Should the Color of My Roof Match My Siding?
January 2022 by Heartland Roofing Siding and Windows
Are you planning to repaint your home’s exterior? Choosing exterior paint colors can be quite a challenge, especially if you’re a first-time homeowner. While coming up with color ideas, many homeowners don’t pay much attention to the color of the roof. Does it matter?
Well, it turns out that your home’s roof has a significant impact on curb appeal and overall aesthetic appeal of your home. Ignoring the roof can easily lead to color clashing, excessive color-matching, or an uncoordinated color scheme.
Mind the Roof
Whether you just finished building your new home, or you’re doing a quick exterior repaint, pay close attention to the color and material of your house. Some of the most common roof materials include metal, shingle, asphalt, and clay. These materials come in different colors.
You don’t need to match your roof color with your siding color, but they need to be in harmony. When choosing your siding color, start with what you already have. If you’re attempting to match the siding color with an existing roof color, the general rule is; pair a cool siding color with a cool roof color, and warm siding color with a warm roof color.
For instance, if you have a warm-colored roof such as rusty tan or brick red, choose a warm color for the siding, such as brown, beige or tan. If the roof has a cool color such as slate gray or black, choose a similarly cool color like green, gray or blue.
If you have a classic roof shingle, an earth-colored exterior wall would be a great combination. Multicolored shingles might gleam in purples, blues, reds, greens, and grays up close; however, some of these fine color details might not be visible from the street. So, stand about 30-50 meters away from your property to see what color of the roof is dominant.
Other things to consider
- Consider the Colors of Unpainted Materials–each home has features that often don’t get painted, this could be brick, stone, vinyl windows, chimney, natural wooden door, etc. Choose a siding color that harmonizes with the colors already present in your house. Any other naturally occurring materials that don’t need paint should also be considered
- Surrounding nature–there’re plenty of color ideas in the landscaping around your house. If there’re plenty of trees, an earthy palette of browns and greens would be appropriate. A beach setting might be a cue for painting your exterior with turquoises or vivid blues.
- The neighborhood–look at neighboring homes for some colors ideas, but don’t copy the exact color scheme. Choose colors that set your home apart but avoid too much contrast that might clash with the overall color scheme of your neighborhood.
The Bottom Line
Choosing a color scheme for your home shouldn’t be a struggle. Start by considering the above basic guidelines and pay close attention to your roof while at it. Most homeowners don’t factor in the color of their roof when choosing an exterior color. Additionally, be sure to factor in your personal color preferences, after all, it’s your home.
Work with Heartland Roofing, Siding, and Windows here in Greater Minneapolis MN.
If you want a professional to work on your roof during this winter season, reach out to us.
Think you need repair or want a professional opinion about your roof’s health? Call us at 800-681-4169 or on our CONTACT PAGE to request an appointment from one of our trained professional inspectors.