With where you are, I'd at least go into the light spectrum (light grey, light brown, light blue) versus white. White exteriors require a power wash two to 3 times a year to keep looking nice. White stone can be used without as much maintenance but tends to absorb more water white causes other issues. To quote my friend with a white house, "if I had known the maintenance involved, I wouldn't have bought this house."

An option would be black gutters in a matte finish. Sound funny to say but some people do shiny gutters and it shows everything. Anyhow, the black works well with the farmhouse look and is easily matched with a variety of colors.

Good luck and Congrats on the new home building!

Thanks Jesse! Our experience with the light colored trim we had before was that it looked dirty more than it looked clean. But the white farmhouse is so popular, I wonder if people still love it after a couple years being in it or totally regret it?? We're likely going to do hardie board so not sure if that makes a difference or not.

We had white siding on our last house and it showed dirt everywhere. Our gutters were white and the stains was so obvious.

We currently have a house with light green siding and black gutters. The siding does get dirty but we only clean it once or twice a year. Mainly spider webs.

I would suggest that you not go with black trim. It will show oxidation and I've heard black paint doesn't wear as well, although that may no longer be true. Also, do not choose white siding just because it's popular; the all white modern farmhouse will be as dated as 1980's oak cabinets in a few years. Of course, you will need to repaint, so you can change colors then.

msjoan thanks for that advice! I do want to avoid going too trendy with everything, but there is something very classic about a white farmhouse as they go back 100+ years in American history. The features that will look dated are the trendy accents people are adding to them which we will definitely be careful about. We wouldn't choose white just because it's popular, but rather I wondered if we are missing something? Maybe people really don't understand what kind of work it is. Or maybe the materials they used reduce the tendency to look dirty? I think I'm leaning toward a neutral siding but not white (like bone or linen) and bronze or greige trim/gutters. Hopefully will have a timeless look and less maintenance.

We have a Stucco Contemporary Ranch home painted SW Extra white. We are in a rural area with new construction going on for the last 18 months. Our house is bright white. We have power washed it once in the last 18 months. I don't know if siding is more prone to show dirt than Stucco but we have been happy with our choice.

Our neighbors have a modern farmhouse with white siding and they have been here 2 years. I asked her and they have not washed the outside in that time.

lindacottonwood what part of the country are you in? Wondering if humidity, etc play a role in the maintenance requirements.

Oh, I guess I should add... our red brick home was in Fort Worth Texas, our white home was in Indianapolis Indiana, and now we are about to build on the Oregon Coast. We’ve also had a light pinkish tan stucco house in the high desert of California and that one ALSO had issues showing stains and stuff. (Especially mud stains because we had a rain storm before gutters or landscaping were ever installed, ugh! I hated that!)

Stephanie We are located in the high desert/mountains of Arizona. No humidity but we do get snowfall and monsoons

I also have a white interior and white kitchen. I guess I would rather see the dirt and grim and clean it than have it not show , build up and be dirty.

I live in PA and currently have light yellow siding. We have to power wash twice a year on the areas that don’t get a lot of sun. We are building, and I decided to go with a darker siding this time. I, too, like the look of the white farmhouse on new builds but ultimately I think it’s a fad.

In TN I'd be worried about mildew on the north side of the house. I know it's something I never saw in a slightly colder climate, but where I am now it's an issue. I suspect TN is even more prone to house mildew. It would show more on a white house.

I am hoping to build soon and I have been pondering this exact question myself! I love the classic look of a white farmhouse, and it is never outdated despite what a couple people commented. The look never gets old. I've attached a picture of the look I'm going for although this isn't the exact house I'm building. I love the white exterior and metal roof. Did you end up going with a white exterior and if so, how is it holding up?

Bevin, we did finish building at the end of 2022 and decided to go with a color instead of white. I spent A LOT of time considering exterior color scheme and wound up coming to three conclusions:

1. The white farmhouse with metal roof look is classic and always looks good on an actual farmhouse (or house in a rural setting).

2. The white farmhouse look is very trendy right now and will date your home if you are going with that look in a suburban or neighborhood setting. Meaning that it will always be obvious that you built your home when the white farmhouse look was all the rage if you aren't building it in the country.

3. Definitely don't go with black trim on that white farmhouse if you don't want it to look dated/trendy later.

Also, I do feel like the white is going to require more maintenance to keep it looking pristine. If you live in an area with heavier, red clay soil you will struggle to keep your foundation clean if you go with a white/lighter color.

Good luck!