Exterior Paint Color Portfolio

One thing to keep in mind is that your roof is very important. The dormer is the prominent feature, and by not having too much contrast the dormer does not stand out too much which can make it appear that it doesn’t belong. The before image worked well but the colors were not correct for the period. The roof is also a cool color so warm period color would clash with the roof.

Also notice that the alternative image does not work with the roof. The roof is gray – a cool color. The trim is cream which is a warm color that fights with the gray roof. I great combination but for a house with a warmer roof color. Read about roof colors.

This house has asphalt siding covering the clapboard. In 2000 the then homeowner removed and attempted to restore the house adding elements he/she incorrectly assumed were correct. Thankfully the new current owner was determined to do the house justice. I have been working with the homeowner from 2021 until 2024 and the house is now completed and a huge success. This was not an easy project. Look close and you will see that there were quite a few changes and they were based on a historic photo.

Scope of Work:

• New balustrade at a lower height.
• Cornice below dormer realigned.
• New wood windows.
• New wood diamond-pane replica windows in dormer and next to front door.
• The original layout of the dormer was removed some time ago and the previous homeowner created what he/she though would be there. The new design was taken from another house by the same builder. Panels in dormer reconfigured and the new added on decoration from 2000 above windows removed creating a more balanced appearance.
• Notice the pediment over the center round window. That was a later addition for it was not in the historic photo.
• Brick walkway corrected.
• New historic paint colors.

Never paint your trim to match the brick color. The homeowner’s plans are to replace the lost casement window in front. The shingle siding is asbestos and the width is way too large. Clapboard with a width of 5-6 inches would be appropriate for this period – wider than the earlier 4 inch.

This photo is cropped cutting off 2/3 of the rest of this very large ornate house. The previous owner tried to make this house into a Painted Lady. As you see the focus was on adding lots of colors in random locations without regard for the architecture of the house. The many colors just became a paint color salad just for the sake of using a lot of colors so the owner was able to say they have a Painted Lady. Adding too many colors and putting colors in the wrong places create a muddy appearance. Limestone should never be painted.

The renderings you see were created very quickly during a zoom call. To save time the downspouts were not painted to match the brick and on the bay not all accenting was completed.

I pass by this church occasionally and the color placement really bothered me. There are so many features that are just whitewashed to disappear. I kept the same red color and just replaced the white trim with cream and the white clapboard (not being shingles clapboard should be a different color.) in green.

I emailed the rendering to the church and asked they keep this in mind the next time they paint.