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susanortiz

exterior color updates

6 years ago

We just put an antique white lime wash over our orangish late 1960’s ranch home brick. I plan on doing one more coat but I love it. For now until we can replace our garage doors we painted them and the column plus porch trim with Farrow and Ball Charleston Grey. I had planned on using this as a trim color for our windows however I now think this is just going to look washed out. This has me questioning painting the trim black. I’ve heard about this fading, plus needing to be repainted every few years once you start so I have some fear of this. It is also a tough choice to turn back from!
I do have cedar window boxes coming, and we plan on soon taking down the vinyl soffit under the porch ceiling and putting cedar tongue and groove up there. We will probably wrap the post in cedar also.
Any advise on this is welcome! Even if it goes somewhere completely different, I’d love your thoughts...

Comments (8)

  • 6 years ago

    Are you planning on changing the roof? Roof color should factor in when choosing other colors. On my screen your roof appears to be a warm color, so I'm not sure the gray you chose is working with the roof. OTOH, the gray appears to work with the white wash. Screen monitors just make things iffy.

  • 6 years ago

    black trim with the red roof and grey doors and cedar trim?
    So redish roof redish cedar whitewashed bricks grey garage doors? If I did the trim black I would also paint the garage doors black. High gloss black!

  • 6 years ago

    I think the early evening light is making the roof look more red than it really is. It is a medium brown but I hadn’t even realized how red it could read in certain lights. I can now see that is what is probably “off” for me. I do love the taupe/grey shade with the creamy brick but something just seems to be wrong here.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Susan, the roof may just read more red in your photos. Even a medium brown can be warm so keep that in mind for color choices.

    Another option is to paint the garage doors to blend with the white washed brick. That would give them less focus. The main focus should be your front door and entry area. Looks like the big tree is hiding it.

  • 6 years ago

    Thanks chloebud! Would you scrap the grey altogether and go for a warmer option or something that blends right into the house color?
    I do have the cedar window boxes coming but they are unfinished I can stain them any shade that I’d like.
    And yes the tree does hide the entry looking at the house from straight on. My husband loves that tree as it provides privacy into our front windows without having to have drapes drawn. This has been a back and forth that so far the tree has won ; )

  • 6 years ago

    Here are pictures of the roof in the daytime light, now it looks grey!

  • 6 years ago

    A gray roof would be easier! As for a color for the garage, I'd choose something warm so it doesn't clash with the roof. Know that keeping the garage doors a dark color will give them more focus, but it's a personal preference. One color that can work well with your roof is a gray-green (sage).

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Unfortunately, the blue spruce is in the wrong place. I would cut it down. Then you can actually see the entry and your house. Otherwise all you see is the one side with two small windows and the other side with the garage bays.

    If you love a blue spruce, plant one out in the yard toward the left side of the house centered between the two small windows.