Doing a home exterior renovation is a complex process and requires careful planning and if you are like most, you need a little help with the selection process.
Here we have some easy tips to help in choosing the best colors to reflect of your home’s architecture, character, and surroundings.
Choose the colors that you like as opposed to those that are suggested to you.
You are the one who is going to live with the color of your home’s exterior, and when you drive up to it, you have to love it and know you’ve made the right decision. You can get inspiration from Pinterest or Houzz, or even other houses in your neighborhood, but the ultimate choice has to be yours. It’s all about what you want!
Choose colors based on the style of your home
Whether your design calls for a traditional look with soft earth tones or a contemporary style with bright dramatic colors, engineered wood siding and trim can meet your design requirements and satisfy a range of tastes.
Home Exterior Color Trends
- MODERN/CONTEMPORARY – Modern contemporary style homes favor simplicity and lean towards naturals and neutrals. Color combinations that work well for these types of homes:
Granite Rustic/Almond/Khaki
Granite/Pearl Gray/White
Commercial Brown/Yellowstone/Coffee
Cactus/Granite Rustic/Pearl Gray

- TRADITIONAL STYLE – Traditional style homes are comforting and classic. Color combinations that work well for these types of homes:
Khaki/Almond/Granite Rustic
Sierra Rustic/Yellowstone/Almond
Cactus/Acadia/Coffee
Acadia Rustic/Yellowstone/Coffee
Country Red/Khaki/Almond

- COASTAL STYLE – Coastal style homes capture the nostalgia of cottage living. Color combinations that work well for these types of homes:
Almond/Yellowstone/Maize
Granite/Coffee/Almond
Granite/Maize/White
Thunder Blue/Almond/Coffee
Cedar/Coffee/Sierra

- SUBURBAN STYLE – Suburban style homes concentrate on simple forms and geometric lines. Color combinations that work well for these types of homes:
Pearl Grey/White/Granite Rustic
Country Red/White/Pearl Grey
Thunder Blue/Almond/Pearl Grey
Cactus/Cedar/Coffee
Granite Rustic/Maize/Yellowstone

Always use swatches before making your final decision on mixing and matching colors.
We all know that color swatches have different tones depending on the time of day and different lighting situations. Before committing to colors, it is important to hold up the color swatches at different times during the day, so that whatever the lighting condition, you will be content with your color choices.
Do not be afraid to make unusual combinations.
Being different isn’t a bad thing. Keep in mind that it is probably a good idea to stick to similar undertones. Any color combination will look good as long as the base color is similar. For example, using Yellowstone and khaki together will work well, since they both have a yellow base color. You can use our Online Home Exterior Design Tool – Home Designer 2.0 to test out different color combinations directly on a photo of your home that you upload.