As summer comes on, it’s time to start considering upgrades to the exterior of your home. Whether you’re just touching up trim or repainting the whole house, there are many products out there to both beautify and protect this safe space for you and your family. Check out the tips below for ideas.
Consider Current Materials
Is your home brick, stucco, or siding? Is the siding metal, vinyl, wood, or composite? If your current space is brick, you may choose to leave the brick alone and just clean or brighten the mortar. Talk with Bethesda remodeling company about ways to clean a brick façade and ideas on trim updates.
The trim on a brick home can enhance the red tones nicely. While some historical periods may call for a simple black gloss or a bright white window trim, consider colors such as cadet or cobalt blue to boost red tones. Deep green can also brighten the tones of some brick homes. A little contrast can go a long way to brightening your space!
Home Size Matters
If your home is on the small side, consider uniform colors. For example, a small farmhouse could easily be done all in one shade of warm white or a pale, creamy yellow. Carefully review the permanent plant life on the property as well. An elegant willow will produce a different leaf color than a silver maple or an oak tree, and your home color can complement that as well as the season progresses.
Consider adding pops of color with removable features, such as window boxes, plant pots, or patio furniture. A unicolor house doesn’t have to be boring and using just one color can make your home appear larger than it is.
Energy Efficiency Considerations
Where do you live and how much sun does your home get? If you have lots of shade trees, you may be able to get away with a darker roof or siding color. However, a darker home will collect more heat from the sun. If your options for shade are low while you wait for your deciduous trees to grow, stick with a lighter color on the siding and roof.
If you live in a cold country but prefer a cooler tone, check out the many deep blue tones on the market. Many colors can appear either blue or gray depending on the light and the accent colors you use. For those who love the pairing of navy or cobalt blue and cream, carefully review the colors in bright sunlight to make sure you don’t end up with a trim that goes yellow in the summer sun.
Shape and Style
If your home is covered in stucco, consider using the colors of the desert southwest in your paint scheme. Not only will these colors look wonderful against the blue sky thanks to their warm red undertones, but your home will blend well in the landscape.
For those who love the color gray on the exterior of a building, make sure your siding has a lot of visual variety. A smooth stucco wall or paneled hardboard siding may not appear inviting if painted the color of concrete. While gray can be an elegant tone on clapboard siding, it can quickly fill up a field of vision and leave your house looking tired.
Avoid Too Much Contrast
Unless your home is very large from the street, avoid too much contrast in your paint colors. For example, a white home with black or navy trim can be quite pretty no matter the size. A white home with gray window trim and black shutters can appear too busy to be relaxing, especially if the home is small.
If you love to plant annual flowers and want loads of color in front of your home from spring to fall, go for it! Just do your best to leave your home an effective foil for all those colors. One single wall color can be plenty. Shades that provide visual rest may be ideal, such as
- white
- cream
- pale sage
- pale blue-gray
Finally, pay careful attention to your trim. If your house is just one story and lays rather low in the lot, keep your trim simple. On a very small home, light siding color and simply white trim may be all you need to have a home that says “Welcome!”