Revising ALL of the exterior colors on our house- help please!
We recently bought this home and love a lot about it- except for this terrible colonial blue they used for EVERY detail of the house outside of the pink brick. I have made a couple of choices but nothing is locked in and I'd love some feedback.
- I think we've settled on GAF Charcoal roof
- And we're 99% sure we want to get new Pella windows in Vanilla Cream before they discontinue the color (we have to commit in three days).
- If we go with Vanilla Cream windows, I think SW Alabaster is the closest color for trim.
- We're going to add Fypon colonial crossheads over the 2 downstairs windows and remove the door shutters and add Fypon pilasters and crosshead over the doors. (I'll happily take advice on proportions of the Fypon. I have CAD mockups of different sizes)
- Long term plan is to add a portico, but we have a lot to do before then, so let's just skip that for now.
- We are in agreement that we are NOT going to paint the brick in the next 10-20 years, if ever.
So my questions are as follows:
- Black shutters? Seems safe. We're using SW, so Tricorn? Other suggestions are welcome. The front of the house is northern exposure and it's in the shade all day 365 days a year. Colors will likely seem darker on the front and washout in the back (southern exposure, no shutters)
- We don't have frieze board and don't have room to add it. Could I paint the gutters dark (black or other) and paint the soffit the trim color to add depth? I'm very afraid of ending up with a stark white line under all of our hip roofs.... If we go with the contrast, would the fascia match the soffit?
- Should downspouts be the gutter color or painted to disappear? To blend into the brick I'm back and forth between SW Meadowlark and Pottery Urn. There may be others to consider too.
- I've read so much about garage doors matching trim. I'm afraid they'll be too bright though. Could we do garage doors to match the shutters and still keep the trim light? Shorter-term plans are to replace the garage doors with wood or wood-look to compliment the front door, but we're not quite ready and can't live with blue garage doors
I know we need landscaping. I'm a landscape designer and dying to get this exterior work done so I can get some beds in!!! Thanks in advance for any and all input!!
Comments (13)
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agoThis is my favorite color with brick and I would remove all the shutters IMO down spouts and gutteres are no design elements so I like them to blend with the brick in your case.
Athyrium Design thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting- PRO
Athyrium Design
3 years ago Related Discussions
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ashtonchic
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoThe color of your existing shutter looks "French Blue" which is a very popular trim color in, where else? France! I pulled a picture off of Google so you could see what I mean. The color that Patricia is showing is lovely. The house below is in Alsace.
houses in France with French blue shutters - Google Search · More Info
PROLori A. Sawaya
3 years ago
PROJudyG Designs
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoCream windows, cream trim..I like cream shutters. Garage doors, paint the gray of the new roof.
Never been a fan of shutters on the front door. IMO, it takes away from the door itself.
Don’t dismiss this front door color right away….it is gorgeous on a pink brick Colonial style home.
This is the color I would love you to look at…I had it over and over on my front door on our 1911 home. B.M. Somerville Red…a Historic Color.
- PRO
Athyrium Design
3 years agoWhy light windows?
With the Georgian style of the home in a historic area of greater Philadelphia, sticking with a more traditional look feels right to me, plus I like traditional.
Additionally, dark windows on a house like this feels trendy to me, and with all the other renovations we want to do, I don't want to redo the windows until we have to.
Lastly, I think dark windows look best without shutters and for the proportions of the house (as well as the architecture) I think the house needs shutters. My husband and I agree dark windows would look killer in the back but not in the front.
I really do like the idea of green accents or shutters. There's a house in the neighborhood that I always admire with sage trim and no shutters but their brick and window layout is different than ours. And like I said, I think we'd have to get the color just right for it not to be just a green version of what we have now.
Purdue Spring 2012 · More Info partim
3 years ago- PRO
Athyrium Design
3 years ago 
Jennifer Hogan
3 years ago
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chloebud