I LOVE a red house! I think it looks classic and homey!

you need to post a photo of your house drawings.... red (or any strong color) looks good when broken up with windows, etc. i like these but i don't sign permission slips without seeing the elevations for your house.

Like the red, but not the vinyl.

i also cant comment on red vinyl... is it prone to fade? someone else would need to weigh in on that.

i say no. its not a style of house that looks true to being red. the 3 red houses above are all classic styles. yours... no. keep it beige or grey. it would look odd red, and the long unbroken sides wouldnt be good in red.

It's very Scandinavian look I would do a Google search for red Scandinavian house for more inspiration and as others have posted not sure about the vinyl consider Hardie board they have a color called Country Lane red

Barns were red, not the farmhouses.

http://mitchginn.com/farmhouse-plans/

Take a look at these modern farmhouses and note how vertical board & batten siding is used to make it more interesting. That is available from the vinyl manuf. I like the standing seam roof also. If you do white vinyl, you won't have to worry about it fading. Spend some money on good windows.

There are plenty of farmhouse designs out there to select from. In your first red house posted, that is a house with craftsman details and the red siding just isn't appropriate for that style. Go back and look at 'farmhouse' styles so it's appropriate for the setting. A Georgian house in the middle of a field looks very strange. Don't do it.

I'm not a designer or even close to that. I can't tell you why the house pictures you shared look good in red. Your house isn't suited to red. I think it's because the pictured houses have more extensive trim that breaks up the red.

One of my neighbors selected a similar red for the sides/back of their house with a red brick. It looks awful. The reds don't match and have different undertones. Forget about the fact of the front brick, sides siding thing.

I like a red house. My husband doesn't. I also have no issue with vinyl siding. I think it is a great option and in some climates it makes a lot of sense. I have had vinyl on a few houses, including current one, and enjoy its low maintenance in my climate.

I do however think your house would look better in white.

As much as I love a red house, I agree with the other posters - your house isn't suited for red. Maybe a red door or even red window trim.

To be fair, the OP did not say they were building a farmhouse or a house in the country. She said her husband "is from the country" and, presumably a red house reminds him of that time of his life.

Since the OP asked for opinions, my opinion is that the pictures she first posted looked great. I am skeptical that the house shown in the drawing would have the same appeal if done in red.

Context is also important, IMHO. Will this house be off by itself on a couple of acres surrounded by large trees or 8' away from another house in a sub-division. Certainly there is nothing wrong with either situation, however the impact of the long, blank sides will have a different impact depending on the context.

As said above -- no to red on that house.

Also, the garage seems awkward, as if its been forced into that position, and the arched opening seems out of place.

Red on a cute little house -- yes.

Red metal roof on a white farmhouse -- yes.

Red on the rambling monster-roofed house you're proposing -- no.

Vinyl siding on any house -- no.

Barns in the South are not red.

I'd also eliminate the offset on the front garage wall.

I’d elimimate that hip roof on the primary mass. Standard gable. Gables everywhere. But eliminate a few. Simplify some more. And some more. And do a red metal roof. Then do a cute gambrel roofed storage shed out of the same red metal. With a silver roof.

Thst isn’t ever going to be a house that looks good in red. Or any color. As is, it needs the white on white so some of the forced and awkward overcomplexity fades away.

Its a lot easier to make chsnges on paper than it is in concrete and wood.

That said I think the house would work just fine in red with white trim. However I'm not sure about red vinyl and its durability. Seems to me like it is a color that fades very easy especially if you're in a very sunny climate. In Sweden it isn't sunny enough to fade as easily and thus used as paint a lot, but say in Texas red paint fades easily. Not sure where you are, but might need to consider that. I'd be afraid of the vinyl fading and then you'd have the pink looking house.

Actually there are a couple of potential leak areas. In the back especially.

I love a red house. My aunt had several red houses. However this style of house does NOT lend itself to a red color. It's too large and overbearing looking and looks more like a cross between a modern something and a mediterranean.

The houses you are showing in your examples are all very traditional. Yours isn't.

Like others, I'm afraid the architectural character of your house is a little too formal and defined to "wear" a red color and wear it very well.

My suggestion is to look for either a different, more neutral color or to reconsider your architectural style.

