HOW TO PICK THE COLOR OF YOUR ROOF SHINGLES
Your roof actually accounts for as much as 25 to 40 percent of the overall look of your home. A great way to freshen up the look of your home is by replacing your roof and changing the color of your shingles. There are many different roof types, roofing materials, and colors available, so it is important to do some research and make sure you pick the best shingle colors to complement your home and create visual harmony. Choosing the wrong roof color can do the opposite and make your home look cluttered and can even change how big or small it looks. There are many different things to consider when picking the color of your roof shingles, here is everything you need to know.
CONSIDER THE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE OF YOUR HOME.
Next time you’re driving around, pay attention to people’s home styles and roof shingle colors. See if you find houses that have a similar shape, exterior and color as yours. Which roofing and siding pairings are most attractive to you? Typically, the larger, more traditional style homes have black or very dark roofs, while southwestern or Floridian homes often have rusty red and orange colored roofs to match the color of traditional clay tiles. If your home is wood-sided and set among trees, consider a forest green shade or a blend with greens and browns. If you have a red brick house, we recommend dark brown, black, grey or green roofs.
THE BIG PICTURE.
Just like interior designers consider walls, flooring, cabinets, countertops, and appliances when decorating, you should be paying attention to more than just your roof when picking a shingle color. Consider the siding and shutters on your home - you want to make sure that all the colors go well together to create a look that is appealing and coordinated. You should opt for a roof color that provides contrast to the rest of your home. Just think, would you like a house that had a dark brown roof, siding, and shutters? We didn’t think so.
Here are a few common house colors and shingle colors that go well with them:
Grey - grey, black, green or blue
Cream/Beige - brown, black, grey, green, blue
Brown - grey, brown, black, green, other shades of brown
Red - black, dark grey, dark brown, dark green
White - just about any color roof looks good on a white house
LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
If you ever want to sell your home down the road, you should consider the overall look of your neighborhood and not go for the most interesting roof on the block. Choose a blend of colors that is similar to some other homes in your neighborhood so your home doesn’t look out of place. It is also important that you check laws regarding roofing color if you have a homeowner’s association in your neighborhood.
COLOR BLENDS.
When looking at asphalt shingles, you might notice that they are produced in both solid colors and blends. There are many different varieties of blend - some have different shades of browns, grays or greens, while there are even blends that have multiple different colors in them. Keep in mind that if the siding on your home has different textures and colors, you should stick to single colored roof shingles. On the other hand, if your siding and shutters are simple, consider going for a blended color or pattern to make your home look more interesting.
CREATE BALANCE.
Light colored roofs actually draw less attention than dark colored ones. If your home has two or more stories, you should consider a darker roof to help balance the height of your house. Alternatively, if you have a single story home with a steep roof and you get dark shingles, it might make your house look smaller and appear to be “all roof.” A great rule of thumb to follow is to have your roof be darker than the rest of your home, unless you have a very dark colored house or if you have more roof than siding.
CONSIDER THE WEATHER.
If you live in a very hot climate, don’t go for the darkest colored roof because it will absorb heat. On the other hand, light colored roofs reflect heat and help keep your home up to 40 degrees cooler. Keep in mind that proper insulation and ventilation in your home play a bigger role than your roof when determining your home’s energy efficiency.
USE A VISUALIZER TOOL.
Many shingle brands have online tools and apps that can help you visualize what your home would look like with different colored shingles. You can even change the siding and shutter colors in some apps to see how the different colors work together. A few of the apps allow you to upload a picture of your own home, while other apps give you home options to choose from that look similar to your own.
GET SAMPLES.
Once you think you know a few options you are interested in, take home some samples of shingles so you can actually see how the colors of your home would work with the roofing. It is important to look at the shingle samples at multiple different times throughout the day so you are sure that what you see is what it will actually look like. Try a few solid colors and a couple blends just to be able to see what your options are.
As you can see, there are many different factors that go into picking the best roof shingle option for your home. Take time when making this decision so you don’t end up having a house that stands out like a sore thumb and clashes with your neighborhood. If you have any questions about picking the best roof color for your home, feel free to reach out! We would love to help guide you through this process.