Does a green polymer tile roof work with a red brick house? Not likely. Will that same green roof be a better match for a white clapboard home? Absolutely.
“Selecting roofing colors that complement the rest of the home’s exterior can be challenging for some people,” says Kate Smith, CMG and owner of Sensational Color. “While people have the freedom of color choice these days with the vast multitude of synthetic roofing colors and blends available in the marketplace, there are certainly some fast and easy guidelines they can keep in mind.”
Smith, who is the DaVinci Roofscapes resident color expert consultant, recommends the following guidelines when matching polymer roof colors with different style homes.
Green roofs look best with homes that have natural wood siding, or are painted gray, white or a lighter green color than the roof itself. Avoid red or colors that are very “warm” for the siding or brick, although these bright colors could be used as an accent, such as for a front door or shutters.
Brown roofs complement houses painted in tan, yellow, cream, off-white or a different shade of brown. Brick homes that have a yellow or brownish color cast to the bricks can also look good with a brown roof. Stay away from using a brown roof if you have a home with “cool” colors on the main body, such as blues and grays.
Black roofs provide an anchor for tall homes by helping visually lower the roof and making the home look wider in contrast to the siding color and trim. A black roof has a strong link to homes painted in gray, blue, green or white and can also be used with a brick exterior. Try to avoid a black roof if you have a single story or smaller home, because the black can seem too weighty for a smaller structure.
Gray roofs are an ideal complement to more traditional style homes and can also be used on blue, green, black or white house colors. Bolder accent colors for trim, shutters or the entryway door can broaden the visual appeal of the home with a gray roof.
Terracotta color roofs work exceptionally well with stucco and brick homes, along with stone and those houses with a mixture of exterior materials. White is a classic color to use with a terracotta roof. The high contrast between the body and roof colors looks crisp and clean together, and is often a choice for warmer climates.
Red roofs match up beautifully to accent gray or warm brown house colors. Consider a red roof for a white or cream exterior to create a country look for a home.
“Depending on the style of a home, as much as 40 percent or more of the visual you get when looking at a house is the roof,” says Smith. “The more roof that is shown, the more important it is to allow the roof color to help define the home’s style.
“I’m a great fan of color blends for roofs. When you select blends with different shades of a color or two in it, the entire roof seems to merge and unify the home exterior. This softens the roof visually and provides the homeowner with more long-term options for accent colors to ‘pull out’ from the roofing blend color.”
For more information, visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.