For example, just because one likes red, would you make this house red:

The point is that architectural style trumps color. If one cares about that sort of thing.

Good luck on your project.

Love your home!!! I'm not sure how it will look in red so I won't comment on it. However, I would love to know what you decide and to see the finished product!! Do well and have fun completing your home!!

I agree with PPF's suggested changes, especially that red would look much better without the arched front entrance.

I understand about vinyl and it's a compromise we had to make ourselves with our new build, though ours is a moss green. I would suggest putting a sample of the red vinyl outdoors in the sun to see if it starts to fade, uniformly or otherwise, to pink.

For what it's worth (two cents or so, Canadian), I spent some time several hours ago blathering on a different thread about how just about every design question is affected by context -- location, climate, local/vernacular styles, quality of the natural light, budget, and so much more. The color of a house is one such design question which can't be considered or answered in a vacuum; it's definitely affected by architectural style and other factors.

Good news about changing the arch, Trio Mom. I think that will make a big difference for the better.

Regarding the vinyl: Which brand/product line are you making your selection from? Are you limited to a certain manufacturer and/or product line?

Regarding the samples in this photo:

What is the full name of this red color, Vintage ...? Are these vinyl or aluminum samples? You describe the Vintage ? (red) as being “more of a burgundy to me,” while referring to the Terra Bronze as “the dark gray color.” I’m not sure how color blindness works, but, might you be color blind? I ask because the red sample (Vintage ?) in that photo clearly has orange in it, while burgundy is a much darker, browner red with a bit of blue in it (think of a Burgundy wine). And the Terra Bronze reads green, not gray. I only ask this because if in fact you do see color differently than the rest of us, I’m afraid the advice you receive won’t be as good, for lack of a better word, as it could be. :)

I live in the South, with all of it's intense sunlight and heat. We put a red metal roof on about 3 years ago, to match our 25 year old oil painted red barn which is still perfectly red. The south side of the roof is already is noticeably "dustier" looking than the north. The metal coatings are far superior to vinyl. Vinyl will pink out pretty quickly. I don't think you want a semi-annual application of Armor All to be part of your home maintenance!

Make sure that you pick out a vinyl that has a guarantee against fading. And read it! Often more fugitive colors like red and yellow are considered "premium" in vinyl siding and therefore more expensive. It takes more work to keep it from fading, but there are a few companies that get pretty high marks for it. Plygem's Mastic is one.

I would agree that as drawn, that house doesn't really feel like red seems to be an appropriate choice. Possibly with some changes to the elevation, it could work.

Scandi red houses:

It's about the architecture...!

So what I really meant, I suppose, was:

With some changes to the elevation, which will require changes to the interior, and will necessitate creating quite a different house entirely in a cohesive architectural style...

...red can work.

I'm in the South. The red vinyl will fade. Red can only be successfully used in climates that have weak sun. South Carolina sun will make this home pink in a year.

My green metal roof is 10 years old. It's a dusty version of it's original self due to sun bleaching.

White, cream or tan offer the best results with the least amount of maintenance and sun bleaching.

Good decision on changing that arch element.

Suggestion for the roof over the rear of the house.

I have no real opinion on whether or not to use red - but by my eye (and computer monitor) that "red" reads more terra cotta to me.

my question now would be what color(s) would look nice on this type of home

You need to define "this type of home". Your images show little detail, so it's not easy picturing the home when complete.

You are showing windows that are probably not appropriate for the house.

Do you have inspiration pictures?

Also need to see your color choices for siding, roofing, windows and trim.

Honestly from the renderings shown, it looks to me that the house should be stucco, not vinyl siding.

Honestly from the renderings shown, it looks to me that the house should be stucco, not vinyl siding.

Exactly what I thought.

Here's the big problem: Your house is more roof than wall. The predominant surface that everyone will see is roof. That is a crazy oversized roof--it's far taller than most of your walls and makes the house look top heavy and squished by that mass.

I agree with others. I really like barn red siding, but it has to be on the right house, and yours is the wrong style.

Hi Trio Mom:

So? How is the house? What colour did you go with? I am going with red on mine, and I am not letting anyone talk me out of it. (here is the before photo) I think your house would have looked great. Black roof, white trim.... I liked the garage too.