Looking for a new look for your house exterior? Before you decide on a siding color for your home, look around your neighborhood and your city for the perfect color that sends the right message, and makes sense for your home.
What siding color will you choose? There was a time when you only had a few basic choices, e.g. cream or white, tan, brown and gray. Well, times have certainly changed; a given vinyl siding company can carry an average of 33 different colors, ranging from white to charcoal and most designer colors in between. White, cream and light brown are still the most popular siding colors, according to the Home Siding Center website.
Regional siding color palettes
What factors should you take into consideration? One of the main factors is the region you live in. According to Sherwin-Williams, ""color themes are derived from a region's landscape or topography, its weather and climate patterns, and, of course, its unique cultural history."" Here are some regional color tips from their website:
- New England. Home exteriors tend to air on the traditional and conservative side, with light colors in tan, yellow, gray and tinted white. You will see a pop of color commonly in shutters, doors, trim or windows, e.g. a glossy red door.
- South. Most homes are white with cool or pastel trim or sunbelt pastels, toned-down Caribbean color influences and mid-toned neutrals, all accented with crisp white trim.
- Southwest. This area definitely is a mixed bag of color with influences from Texas--gray, tan and cool neutrals--to deeper, desert, earth tones like taupe and terra cotta in Arizona to a brighter Mexican color palette in El Paso.
- Midwest. Most homeowners favor the colors of wheat as well as cream and white with darker but more traditional shades like green and burgundy for accents.
- Mountain states. Think of the colors found in the great outdoors. You will typically see colors like yellow aspen in the fall and natural looking materialson homes in the Mountain States.
- West Coast. Common home siding colors include neutral shades like muted peach, taupe and warm beige or muted earth tones--gold, yellow, wheat and sage-tinged green.
Remember, there is a difference between a house that ""stands out"" and one that just ""sticks out."" You will potentially have to live with the same color for a long time, so be sure to choose wisely.
