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Exterior color advice needed! Dark color wrong for a small house?

Kisha Petticolas

6 years ago

I bought this 804 sq ft house last spring and am finally ready to get it painted. All of the other houses in the neighborhood are white with the exception of three which are yellow, a bluish gray, and brown. It’s my first house and I’m very nervous about picking a color. I want my house to be different but not gaudy. I’m thinking about Sherwin Williams “Dignified” for the House, “Alabaster” for the trim, and leaving the shutters as they are. Any thoughts on how this might look? If this is a bad choice, I’d welcome any suggestions. Thanks!

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Comments (4)

PRO
Aaron Holland Painting, LLC.
6 years ago
The colors you picked out should look nice on your home. The reddish colored bricks may contrast slightly, but if that is the look you want, go for it!

*When using darker colors, the South and West sides may show fading more quickly than the rest of the house.

**It looks as if you have some raw aluminum. It is important that your painter pressure washes the siding well, and primes the raw aluminum with a suitable primer, prior to painting, or you may end up with peeling paint in those areas.
Denita
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Congratulations on your first home!

Make sure you test colors on a movable board before you have the exterior painted - the colors look different from the monitor and will look different in various times of the day or evening. Blue is very hard to get right, but looks fabulous when it is done right. I will see if I can find a couple of blue siding homes as insp pics so you can have a place to start your color tests.

One comment about your shutters: remove the shutters on the front right double window and add shutter hardware to the other two sets of shutters so they look functional even if they aren't, it will add lots of personality to your home. They need to be sized right (half the size of the window for each shutter). Here is a link to a brief article written by an architect for you Shutters vs Shudders

^See how the each shutter is half the size of the window in width and each has hinges and shutter dogs. I have no idea if these are functional or just look functional, and that is the point:)
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Agree on no brown roof. A pitfall with the brown is that many of the brown colors skew pinkish and will look horrible with your brick and most of the siding colors you will find. You won’t notice it until it’s up on your house when it’s too late. Also agree no shutters on the large windows on the right. Post photos closeup of any roofing color samples you are considering as well as closer photos of the brick. In the same light if possible. Then you will need to get small paint samples of the siding colors you think will work, painted up on posterboard at least 1 ft. Sq. to compare to the brick/roofing. You can’t tell anything from the 2 inch color chip.
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Thank you Beverly for adjusting the photo- what a difference! I also really like the colors that you and houssaon have suggested. I'd like to stay with a color scheme that is Craftsman but that also brightens and lifts the house while showing off the Craftsman details. Right now it just appears as one darkish mass. Our weather tends toward, cloudy and grey more often than not, which doesn't help. I can see that colors in the greenish family work nicely and are Craftsman appropriate. Would colors that have a bluish grey tint also work? Thanks so much to both of you for your suggestions.
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Denita
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I think the blue can be very nice, with the right color blue and the right color trim and shutters. Here is a blue that works well with brick and Sherwin Willimams (and other paint co's) have a way to color match the Hardy siding if you like this color blue (called Evening Blue).

^Another great blue with contrasting trim. Great color combo.

Landscaping and a wide walkway to the front porch will be the key to finishing your home:

^ This is just one example to show you how landscaping makes a huge difference. This might be a little formal for you. Find a good local landscape co to come up with a plan for you that you can implement as time and budget allow.
mimimomy
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
That house is adorable. Congratulations! I love the color you've picked out but *in my opinion only* you might want to go with something lighter. Dark colors show all dust/dirt, fade very quickly, and I do think tend to make small houses look smaller.

Perhaps use the lovely "Dignified" color in the front porch area, rather than as the main color? With a modern bronze colored light fixture it would I think, look super.

This could be paired with a more neutral all over-color and contrasting shutters/door?

Just some thoughts to consider... I definitely think you can move away from white, just not sure that the dark blue is the way to go!

P.S. First Star might be a good pick out of that same color strip.

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