If its it's due for a change in a yr or two, I would just wait. Its It's a big ticket item. Charcoal will look great, we have an orangeorangey brick and charcoal looks good.

The house looks so dark to me. Were these pictures taken at different times of the year (I noticed the 2 red shrubs are different colors in each photo)? Do you think a charcoal roof would make it feel even darker?

I’m sure you love the change, but I really liked your teal green shutters.

@Anna-

Yes - two different times of year; two different times of day. First one was this spring in the late afternoon; Dark one was taken this past weekend around noon. House faces southwest, so facade is significantly darker earlier in the day. Oh man, I hated the Eddie Bauer edition green shutters. Straight from 1994 haha.

Your "before" pic reminded me of this Victorian's colorway with a blue-black roof. You may as well do it now; what difference will 2-3 years make?

Elevations · More Info

Pretty house, I think to problem is more the type of roof than the color. A slate roof would look much better, metal would be the second choice. Those modern asphalt shingles don't look appropriate.

Shingles still work with the brick. If you need to wait a couple of years to change the roof I think you'll be OK. Painting the porches and the windows will also help. Don't worry, it can wait. I like the downspouts black.

@Raye -

If only slate were in the budget. Me gusta. It's a hard pass on a metal roof- they make a home look like a barn. And the one's that are shaped to mimic a different material look like that: a metal roof that's trying (poorly) to look like cedar, or slate or terra. They look fantastic on the right house. Mine isn't the right house.

Pretty house.Here is similar idea to yours that i like.

Glengrove · More Info

I like the Glengrove orange red door. Would you consider a red door to go with the brick? Like the black trim.

@houssaon-

No on the red door. All Black :)

The roof color doesn't look bad in the 2nd photo but if it's brighter at a different time of day it might be more obtrusive. My town has lots of traditional brick buildings with white or cream columns and it is the black columns that seem funereal to me. The house numbers do look great against the black tho. I wonder about keeping the porches and columns cream but painting the porch balustrades black. That would keep the sandstone trim a bit less jumpy. Overall I like the look.

I agree the house numbers look nice against the black. But my vote is for a color on the door to open that space up. Roof, I would do in time as you planned. Pretty home.

Love the black trim, so much more elegant. In the second photo, I think the roof looks fine. Perhaps in brighter light it would look a bit off, but I wouldn’t be in a rush to change it. Can you post another pic from a little farther back, the same vantage point as the “before” shot?

Beautiful home.

Roof color works well with the brick. Unless it needs to be changed, would not rush to change it for appearance sake.

Since you seem to like "dark" (entry), if you do change the shingle color, the charcoal previously suggested would work. You might also consider a modern metal roof and paint the metal railings the same color as the roof. (Like your home's two "sunroom" additions on the left and right of the house.

Excluding attic dormers, between the window panes of all the main floor and upstairs windows is a light color -- except the front door sidelights. Is that because you made a conscious choice to try to make the front entry dark, perhaps even foreboding? While the brass doorknocker and door knob help ... have you considered adding a more prominent brass overhead light fixture.

If you find the upstairs windows do need awnings for light control, you might consider the metal frame supported tinted glass or plexiglass kind rather than an awning with stripes.

@flopsycat1-

Here is the house from the same vantage point as the other photo. It did just rain here, so the roof is wet and darker than it is when dry.

@suezbell-

Yes, it was a conscious decision to make the entry all black. I don’t find it foreboding at all; on the contrary I find dark colors quite cozy. Yes, there will be a brass outdoor pendant to replace the current one.

Like suez, I too find it very foreboding. Sorry. I like the dark shutters and the black door, bu tI would have kept the columns the same color as the stone trim above the windows just to lighten it a bit.

The roof color looks fine to me.

I love your new black trim. Very dramatic and a fresh looking. Here's a black roof, what do you think?

Were the side pieces going to be painted black now did you say? You have a lot of house!

Thanks everyone!!

cp - No need for apologies. From what I've seen of your home, you're a color person. I'm not so much- to each her own :)

awm - Thanks for the photoshop. I do like the black roof. I've played around with black or a darker grey. Either way is a huge improvement.

Molly - yes, the sunrooms will also eventually be painted black as time permits before winter is upon us. More progress after this long weekend - we've painted the ugly white vinyl windows that I hate black, with a vinyl-safe paint. I also built artificial divided lights and affixed them to the window frame to cover up the between-the-pane white plastic simulated ones. First floor is done - second floor next weekend. We also painted the railings above the sunroom. Yes - it is a lot of house. It is also our first home. We apparently flew right past the whole starter home thing and slid right into the money pit and have been sh**ing our pants ever since :)

To be honest, I think that if you paint the white woodwork on either side black, once you put a black roof on it will look like a penal institution.

That’s what I’m going for Colleen: Penal-chic.

I would suggest doing some research to find out what was the typical paint scheme for the time and style of your house. Usually the original is what will look best. I do agree that it needs the contrast of the white woodwork with the black shutters.

Thanks Raye. I am entirely uninterested in recreating what was done in 1921. I disagree that the home needs white woodwork to contrast with black shutters. But that's the beautiful thing- this is my house and I can paint it whatever the heck color I want to :)

I would suggest doing some research into the question at hand and answer that.