Exterior Paint Help (how much, roof, vinyl, foundation)
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We just bought this split ranch style home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8482614@N03/4990546828/ (broken link)
It is situated in a woodsy area so lots of shade. It needs a lot of work and one of the first projects is to repaint the house as soon as we move in.
We don't like the two-toned look so we were thinking of going all one color. We are leaning toward something in the gray, gray-blue, slate, taupe or pewter family. I'm just not sure how dark we should go because of all the shade and the fact that it is a ranch style architecture.
Does anyone have any suggestions for specific colors that we might want to check out? I was thinking either Benjamin Moore or SW.
I would go with a darker color in that specific location. The reason being that darker colors show dirt and dust less but their downside is they absorb more heat. Seeing that you're well shaded that won't be an issue.
Lower electric bills and less painting. Of course I have no clue where you're located which does have an influence on electric....
You are amid so much lovely green! Absolutely beautiful. Because of that, my instinct would be to go to the opposite end of the color wheel. Your green isn't so much primary green, so maybe choose a tone that is an off shade of red or a rusty/terracotta shade. (And if your green landscaping changes colors in the fall, keep that in mind in your color mix. I can't stand it when people paint their houses red or terracotta and it turns out they have fuchsia azaleas that bloom in the spring!)
I myself love retro architecture, but your instinct to change the two-tone look of your home to a unified color works if your wish is to update the look and make it more contemporary. If you went with a color that blends with the foundation color, you would also be minimizing that feature of the house. But don't go too dark; your roof is also dark, so all the white trim (the chimney, gutters, window edging, etc.) will scream at you.
Your roof is prominent (is it brown or charcoal?) and the very visible foundation (is that brick red or brown?) are already adding other colors to the surrounding green -- so keep those in mind, both when you are choosing your siding color and an accent that might add a spark to the front door or those panels between the windows.
I'd start with your existing greenery as color one, your roof color as color two, your foundation color as color three, and pick your neutral on what looks good with that mix. (And remember, if you're only going to be living in your house for a few years, Realtors want everything to be "fawn." )
If you're set on a neutral for the body of the house, how about a scheme that combines the green of your surroundings, with a taupe that would look good with the terra cotta I suggested used as an accent. That combo would be nice if your roof color is definitely brown. If it's more of a charcoal or has a purplish undertone, I think your idea to go pewter or a gray-taupe is good. The good thing about bricks is they always have a lot of colors mixed in them. That could be a source of ideas, too.
http://www.myperfectcolor.com/v/vspfiles/templates/90/images/clear1x1.gif (broken link)
There are lots of great color combinations at Benjamin Moore's Website: Color Combinations | Myperfectcolor.com
Finally, I love that a garage door isn't a major feature of your facade. Lucky you! Enjoy your house.
Thanks for your reply BigJon. We are in MD so we get all four seasons here. Our summers are pretty hot, but with all the shade, I think the dark color shouldn't be too much of a problem. I was thinking the same thing about the lighter color showing dirt/dust. This is definitely happening with this light shade of blue already. That is why I was leaning toward going darker. I just didn't want to go with a deeper gray and then the house would appear black in the shade. That is my only concern.
Thanks for all the great links. I will definitely be playing around with color combos.
I would definitely consider the red, but unfortunately our next door neighbor and the house across the street have already gone that route. Both houses look nice, but I don't want to have the same look as them.
I need to get a closer look at the roof, but I'm pretty sure it has a charcoal/purple undertone to it. The bricks are reddish with some flecks of slate. That was a reason I had considered the slate blue, but I'm just not sure I wanted to go that dark.
SW has a buy one get one sale on their sample cans of paint, so I am going to pick up a few to test out some colors.
If it were me, I would tear out that balcony facade and replace with something more open. Just wood spindles/rails would be nice. Then I would paint the entire house with a light gray/blue, do the trim in white, and paint the shutters/door black. Eventually when you replace the roof (looks like not too far down the road), I would go with a charcoal architectural shingle. I would also yank out those bushes in front of the right side of the house and replace with something lower and more "full". At the very least, you need to trim that one on the far right. This house has a lot of potential! Nice lot, it appears.
I am a fan of the arts and crafts movemenet where they tried to make homes blend in to their surroundings and use a lot of earthtones. I would consider dark green. (I love dark green anyway and since you could pull it off with this house, i woudl try it). Get one of those computer programs that allows you to choose a color and the pomputer makes your house that color in the photograph so you can see what it looks like. They are expensive, but cheaper than repaiting
Spacelord75--Thanks for your input. I definitely want to price out how much it would cost to get rid of the balcony facade altogether. I am not a fan of that look. If it isn't going to be too much of an added expense or too terribly difficult, I really do think we are going to do this.
The roof is actually in better shape than it appears. Our home inspector went up there and I was expecting the worst. He actually said it is just mossy, but in great shape.
Trimming back the bushes definitely one of the things we plan to do before we even start the painting process.
Coldjensens--I hadn't even considered a dark green. I really like the idea of using one of those programs. I have been playing around on Sherwin Williams' site where they let you do this. I'm still feeling kind of overwhelmed by this decision though.
Spacelord75--Thanks for your input. I definitely want to price out how much it would cost to get rid of the balcony facade altogether. I am not a fan of that look. If it isn't going to be too much of an added expense or too terribly difficult, I really do think we are going to do this.
The roof is actually in better shape than it appears. Our home inspector went up there and I was expecting the worst. He actually said it is just mossy, but in great shape.
That color is certianly viable for your house. I really like the earth tones from that period.
This is the house that I had in mind. If you are facing south, it is the second house shown on the right (the dark green one). I am not sure whether you can see this or not. It is very dark, but on a small house, it looks good. Several houses on this street are painted in the approriate craftsman earth tone colors.
Defintely earth tones. I would NOT recommend SW paint. It just doesn't last more than 5 years. It fades, chips and peels. Also you want to watch out for mildew in such a shady spot.
If your only other choice is BM, then go with that one. I would check with Consumer's Reports on paints and use them as a guide.
You also may want to check into a new application that sprays on and isn't paint but isn't vinyl siding either. I don't know much about it but I have heard it advertised on the radio. Their moniker is "never paint your house again"...which means I guess you better be sure about your colors.
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