live in a colder climate and the dark charcoal roof we chose (after years of pale grey) didn't seem to just make sense from an environmental standpoint, but it made the house look warmer, too.

This post was edited by daisychain01 on Sun, Feb 8, 15 at 8:16

Your house is a Garrison Colonial. I think it would look great with a gray roof.

Here are some pics.
https://www.google.com/search?q=white+colonial+house+with+black+shutters&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS390&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=809&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=FGLXVMOeNNOTNrvNglg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=garrison+colonial

I vote gray as well. Have your roofer provide addresses of house with your top 3 choices so that you can see them in person.

I vote charcoal . Another thought is that it might not be the pitch of the roof you don't like; it may be the lack of any overhang. Look at the pictures posted you will see what I mean. And if you are having your whole roof replaced, now is the time. Get a quote on extending the roof overhang. You will not be sorry.

Thank you for the amazing feedback!

I agree with above, the overhang is lacking on your house, that makes a big difference.
I have a white stone house and the roof is black, we have a lot of black iron trim and fence and gates. However I hate the black roof and will not be getting black when we replace it soon. I have not decided for sure on the color yet but am leaning towards a light gray or the weathered wood in the sample which are the same samples I have here. My neighbor had hers done last summer and I think hers is the barkwood, looks good on her house. We are in Texas it's crazy to have a black or very dark roof. We have lots of pine trees and oaks when the leaves fall they show terribly on my black roof, on my neighbors you can barely see them because they blend in with the roof color.

So I would take into consideration the heat factor of black and do you have a lot of leaves.