Choosing the right roof color might not be quite as daunting as budgeting and building permits, but it’s still a big decision that sets the tone (quite literally!) for decades to come. Your roof color choice also has an impact on your home’s value — and the relationship you have with your neighbors!
If your North Carolina home is anything like most, your roof probably covers 30 to 40 percent of your property’s exterior surface, and if you’re gearing up for a roof replacement, you’ve got a real chance to make it pop.
Choosing your roof color is a little scary, too, isn’t it? You want to go with a color palette you won’t hate a year from now, that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb in your neighborhood, and that can only possibly impact your home’s value positively.
How do you get it right? We’re not called The Roof Mentors for nothing. Grab yourself a coffee and a notebook!
Consider Your Home’s Architectural Style
You want to think about your home’s architectural style and make sure that the roof colors you’re considering are a great match. If you have an older or historic home, it almost always looks best if you choose a roof color that was available when the property was first built. Modern homes give you more flexibility, but that also makes it harder to choose!
While there are no hard and fast rules, let’s take a look at some examples:
- Colonial homes tend to look best with earthy browns, tans, or beige shades already popular in North Carolina.
- With a Victorian Revival home, you can make more of a statement with a deep gray, charcoal, or even deep blue.
- Farmhouse-style homes look beautiful with natural roof colors like terracotta, cedar, or cypress.
- Modern homes with a sleek look can look amazing with dark gray, deep charcoal, light gray, or even white (for low-sloped roofing).
Is your home’s architectural style not on the list? Contact our friendly staff at The Roof Mentors; we’d be happy to give you some pointers.
Survey Your Neighborhood to Explore Roof Colors
We don’t have anything too formal in mind here. Exterior design trends vary from one neighborhood to the next, though, so take a tour of the roofs you see around your neighborhood.
Earthy tones like brown, tan, beige, dark gray, charcoal, and clay or terracotta are some of the most popular roof colors in North Carolina overall — but your neck of the woods might be different. If you like, take a notepad with you to track the colors you come across, along with notes about the ones you like most.
This process also has another component — if you’re under a HoA, check its rules about roof colors and make sure you’re compliant. Even if you’re not, it might still be a good idea to ask your neighbors what they think if you’re planning an unusual roof color.
Take a Look at Color Wheels to Make Sure Your Roof Color Complements Your Home Aesthetics
If you’re not familiar with color wheels, they’re tools that show the relationships between the primary colors and other shades. Look them up online!
Depending on your aesthetic preferences, there are two general approaches to choosing an exterior design color palette that most people will enjoy (or at least not hate):
- Choose a roof color that complements the color of your home’s exterior walls. This color is usually a little darker than your walls, and it will be close to that shade on the color wheel.
- Pick a roof color that contrasts the rest of your home’s exterior. These are shades on the opposite end of the color wheel. In that case, you want to tie the look together by including other accents in similar shades — for example, your window frames, doors, blinds, and the plants and shrubs in your yard.
The second option can work very nicely, but it’s the riskier move out of the two.
Curious what your new roof might look like? Visualize it with the Atlas Roof & Home Design Studio for some low-stakes experimentation!
Excited to Get Your Beautiful New Roof?
We’re called The Roof Mentors for a reason. We’re not just here for a flawless and fast roof installation, but also to advise you on your color options. Contact The Roof Mentors today if you’d like a consultation, and we’ll work with you to make sure your brand-new roof will add visual appeal and value to your neighborhood.
