Choosing a new color for your home can sound daunting. From current trends to resell value, there are a number of aspects to consider. Hiring an exterior painter can help you narrow down your options based on your style preferences and home ownership goals.
We’ve been fortunate to have helped many in the North Bay area transform their home with a new exterior paint color, which means we know what works and can make help you decide what’s best.
Refrain from Trendy Paint Colors
We all know a home that’s been painted bright colors and stands out from the crowd. This unique choice is certainly acceptable, but when considering your home’s value, it’s important to refrain from trendy colors.
Instead, you can add large planters to add some color to your front door. These can be easily repainted or swapped out when you want to change the color, and can be removed if needed. Adding these large planters with a variety of greenery can also add detail to your entryway.
This doesn’t mean your home can’t be a little quirky, though. Consider purchasing a new light or door handle, as these small changes can have a big effect on your home’s exterior – (in a good way!). These can be unique pieces from an antiquing trip or your local hardware store, and can also be switched out relatively painlessly if needed when it comes time to sell.
Choose a Color You Love
It’s important to consider your resell value when choosing painting your home, but it’s also important to choose a color that you’ll enjoy for years to come. Unless you’re looking at selling in the next one to two years, prioritize your preferences over market trends.
For example, if the current trend is grey or white home exteriors, but you prefer a taupe color, choose taupe. We want you to love your home for as long as you’re in it, which includes its curb appeal.
When your come home from work each day, or after a long vacation, how do you want your home to look? This is your new focus when looking for a color you’ll for your home.
Create Contrast with Your Front Door
Your front door helps you set the tone for what’s inside your home. A hardwood door reflects a feel that a blue door doesn’t. If you’ve chosen a light grey exterior paint with white trim, a white door will blend in with the overall look.
Painting your front door is also your chance to stand out in your neighborhood with a unique feature that isn’t painting the entire exterior. And if in a few years you’re ready for a change, repainting your front door is an easy way to change your entire curb appeal.
A bright red is a common color for a front door, but we’ve also painted one turquoise! The turquoise door compliments the beige, and gives the home a unique, funky feel without being overbearing.
Consider Color Perception
When choosing your home’s paint color, remember that colors will look different next to others. The idea of color perception is that olive green will not look the same next to white as it will taupe. This can be exaggerated when we’re considering a project like a house, so it’s important to consider how your color scheme will appear when finished.
Light also contributes to how we perceive color. If we first see a home on a sunny day, it can look different than on a cloudy day. This may sound obvious, but your house will be painted the same color in all different weather, so color perception for your home’s exterior is important.
Remember Your Trim and Roof
Painting a house’s exterior is more than the siding or brick. Remember that the trim and shingles also contribute to your home’s look, and gives you some color flexibility. White trim to offset grey or taupe siding is a common choice, but don’t be afraid to create something unique.
There are an array of San Rafael homes that showcase their unique architecture through the use of color. Contrasting paint can help subtly highlight the unique architectural features of your home. By choosing to paint your home’s exterior, you will able to create a home you’ll love even more, as well as improve its value if you choose to sell in the future.
This home, for example, has a white exterior and deep grey shutters to match the roof. The stark contrast of this creates a creative yet comforting feel. We also love the bright red door as the focal point!
The color will remain in style for years to come (think white farmhouse), but will also help your home stand out. It’s important to not clash with your neighbors’ exterior paint jobs while doing this, though. Consider a minimally obtrusive color that will still stand out without changing the neighborhood’s feel.
Stand Out in Your Neighborhood
While we can’t control what colors our neighbors choose to paint their homes, we can look at using the exterior paint color as a way to stand out — in the right way. If most of your neighbors have taupe or beige exteriors, consider a stark white.
Consider Going Bright
Painting a home exterior doesn’t need to be a light, neutral color. A brighter hue offset with white trim can improve your home’s value as much as an off-white exterior. The key is to balance colors and to choose the right shade.
This exterior paint job we did is unique, but not over-bearing. The cornflower blue is offset with the grey below, and the white and grey trim throughout. This color scheme may not entice all buyers, but it makes a lasting first impression for the right buyer.
Change Fixtures to Change Value
It can be more than paint, too. Painting your house but ignoring your landscaping could leave money on the table when it comes to your home’s value. Tasks like trimming your bushes, adding a layer of mulch to the garden beds, and updating fixtures like lights and your house number can all help improve your home’s first impression.
A note on choosing unique colors:
Some may wonder why we’re encouraging home owners to avoid trendy paint choices, because it can make a home unique. That’s true, but when looking to paint your home to increase its value, it’s important to go with widely-appreciated colors, like taupe or grey.
We should note, though, that unique features can help a home sell. It’s about balance; a home that has character has value. But, because of how trends change and the expense of painting the exterior of a house, smaller changes like planters or lighting can add the flair you’re looking for while ensuring your home value is intact.
Whether you like the stark white of a farm cottage or are enjoying the light grey tones we’re seeing throughout Marin County, you can increase your home’s value with a coat (well, two) of paint. As an exterior painter, we have experience helping home owners maximize their value throughout the San Rafael area. Contacts us today for a free house painting estimate.
