Jayme Hobbs Nice place...cute house..pics for color ideas

Jayme Hobbs I like this one too...could go with a different accent color in gable also such as a grey-blue or a green, etc.

Aja Mazin WOW!

Gray.

anne dee I don't know about the stairs at the front. They look somewhat dangerous for climbing. First thought that came to mind was "somebody could fall down" .They look mossy and slippery. I hope I am wrong. You might want to consider structural change before aesthetics. Of course, if the budget is available.

handymam You can power wash those stairs with a rented washer until you decide what you are going to do. They will clean up nicely. The railings may not be up to code, but you might be okay until you actually replace them.

VERY cute house! Love the 2nd pic Jayme posted. I think those colors would look great! Good luck and have fun!

Susie Lipscomb The house is in an historic neighborhood on the National Register, so structural changes are restricted. I would like to replace the railing with a wooden rail to match the porch rail - but will need approval. Otherwise, the stairs are fine - some stains, but not slippery

anne dee Good luck with your project Susie Lipscomb. A very charming home.

handymam Susie, I bet they will approve it, depending on the design. What you have there looks like a homemade plumbing pipe railing that people did themselves years ago. If you can find old pics of your home you may find what was originally there. If you research it, you may find pics of your house, or those nearby. Hope you keep us updated. :)

Elizabeth Widdis Susie, these colors by Benjamin Moore will blend in great with your landscape and stone foundation:

Misted Fern (green) - for the exterior
Boston Brick (rust) - for the porch
Natural Elements (cream) - for the trim and railings

Also, the new metal roof would look great with the cottage. Great idea!

Elizabeth Widdis Another great green color with more grey in it is Weekend Getaway (Benjamin Moore). It will still go great with the boston brick and natural elements.

Susie Lipscomb I like this one - my house sits between a brown with white trim and a very green house - going more gray would set it apart. Thanks!

Susan Mills Design Susie, I love this combination for your home. I don't know the colours but can be used for inspiration. A soft grey green and a slate grey for the trims.

Susan Mills Design It looks very close to Elizabeth's latest post. Perhaps a shade paler?

The Color People Your greenish gray or khaki idea is great. You need to pick a color with some yellow to it to make it work with the overall colors of the stone which, as you say, is a great feature. There are lots of colors you might use for the trim but just changing it to a cream is the easiest way to make a huge difference. It will tie the stone and siding colors together. Right now both are too cool to really set of the stone color.
I love this house and its porch! I don't know if the ceiling of the porch is the same as the trim color but be sure to make it light. Dark colors tend to loom overhead where light ones rise up and make the porch much more pleasant.

mollykahn I would do rust for the main color and cream for the accent color. Then when it's time for the roof to be done, use tan. What a great house.

houssaon What an interesting house!

I would think about waiting until the roof is replaced before painting. I think you do have moss growing on the stone and the steps. The steps also look like there is mold growing as well. It would look better after you clean that up.

I painted my old house Benjamin Moore's Horizon Gray, which I think would work well for your exterior.
I would paint the ceiling of the porch a light blue.

Good luck!

Dana Veach What a great cottage! It has lovely potential...I really like the Benjamin Moore "Weekend Getaway" gray-green color suggested by Elizabeth Widdis. Your instincts on where you want to go with this sound good...please keep us posted with your decisions and progress!

Renovation Worx I work with realtors and one of them told me to use paint colors that are from the period when the house was built or stay neutral for resale purposes.

Garden Design Art i would stay away from traditional and make it your own. I am painting my farmhouse white white trim black door and black window trim to make it look elegant farmhouse

Eileen A. I 'll go with a pale shade of green.
http://img4-3.realsimple.timeinc.net/images/0904/green-paint-samples_300.jpg

Montgomery Communications a bungalow! love 'em!
have not seen you reply with any other roof color -- I am a huge fan of metal roofs, but a cool silver roof with the warm colors described here will set your teeth on edge.

you'd have to see, and then select, a potential roof color first, even if it doesn't show up in place for a year or two.

if you do end up with a silver roof, a 'williammsburg blue' would tie everything together better than the greens/greys/tans discussed here.

i love the suggestions here, and they would tie with the stone, etc. do consider a diff roof color though, if at all possible. or just simply know when the roof comes there is an excellent chance of painting it again, to match.

either way, enjoy the lovely home!!!!

