Choosing House and Roof Color Combinations to Shake Up Curb Appeal
During National Curb Appeal Month in August, DaVinci Roofscapes reminds building industry professionals, architects, roofers and homeowners to take a “top down” approach when adding color to a home’s exterior. Creating unified house and roof color combinations can increase its overall appearance and value.
According to the recently-released 2021 Roof Purchasing Study conducted by Signet Research Inc., homeowners most prefer the color black for their roofs, followed by gray, brown and beige/tan. These basic roof tile colors are the ideal starting point for creating a home with stunning curb appeal.
“Black roofs provide an anchor for homes, especially tall houses,” says Kate Smith, chief color maven at Sensational Color. “Black helps visually lower the roof and makes the home look wider in contrast to the siding color and trim. A black roof has a strong link to those exteriors painted in gray, blue, green or white. It can also be used in a striking way with brick exteriors.
“Gray roofs are an ideal complement to more traditional styles of homes. What color paint goes with a gray roof? They harmonize with house colors of blue, green, black or white. With a gray roof, bolder accent colors can be used for trim, shutters or the entryway. This will help broaden the visual appeal of a home with a gray roof.”
For those homes with brown or beige/tan roofs, Smith advises softer colors of tan, yellow, cream or off-white for the main exterior color. Colors to stay away from are those in the “cool” family, including blues and grays.
Are You Listening to Your Home?
Smith, who offers free color advice to homeowners investing in DaVinci Roofscapes products, has created dozens of house and roof color combinations related to composite slate and shake roofing and siding. She has also authored the piece, “Your Home is Telling You the Best Exterior Colors to Use. Are You Listening?”
“Curb appeal really is about stepping back and looking at a home from the top down,” says Smith. “You can shake up the appearance of a house with small changes, like a new entry door, repainting the trim or adding shutters in a color that plays off the roof tile colors.
“I believe in the ‘top down’ color approach so much that I’ve created four free e-guides on color for the home exterior. Everyone needs FRESH ideas and inspiration. These downloadable guides explain exactly how to enhance a home’s overall exterior with the right colors.”
Then and Now
Smith cites study results from the 2021 Roof Purchasing Study, compared to the 2011 Color Study (conducted by Harris Research) as proof that interest in curb appeal has increased during the past decade.
“The study comparison shows a 10 percent increase in homeowners valuing curb appeal related to their personal properties reflected in the past 10 years,” says Smith, a national color consultant. “In 2011, 78 percent of respondents viewed curb appeal as ‘extremely’ or ‘very important’ to them. In 2021, that number increased to 88 percent. That reflects a strong increase and an overwhelming number of homeowners interested in making sure their home’s curb appeal plays a high priority in their home ownership.”
Builders, remodelers, roofers and contractors who are working on residential projects can benefit from additional articles researched and written by Smith on how to add curb appeal, including:
- Brick Home Exterior Color Schemes
- Stone Exterior Color Schemes
- Understanding Paint Color Undertone
- The #1 Biggest Challenge When Picking Home Exterior Colors
- Best Exterior Color Scheme to Match Your DaVinci Roof
Study Details
Both the 2011 and 2021 studies sponsored by DaVinci Roofscapes surveyed 1,000 homeowners who were 40+ years in age, with a household income of $150,000 or more and own a single-family home with a current market value of $400,000 or more. The studies were geographically divided, with 250 respondents each from the Northeast, South, Midwest and West regions of the United States.