Hello all,

We're in the final stages of choosing replacement windows, which need to be installed sometime over the next few weeks.

We had planned on doing a medium/dark brown sash with lighter colored capping/wrapping but found out yesterday that we're basically limited to white or beige on the exterior. Other colors cost $160 per window. *jaw drop*. We'd planned on signing a contract yesterday and are now scrambling to settle on a new idea.

Help!

* The house = 1960s ranch with orangey-red brick and driftwood (medium brown) roof. We have removed the black shutters you see in the photo and plan on leaving shutters off.

*The replacement windows will likely be casement with prairie-style grid.

*I was drawn to the dark grids/sash with lighter trim. I like the pop it gives. I also thought dark would be keeping it closer to prairie style, in general.

*I don't necessarily want to do white, but I'm really not feeling beige for the windows. In my mind, it seems dirty/dank. Am I wrong? What do you think of beige windows?

*Because I can't do dark windows, I'd like to do a medium/dark trim/capping. I'm thinking something taupe ('storm' - revere siding - I'll try to post a photo.) Would it be weird to have white windows and dark capping? Would it be better to do a lighter brown? Would beige look better than white for window grids and sashes?

*you can see we currently have yellowish beige capping and small amount of siding. I don't care for this and would like to choose a new color (like the storm mentioned above). Should I go with a new color for capping knowing that we'll replace the siding within a couple of years or should we match the existing siding and change it all at once?

I'm having such a hard time finding rules of thumb when it comes to exterior window and trim colors. I appreciate any advice or suggestions for resources. Thanks!