Shearer Painting & Wonderfulcolors.org Draw colors from Stone..use analogous color scheme..lower contrast on posts..use off white for porch soffit.
http://www.wonderfulcolors.org/blog/analogous-color-scheme/

jjdesignkloos Love Shearer's suggestion!

Rustic Brick and Stone Love the stone... here are some other images with different colors that would look good with it. I prefer the darker colors, but it's all about what strikes you as a good fit.

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. I hate any of the bright yellows, drab olives. I have traveled in the south and all my favorite homes are creamy whites, paled out greens and griege colors. They are timeless and sophisticated .

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. I like that paled out brick above "think veneer and patio stone 3". The key to this look is the high contrast black roof and also the copper looks nice.

Renovation Worx I would use Shearer's suggestion.

Shearer Painting & Wonderfulcolors.org Thanks jjdesignkloos & Renovation Worx...can I send gifts?

ptmatthews We had a similar situation with our house. We painted the body of the house khaki, the windows and porch railings pella tan, and the rest of the trim a dark red. People tell us they love it and I've actually seen some copy-cats in the area. And our roof is dark gray shingles.

Rema Manohar go for white walls and green roofing...
built a porch over the steps.. and make it split level for easy climbing and avoiding moss by rain on steps..white windows will light up this cute villa...

Laura Pollard, Designer/PM, Bravehart Building Why not investigate a complimentary colour to the tones in the stone work? The blues and violets will evoke the sky....and are at the complimentary side of the colour wheel from your stone. Benjamin Moore has a Colour Visualizer tool on their site. Take a look at their 'colour stories' also. Some lovely, exciting and unique tones to make the cottage your own style.
I would also research colours used in the early 1900's, if I were in your shoes!

Carolina Girl If the home is on the national registry you should check with them before painting. They may have some say in that also.

jjdesignkloos @shearer: you're welcome! gifts are always appreciated :)
@Susie: to me, the stone is a natural starting point for your colour scheme; and then I would use a complimentary colour for accent; eg, door, large pots; plants and flowers etc....just some thoughts....

magcailains Beautiful cottage. Love the idea of either the khaki or greenish gray siding (more on the green side than gray) with the color of the stone foundation but I would change the white trim to a color from your foundation, perhaps the rust color from the stone. You could put forth a case to the national registry for changing the railing on the porch to make it higher for safety reasons as it seems low in the picture for the height that the porch is to the ground below. If the registry allows you to change the railing I would think about substantially increasing the size of the posts at the same time. Match the railings and posts on the stairs to those used on the porch. If the registry has a say in the exterior color of the house take a look at the historical colors from Benjamin Moore as many preservation societies etc. use these colors as a reference guide.

The stone stairs are also lovely and a scrub with a stone cleaner and a pressure wash will do wonders for them. The stone foundation and the porch are the first things I noticed about your cottage and for me they are the focal points so I would keep the siding more neutral in order to make the stone foundation and all the trim, especially on the porch, stand out more.

