| Now that you have taken into account the | | | | design flaws. Bright accent colors are a good |
| fixed features of your home, as well as the | | | | choice for doors and shutters. If you are |
| context of your neighborhood, you are ready | | | | painting the exterior of your home in order |
| to begin considering your available color | | | | to sell it, a contrasting door color is a |
| options for the exterior of your home. Poor | | | | major benefit, say many realtors. |
| color choice can make your house seem flat, | | | | |
| dull, and featureless, and you don't want the | | | | Building's Architecture |
| colors you choose to overwhelm any aesthetic | | | | |
| features of the architecture of your | | | | Be sure to find out what the original colors |
| building. | | | | of your home were. Many times, people find |
| | | | that the original color combinations are the |
| Light or Dark Colors? | | | | most appealing for their specific building |
| | | | type. This is especially true for historic |
| As a general rule, lighter colors typically | | | | homes. Ideally, Victorian style homes |
| brighten a house and make it appear more | | | | typically look visually appealing with |
| spacious, while darker colors can make the | | | | Victorian colors, and so on. |
| building seem smaller, but can also draw | | | | |
| attention to the details of your home. Dark | | | | Tools to Help You Choose |
| colors also absorb and hold more heat, so | | | | |
| they may not be a wise choice in hotter, | | | | There are many methods available to you to |
| sunnier areas. | | | | help you find the ideal colors for your home. |
| | | | If you have artistic talent, you can draw a |
| Muted tones are an increasingly popular | | | | picture of the exterior of your home and make |
| choice. A few examples of these muted tones | | | | copies. You can then freely color the picture |
| include such colors as Windsor Blue or | | | | of your home with colored pencils, to get a |
| Colonial Green. | | | | better idea of how those specific |
| | | | combinations might look. |
| Number of Colors | | | | |
| | | | There are also many computer programs and |
| Most people usually think of a two-color | | | | software to aid you in finding the ideal |
| combinations when planning on repainting the | | | | colors for your home. Some of these programs |
| exterior of their home. This is a common | | | | come with a list of house templates to choose |
| mistake, and choosing three or four colors to | | | | from, and some allow you to import an actual |
| incorporate into the exterior of your home | | | | photo of your home in order to preview your |
| can have dramatic effects. | | | | color combinations. |
| | | | |
| Trim/Accents | | | | If you plan on hiring a professional painting |
| | | | contractor, then why not ask for his or her |
| A well-chosen selection of contrasting trim | | | | opinion? Sometimes, there is seldom a better |
| and accent colors can draw attention to | | | | aid than a good professional's opinion. |
| architectural details as well as disguise any | | | | |