From Nondescript Neutral To Bold And Beautiful Color
When their home was built 24 years ago adding color in the eaves added color to an otherwise neutral home. It also was a different look than had been widely seen at that time and buyers were attracted to the look. Today, homes are being constructed with a whole mix of materials and the two-color look isn’t quite as interesting as it once was.
In this case, the Gaskins decided to give their home an updated look by going for a few strong elements that would stand out.
The pitch of the roof allows a large part of the roof to show. The porch roof and interesting turret draw the eye making it important that the roof looks great.
The cedar shake roof had faded to a greyish brown, was worn and starting to splinter and crack. They wanted a maintenance-free, alternative cedar-like roofing materials. They chose DaVinci Roofscapes Shake in Tahoe because they loved how it looked like natural cedar yet was far more durable and long lasting.
As you can see in the photo above, the Gaskins home is already begin looking better just by replacing their old split and curled shakes with the a DaVinci roof in the right color and style.
Fewer But Stronger Design Elements
These smart homeowners also decided to enlarge the dormer over the garage before replacing their roof. The original dormer was there but didn’t stand out as a strong element on the front facade of their home. The dormer was small and competed with the green dormers cause the eye to jump around rather than land on one strong element.
Now the two dormers work together, balance the design and make a strong statement.
Commit To Color
In the before photo you can see how the contrasting color around the base of the home was distracting. It drew the eye away from where you want to focus it. The idea may have been to “ground” the house by using this darker color but it took away rather than added to the overall look of the exterior.
The front door had been green. The same color had been used in the dormers and to paint the floor of the porch and steps. The door, porch and tops of the steps are now all a rich cocoa brown.
The white trim was repainted but look at how much more it stands out now which leads us to the biggest change – the main color!
What a spectacular change!
After sampling many colors and Mr. and Mrs. Gaskin chose an acrylic solid stain from Hallman Lindsay, a Wisconsin-based company for changing the color of their home, which is primarily cedar panels. The update took their home from nondescript neutral to a bold and beautiful blue/gray.
The color is a custom blue/grey blend that the selected after sampling about a dozen slight variations of the color they had in mind. I love that they did this because I always advise homeowners to take this step but not all of them follow that advice even though often they later wish they had.
Sampling the color is the fastest way to know you’re going to love your color before your home is painted. It gives you a chance to see the color on the actual surface material and in the right light. It is almost impossible to know just by looking at a small swatch what exactly the color is going to look like once your home is painted. Sampling the paint can give you a much better idea.
The back of the back of the Gaskin’s garage was a colorful canvas during the sampling process but the effort to get the color exactly right paid off. They couldn’t be happier with the finished project and love driving up to their house every day.
Upgraded Exterior
Mr. Gaskins says, “We have received a lot of very positive (and envious) comments and inquiries from our neighbors about the roof and the paint. Most of the house colors in our area are a very conservative/neutral tan or white.”
Indeed the neighbors are envious.
By focusing on three key elements — roof, dormer, and color — the Gaskin upgraded the look of their home and added thousands of dollars worth of curb appeal. Best of all they the way their home looks.
This has been one of our favorite remodeling projects and we think the results are sensational.
Do you need some help with your exterior makeover? We’re here to help you get your own 5-star results.