House paint

The exterior of our house is made up of plywood panels with wood trim around the windows, at the floor, and so on. In case you've forgotten our house looks like this.

This second picture is more accurate for color. Essentially the windows have white panels above and below them, and the eaves are white; everything else is a deep maroon color. (Wow, I just realized that these were my high school colors. Huh.)

J wants to paint our house this fall. He doesn't like the color, it is too dark, and we owe a coat of paint on the various repairs we've made. Plus the house just plain needs it, because it was already peeling when we moved in last year.

I'm not so sure I want to do it. If all goes well, we could replace the windows next summer. Then we can get the house re-sided the year after, in 2006. Or we could wait on the windows and do it all in one fell swoop in 2006. I really want to reside the house with fiber cement board (so we don't have to worry about woodpeckers or carpenter bees anymore), but replacing the windows has to come first, due to construction methods. Plus we want to add a couple windows into the second floor. No matter what, it will be expensive.

On the other hand, we may not be in this house for long either. If we sell at the 5 year mark, that would mean selling in 2008 - which means that if we resided the house 2 years from now, we'd enjoy the benefits for just a year before selling it. Will it be worth it? probably. Any improvements we can do to the exterior are going to improve the selling price of the house. Even painting it would be a big improvement, I think.

Besides all that, though, let's pretend we are going to paint the house after all. Now the question is, what color would look good? It seems to me that the white portions should stay white; they are next to the windows or under the eaves, and leaving them white makes the most light reflect into the house. Also, having a contrasting color will keep the house from looking like a big block in the woods. Okay, it may already look like that, but the keeping the trim color separate helps, believe me.

So what color to paint the areas that are currently maroon? not white, that would defeat the purpose of the trim. Blue? Gray? Beige? Let me know what you think. It'd be interesting to hear your opinions on this.

Comments

[Patrick]

While maroon isn't my favorite color, it does help to bring the house out of the shady yard. I'm afraid that a blue/green or beige/woodtone would simply cause the house to fade into the trees and look more hidden. I'd recommend something that would stand out more from the surrounding -- perhaps a rich and warm yellow or a brighter (but not TOO bright) shade of red?

[Wendi]

My parents have a grey and white cottage in the woods that looks pretty good. (My personal color palette has been wratched up to pretty intense colors, so I'll stick with 'grey'.) ;)

[Architectress]

P: Yeah, the maroon is okay. I think the shade is too dark, and that's the problem with trying to find the house amongst the trees. I would think that a lighter color would show up better; even green would show up well, because our trees are tall and all that is hiding the house are dark brown trunks. On the other hand, we have talked about going with red. :)

W: that's another color in the runnng - a warm dove gray. Out of curiosity, what sort of 'pretty intense colors' would you imagine?

[Wendi]

I am completely enamored of the bright yellow greens and especially pumpkin oranges, of late. I mean, hell, why be like everyone else, right? ;)

I expect my chosen wall colors will horrify everyone else, but since it's not their house, I'm not minding. ;) (Both of the colors mentioned above will be present in my house sometime this fall, probably towards the end of October, when I have both a brain and time again.)

[Erica]

I always think a nice Wedgewood blue always looks great on houses! Just me! Just think it looks great with the trees. Good luck! Your house plans are so interesting!

[Architectress]

W: the bright yellow green would be horrifying to me, true, but the deep pumpkin may not.. :)

E: thanks for the input! a Wedgewood blue might be nice indeed. DH and I will have to get some color chips and see.

[Richard A Greiner]

I am looking for the formula for a paint called wedgewood Blue It was by Sherwin Williams in about 1965.

[The Architectress]

Sorry Richard, there's no way I have that info. But if you call up Sherwin Williams you might be able to get it. Also if you have a paint chip you can take it to any paint store and they can match it.