Choosing your roof color doesn’t seem like such a big deal – until your roofer offers the seemingly endless color choices available to you. There is a vast array of options for shingle, tile, and metal roofs these days, so the following guidelines or considerations will help you select the best roof color for your home.
How To Choose Your Homes Best Roof Color
Think in terms of decades
Unlike your home’s paint color, shingle and tile roofs can’t change color as easily. Metal roofs can be repainted – which is something to consider if you’re still debating between roofing materials – but they require a specific type of paint to remain weatherproof and energy–efficient.
For most home and business owners, the roofing color you choose today will be with you for ten, fifteen, and twenty years down the road. Do your homework, look around at roofs in your community, and deliberate long enough to have confidence in your final selection.
Do you plan to paint your house a different color in the future?
If so, think about the type of color(s) you’d be interested in. Let your roofing contractor know as well. Together, you can look at neutral color options that will serve your house well now, and that will still look great when you repaint it later on.
Review the standard house-color/shingle color combos
There’s no need to start from scratch. Work with some of the standard, house/shingle color combos:
- White, yellow, blue, or gray. Typically, these homes look best with a very dark gray or black–hued shingle to create an elegant contrast. In some cases, white houses might have green shingles to achieve an 18th – 19th century period look.
- Redbrick houses. Gray, black, and dark brown shingles all look good with a red or yellow brick façade.
- Natural or earth-toned siding. In most cases, homes with natural siding or materials that are earth-toned look best with brown or tan shingles. Gray may also be an option.
Remember: if you’re interested in mitigating solar heat gain, select lighter shingle colors, and ask your roofing contractor about roofing materials’ reflective properties.
Are you happy with your current shingle color?
If you like the color you have now, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel. Use that as your guide and select shingles or tiles that are similar.
Are you guided by CC&Rs or HOA regulations?
If you live in an association of any kind, it’s worth reviewing the paperwork (CC&Rs or HOA documents) and reading what they have to say about it. It’s also wise to get in touch with the board or Association representatives to verify what you understand is okay – and what is not – in case your copy is outdated
There’s no point in considering colors that may not be allowed by the inarguable rules and ordinances where you live – and you certainly don’t want to have to re-do the entire roof because you forgot color options were limited.
Take a drive around the neighborhood
Drive around your block and examine roofing materials on other homes, particularly those that are similar to your home’s architecture and surroundings. Take pictures or give a few addresses to your roofing contractor to provide him with an idea of what you like or what you’re considering.
Work with shingle or tile samples
Yep, just like paint or carpet samples, we can leave you with a variety of shingles or tile samples. You can use these against your home’s exterior to see what works and what doesn’t. If you’re planning to repaint your house, use the roofing samples next to prospective colors.
Think about your architecture when picking the best roof color
Many ranch style homes use shingles in a mix of the same color shades, while period-influenced homes may stick to a single color. If you have a Spanish or Mediterranean style home, you may opt to use reddish-hued shingles to mimic the tiles used originally with that style.
Don’t forget about the neighbors
If you’re going for something bold or different, consider whether it‘s complimentary with your neighbors’ homes. Take a general view of your block or neighborhood and see what the general feeling is. Are roofing colors more or less similar to one another? Or are there inconsistencies here and there that would make your new, bolder roof color seem less flashy?
We Can Help With Your Roof
The team at Dr. Remodel & Roofing is happy to review the variety of roofing colors with you for as long as it takes. We want our clients to feel confident that they’ve chosen the best roof color for their home and neighborhood. Contact us to schedule a consultation to discuss the best roof color, or give us a call directly at (469) 379-2504.