Help choosing roof & siding colours for house PICS

[HeatherAtHome]

So it's time for a new roof. The front doesn't look so bad (the branch hides the worst of it) but the back isn't so pretty. It also leaked twice last winter. We're down to the wire and need to start ordering materials soon but can't decide on a colour! The house also needs siding (wait until you see the sides!) so we want to choose a colour scheme now to make sure it's all going to match. 

We're going with a metal roof and having it installed professionally (we know our DIY limits) and the whole roof/soffit/fascia stuff will be done. We might get the siding on this year. Maybe next year. Depends on money, time and energy. 

Originally I thought we'd stick with the white/green look but DH is open (no pink! and neither of us are crazy about blue) so I'm starting to dream a little. The problem is, there are so many options! I'm leaning towards a yellow house with dark roof and red doors/accents, similar to this although I find the yellow a bit intense. I also think this house is really cute. But I'm open to ANY colour scheme. 

Here's our house:

Cute little thing, isn't it? Has a lot of ROOF on it. The porch will be torn off and rebuilt (someday) possibly running across the front with tons of windows (apparently that's the way the house used to be). 

Side view from up the road:

The old barn goes with our house but is now owned by someone else (same with all the fields). The leany looking thing on the side is a carport which will be torn off. 

So, what do you think?

[HeatherAtHome]

Oh, the neighbourhood:

Fairly rural back road. A mix of houses in style/size/$$$. Many have white siding, some beige, one yellow (beautiful), a couple wood shingle/shake whatever you call it, there's even a cordwood cabin. We have a house RIGHT beside us which is white with bluish-grey trim. Very similar to the house I grew up in so find it sort of boring. Their house is fairly hidden by a GIANT cedar hedge so I don't think we need to worry about clashing with them. 

[amma_mama]

Before I finished reading your post, I was going to suggest a grey roof and yellow siding! I think it would look cute, though I was imagining a paler version than the examples. I think it would look sweet with white trim. And I would dress it up a bit with flower boxes under the front and side windows.

[ChristyMarie]

I love yellow houses.

I think yellow siding, red roof, red door, white trim would be really cute.  I also like yellow and green but you have a lot of greenery around you and the red would stand out more.

[I Fly]

I vote for a silver/Galvalume metal roof.  This is the unpainted metal, which won't leach toxins into the rain pouring on it, and reflects about 60% of the heat from the summer sun.  I think a red metal roof reflects less than 20%.  We just did the silver Galvalume roof with a beautiful bright green siding, and it looks awesome.  White trim with wood doors and windowboxes.

[jesting3]

Hi Heather,

Here are photos of our home which is painted yellow with white trim and a red door.  We put a grey shingle roof on it that looks a bit like slate.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitebeard/sets/552782/with/5626797343/

I would caution against metal roofs.  I have seen several fires recently where houses and a church were lost because firefighters were unable to get through the roof to fight a fire in the attic.  

[HeatherAtHome]

Thank you so much! I feel like it's a really big decision and it's sort of freaking me out. 
 

Originally Posted by jesting3 

Hi Heather,

Here are photos of our home which is painted yellow with white trim and a red door.  We put a grey shingle roof on it that looks a bit like slate.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitebeard/sets/552782/with/5626797343/

I would caution against metal roofs.  I have seen several fires recently where houses and a church were lost because firefighters were unable to get through the roof to fight a fire in the attic.  

Thanks, you know, I hadn't thought of that. I'm wondering if it really matters seeing we don't have much of an attic in our house? It's a 1.5 story home and our bedrooms are up in the roof line. 

I have to say I LOVE your house. Exactly what I was thinking of. I like the white trim and corner pieces (makes so much sense that way so the white gutter drainage pipes blend in!)

Originally Posted by I Fly 

I vote for a silver/Galvalume metal roof.  This is the unpainted metal, which won't leach toxins into the rain pouring on it, and reflects about 60% of the heat from the summer sun.  I think a red metal roof reflects less than 20%.  We just did the silver Galvalume roof with a beautiful bright green siding, and it looks awesome.  White trim with wood doors and windowboxes.

Your house sounds great! 

I thought that unpainted metal wasn't allowed because it's too reflective and potentially blinding to low flying pilots? (we have an airport nearby for small one person planes etc). 

DH and I were driving around looking at houses yesterday and he said he didn't really like yellow for siding. It broke my heart. I had been seriously dreaming about yellow houses for 2 days (not counting a lifetime's worth of thinking yellow houses were nice). After I got over my "are you kidding?!!" moment he said he doesn't mind light yellow, just not an intensely strong yellow. We happened to drive by 4 yellow houses on one street so he was able to say which shades worked for him. 

He has his heart set on a dark red roof. I'm not sure....  I'm leaning towards black, grey, dark brown. The roofing material we're looking at is supposed to be guaranteed for 50 years (iirc), all except the red, due to possible fading of colour. We'll find out more details Monday on which shades of red/how long etc. 

[HeatherAtHome]

We couldn't get those online programs to work, you know the ones where you upload a pic of your house and try out different looks? I had some time to waste yesterday and did my own thing in paint. The door ended up a little bit bigger than before, and it's really rough, but what do you think? I'm not set on this roof colour, but I really like the yellow/red/white and LOVE the idea of window boxes. I can't stop giggling over how cartoony/real the pic looks. I started with the pic of the house and drew details over top. 

[ArtsyMomma]

I really like your thought bubble shrubbery! I like the color combo too!

[limette]

I love dark grey houses with black roofs. You could a red door to that for punch. One thing I do recommend is to either get rid of those faux shutters completely or put up some that are wide enough to actually look like they work.

[HeatherAtHome]

Yes, the shutters are out of there! 

And yes, the thought bubble shrubbery was part of what was giving me the giggles.