Dark or Light
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Styles and trends change. The houses you describe seem to be seeking a safety zone.
I try to get clients to pick colors that match their personalities as part of the house. "What would you like to drive home to each day or wow friends with when they visit?"
I also try to get them to blend the house with at least their landscape and those to immediate side. And finally, I try to get them to think about how the exterior of the house will look in all four seasons. I can think of nothing more winter depressing than the houses of your hood described in a snow storm.
Of course if there are neighborhood association rules on color you might as well abide by them.
But no. Nothing says your house has to be light just because others are. Do something stunning and darker if you want. Do remember your roofing color so you do not end up looking goofy. And do not go overboard and make yours look totally out of context or something.
I restored a cute, historic, little railway worker house in Central Illinois once. Someone else did a near matching one and the interior is not bad. The exterior has a magnificent, perfectly executed paint job in at least 4 of the dominant green colors of Ireland. It is known as the leprechaun whorehouse now.
Friends live on a gorgeous row of tall, elegant, old Queen Anne Victorians with gingerbread trim. Some color consultant, having never seen the place, counseled people moving into one to paint theirs six shades of deep gray. TG the trees hide it from now until late Fall. It is like something that would be used for an Addams Family movie. Sitting with snow all around it looks like the Victorian version of Battlestar Gallactica crashed or something.
I try to get clients to pick colors that match their personalities as part of the house. "What would you like to drive home to each day or wow friends with when they visit?"
I also try to get them to blend the house with at least their landscape and those to immediate side. And finally, I try to get them to think about how the exterior of the house will look in all four seasons. I can think of nothing more winter depressing than the houses of your hood described in a snow storm.
Of course if there are neighborhood association rules on color you might as well abide by them.
But no. Nothing says your house has to be light just because others are. Do something stunning and darker if you want. Do remember your roofing color so you do not end up looking goofy. And do not go overboard and make yours look totally out of context or something.
I restored a cute, historic, little railway worker house in Central Illinois once. Someone else did a near matching one and the interior is not bad. The exterior has a magnificent, perfectly executed paint job in at least 4 of the dominant green colors of Ireland. It is known as the leprechaun whorehouse now.
Friends live on a gorgeous row of tall, elegant, old Queen Anne Victorians with gingerbread trim. Some color consultant, having never seen the place, counseled people moving into one to paint theirs six shades of deep gray. TG the trees hide it from now until late Fall. It is like something that would be used for an Addams Family movie. Sitting with snow all around it looks like the Victorian version of Battlestar Gallactica crashed or something.
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Very much not an expert, but two questions come to mind I would research before I decide.
What color is your house currently? Would changing the color drastically from a light color to a dark color (or vice versa) require additional paint (or primer)?
Also, could it possibly affect your energy bill? Is it like the difference between choosing paint color on a new car? Black (or dark) absorbs heat, white (or lighter colors) reflect it?
What color is your house currently? Would changing the color drastically from a light color to a dark color (or vice versa) require additional paint (or primer)?
Also, could it possibly affect your energy bill? Is it like the difference between choosing paint color on a new car? Black (or dark) absorbs heat, white (or lighter colors) reflect it?
Installing new hardie siding, which are factory primmed. Will put another coat of primary. Then the plan is to go back with two top coats.
In the Texas area will the color of the house really make that much difference in an energy bill?
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If you can't decide - paint it plaid!
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Seriously though, I think with the Texas sun, you would want to use a lighter color. Up north, the darker color would help absorb some heat in the winter, but that's not really an issue in Texas. If you want to be different than the rest of the beige neighborhood, but not REALLY stand out, you could do an off-white or pale yellow.
Seriously though, I think with the Texas sun, you would want to use a lighter color. Up north, the darker color would help absorb some heat in the winter, but that's not really an issue in Texas. If you want to be different than the rest of the beige neighborhood, but not REALLY stand out, you could do an off-white or pale yellow.
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524 Posts
not sure how it is in texas. when i choose a paint color here in florida for my house, i will consider colors that wont attract insects as much. florida is full of all kinds of bugs that like to move in and make homes in all of the corners and crevices in your siding.
Now that's a thought. What colors attrach insects?
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There is an old wives tale that says if you paint your eaves sky blue wasps will not build nests under them. The idea being they see the sky blue paint as sky and not somewhere to build a nest.
No idea if it is effective or not.
No idea if it is effective or not.
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