How to Choose the Best Colors to Paint the Exterior of Your House

Choosing the colors for your house's exterior is a decision you will live with for many years and one that will cost you lots of money. Therefore choosing well is a must. But where does one start?

Finding the right color combination for your house depends on three basic factors: understanding the architectural style and era of your house, finding colors that are compatible with the neighborhood or surrounding environment, and last but not least, knowing your personal taste and style.

First, learn about the architectural style of your house. All houses reflect phases in the history of architecture. Some contemporary houses are combinations of styles. It is important to be able to identify these general designs and to choose colors that are compatible with them. This may take a bit of research. Do you know the age of your house? If it is more than a few decades old, it can be associated with an historic architectural style. It may be an original example or a reproduction of a type of architecture. Whether you discover that yours is a Victorian style house; an Arts and Crafts style house; a bungalow, or a Federalist Farm House, you will find that the color choices that originally accompanied these styles will look always look good. This doesn't mean that one cannot deviate from "historical colors," but it will make it easier to stay within color ranges that look natural to a given style.

Next , it is important to look around your neighborhood and see what others have done. This does not mean that you should follow the herd or feel obligated to choose colors that your neighbors have chosen, but it does mean that you should consider how your house will look in it's context. If you are planning to use very bright colors in a neighborhood of all neutral beige and gray houses, your house will certainly stand out. Are you prepared to be the different or even eccentric choose on the block. Or, if you find the nearby houses too dull, is there something you can do that will in a subtle way give your house more contrast and impact. Perhaps a more dramatic trim will do the trick.

While looking around the neighborhood, one must also find out, especially before purchasing paint or siding, if there are historical preservation laws or zoning ordinances that may limit your color choices.

Finally, how do you decide what you like and don't like when it comes to choosing house colors? One useful idea is to consult lots and lots of magazines and make a scrapbook with clippings of houses you particularly like. Find houses that are as structurally similar as possible to your own and see what has worked for others. You can even take the photographs to the paint store and have the clerk computer match them with available paint colors. Some paint stores even have computers setup which allow the customer try out combinations of colors on a house similar to your own. However, since none of these houses are specifically yours-- and all are portrayed as new and quite attractive, the computer can also lead you to fantasize about a set of colors which may be vastly disappointing when applied to your actual house. Thus the process of choosing will work out best if you have done preliminary work and developed some ideas with your own specific house in mind.