Choosing Your Exteriors

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Choosing your exteriors

From developing a plan to choosing colors



For many, exteriors can be daunting. There are several important decisions that need to be made, and factors to consider. For example, many get simply stuck on how do I even start this process?

Below I’ll share a couple quick lessons I’ve learned over the years while working with my clients to get exteriors right and make the best selections for their needs:

#1) Go with the neighborhood - Most neighborhoods have a certain style. I often start by studying the architecture and the dwelling site and ask myself how will the colors fit into the existing neighborhood,? Are we blending alongside our neighboring structures?

  • Example Scenario: A neighborhood with all brown or beige homes and asking ourselves if we would want to inject a red exterior/bright green? Will we be upsetting our neighbors? is there an HOA that will need to approve our choices. Can we use a different style of roof or is our only choice a shaker?

#2) Follow the sun - I have also learned to consider the direction of the sun when choosing my paint selections, sometimes a light paint color can actually appear two times brighter when reflecting in peak sun. In these situations it can sometimes make sense to use a shade or two deeper.

  • Tip: When thinking about a paint color, do the following: paint a board, study it throughout the day and on different sides of the home. Ask yourself: is the dwelling amongst the trees/in the shade or in full sun? These are all important considerations to think about.

For this home it was important that we kept the neighborhood’s original and vibrant themes

For this home it was important that we kept the neighborhood’s original and vibrant themes

To get started, here are a few key design questions you can ask yourself when applying the above concepts into your designs and concepts:

  • What is the cost? Factors to consider: trim, windows, doors, and prepping - (ask for references!)

  • Have I evaluated the difference in quality of my brands?

  • Will my dark paint fade sooner over a lighter color? If so, is a pricier brand worth it?

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions on the above tips! I’m happy to help think through your exterior plan

Kathy

Kathy KrughoffComment