Make no mistake: choosing a shingle color is just as important a part of the roof replacement process as anything else. If you’re not careful, the color you pick could adversely affect the value of your home for many years to come. Fortunately, the opposite of this is also true. By selecting the exact right shingle color for your home, you will not only be able to enjoy the aesthetic appeal, but it will also make your home appealing to potential buyers, should you want to sell it down the line.
Here are some good rules of thumb to keep in mind when you’re looking to pick that perfect shingle color:
Know the Full Extent of Your Options
Many shingle manufacturers offer a wide variety of shingle colors. For example, CertainTeed has over ten different shingle colors in their Landmark series alone. So don’t be so quick to zero in on one particular color in one particular shade. Play around a little bit! Grab a sample of a color you might not necessarily have thought of considering before and look at it next to your current shingles and siding. Who knows: Maybe you will discover a surprising new look for your home! The key is to keep an open mind.
Find the Right Shade for Your Habitat
There are many environmental factors to consider when choosing a color for your roof. First of all, you need to remember that the sunlight your roof will receive changes throughout the day. So a color that looks good in the morning light may not look so good at dusk. A good way to test this before having your roof installed is by taking a sample of the prospective color and checking how it looks on the outside of your home throughout the day.
Another environmental factor to consider is the natural greenery around your home. For example, if you live in a very densely wooded area, then you’re probably not going to want to get a super brightly-colored roof because it will clash with the dark greens and browns of the trees. Conversely, if you live in an area with very few trees, then you might be better off with a lighter-colored roof because of the extended sunlight your home will be receiving due to lack of shade.
You’re also going to want to consider any major outdoor decorations you already have and how they will look next to your new roof, especially if you have a home with a very particular outdoor aesthetic. The last thing you want is realizing your new roof clashes with the color of your beloved gazebo and lawn furniture after installation. Keep in mind that it will be much more expensive to change your roof color again after installation than it will be to change anything else.
Have Your Neighbors’ Best Interests In Mind
It’s good practice to run your new roofing color decisions by your neighbors just to make sure you’re not stepping on anybody’s toes with your bold new choice. If you live in a neighborhood where everyone’s roofs are pretty much the same color, then there’s a chance your decision to go with a drastically different color could hurt property values in your area. So it’s probably best to play it conservative in that case. However, if your neighborhood isn’t as uniform in its roof coloring and your drastic change will only compliment the variety, then you’re probably okay going for it.
Now you may be thinking to yourself, so what if my neighbors don’t like my roof color? It’s a free country, and I should be able to pick whatever roof color I want! While you’re not wrong in thinking this, you shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss your neighbors’ opinions because they are probably going to be similar to the views of potential home buyers should you ever try to sell your home. Other peoples’ opinions matter; so don’t be quick to dismiss them just because you love a color so very much.
If you still don’t care for your neighbors’ opinions about your color choice, an excellent place to seek a second opinion is an experienced roofing contractor. A contractor who has worked on many homes will be able to tell you definitively, from their experience, if you’re making the right choice with your new color. And if they say the color might not be the right decision, then they can also direct you to better possible options for your particular home. Thus, it’s always a good idea to seek out a professional opinion when choosing a roofing color.
Be Sure Your Colors Complement, Not Clash
Your goal should be cultivating a harmonious relationship between the color of your roof and the color of your home’s exterior. Accomplishing this is not as simple as just making your roof the same color as your home. In fact, you’re probably not going to want to make your shingles the same color as your siding because it could wind up making your home look very monotone and boring. Cultivating a harmonious relationship between colors means choosing a roof color that goes together with the color of your house as peanut butter goes with jelly on a sandwich. Some great examples of complimentary colors include black and white, tan and brown, and blue and gray. These colors mix well because they can live in harmony without one color dominating the other. It makes for a great overall look.
This same principle of complementary colors holds true even if you live in a home with a very bright exterior. In that case, you are going to be better off getting a very monotone roof in black or brown to offset the vibrant mix of shades going on down below. Otherwise, if you were to get a very bright and multicolored roof, it would probably be too much on the eyes and maybe even an eyesore.
Decide What You Most Want to Catch People’s Eye
The shingle color you pick will do a lot to affect other peoples’ perspective of your home. So you’re going to want to decide up front what you do and do not want people to notice. For example, if you live in a small home and want to make it seem huge, then you should choose a light roofing color to promote that illusion. Similarly, darker roofs can make large buildings seem more compact and intimate.
You’re also going to want to consider whether or not you want people’s eyes to be drawn to your roof or not. Does your roof have many impressive and appealing features that you’d want people to notice, such as skylights and dormers? If so, then you may want to go with a more striking color to make people see them. Otherwise, a roof with less exciting features will probably be better off with a more conservative black or brown so that it will look good without having to be the center of attention.
Another thing to keep in mind is that certain types of homes look better with an accentuated roof than others. For example, Mediterranean-style homes are more known for their distinctive roofs than ranch-style homes. So you’re probably going to be better off going with a unique color if you have a Mediterranean home and a more muted color on a ranch. If you have a Colonial or Victorian-style home, then you are probably going to want to stick to traditional roofing colors (black, brown, or gray) to avoid roof notoriety for the wrong reasons. More modern-looking homes provide a bit more leeway to be experimental with roofing color. These are all general guidelines, of course. Your home is unique to you alone, and you should trust your judgment when it comes to making the final decision on the color of your roof.
Roof Pros Roofing is a licensed roofing contractor operating throughout the Stateline area. So if you live in Fresno, CA or in Central California and you want to change your shingle color, call us today at 559-408-6506 or click here to schedule a free estimate.
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