When it comes to the roof I wouldn't wait to replace it I would start there although I don't really care for silver as the color of it given the other colors you are thinking of using. Unless you plan on doing an addition or making structural changes I would start at the top and work your way down. Talk to metal roofing installers regarding the flashing around your gable as the siding may have to be removed in order to flash it properly and you won't want to go back and repair then have to repaint what you've already done as well as the cost and time incurred in doing it twice. There are fewer color choices when it comes to a metal roof than paint so no matter what roofing color you chose you can always find a paint color to go with it. This spring I'm changing the roofing material on my house to metal and have been looking at as many houses with metal as I can. I live in a very sunny area and have noticed that there is more glare from the sun off the silver metal roofs because of the way it reflects than with other colors. Installers also pointed out that there is less heat transfer in the summer months when using a lighter color of metal. I am using khaki for my siding color and have been looking at creams, tans and also black because I have R50 insulation in my ceilings so heat transfer is much less of a problem for me if I do opt for black. Contact the roofing manufacturers and they are quite happy to send out samples of there colors to you. I would also contact local companies about your color options for your eave troughs and downspouts as that may affect your choices of metal roof and paint as again far fewer color choices. One area of my roof must have strapping put down in order to install the metal as opposed to it it being directly applied to the the underlayment. Because of this the installers have all said the less foot traffic on it the better to lessen the risk of damage occurring, don't know about your installation but it is one of the reasons I suggested starting at the top and working down. I noticed the chimney and with the metal roof the chimney cleaners will have to go up on your roof so just make sure that whoever is on it wears a soft soled shoe and does not walk or stand on any of the ribs so that it minimizes the risk of damage.

If the sun hits your porch floor at all I would paint it a lighter color. I am also in the process of changing the green color on my covered decks to a lighter color because when the sun does hit them it is impossible to walk on them in bare feet in the summer and if anyone does it literally feels as though your feet are being burnt.

My apologies for the long reply but I hope that perhaps even a little bit of it is a help to you and good luck with your project. I hope when you're done that you will post the after pictures.

pvore Absolutely Shearers color suggestions. It will be awesome and timeless!

Pam Sonnier


Love the mixture of exterior colors on this pic

Shearer Painting & Wonderfulcolors.org Laura P. mentions Benjamin Moore "color stories"... Nice full spectrum colors; designed for interiors. A BM dealer could weigh in on this but these colors need to be "matched" to exterior products. Last spring I worked with a client ( see picture) and we created a custom color based on a color stories color, the translation to their flagship Alykd emulsified coating Moorgard needed some adjust.

http://www.shearerpainting.com/blog/colors/paint-colors/benjamin-moore-color-stories-in-seattle/

cabindog09 I love what Shearer had to suggest, and find that's what we ended up with on our daylight basement ranch last summer, although not that consciously! However, I also agree with several other posts, particularly magcailains - do the roof and needed repairs first. You'll definitely save $$, headaches and avoid "do-overs" when you get the structural and necessary (albeit more expensive) things done first. If you read any of the DIY sites or watch the shows, I think you will find the same line of thinking. There may also be (reputable and conscientious) contractors who don't want to take on a job that has other elements that may interfere with the quality of their work, and the ability to do the job safe and well. Our painter found repairs that were necessary to our original cedar siding. We okayed the repairs and he contacted someone to do the work. This enabled him to ensure the quality of his work and keep his warranty intact, as well as our house.

The other element I fully support, although I like the colors you are thinking of and that have been suggested, is the Nat'l Historic Register. Definitely consult with them; honor the story of this home, whose life you have now committed to. Metal roof may not be on their approval list either...
I understand your desire to improve the look with an immediate "bandaid" of color. You will be much happier and relieved to know that your investment in improvements and safety will add to your value and insure the continued historic status. Painting would certainly be the last thing on the list, if it we're me. Having said that, it is very satisfying and uplifting to make those color choices and commit to them, as well as seeing it all together in totality for the first time! We love the look and have gotten lots of compliments from the neighbors and our friends and family. You will too, if you're patient and diligent.
GOOD LUCK!

Montgomery Communications also wonder where you live --difrent lattitudes 'dictate' the pallet. You cannot use Jamaica Bright colors in Seattle, nor vice versa.

the stones are The Most Unchangable item, match your roof to your stone.

then
the rest gets TONS easier.

the other thing is, how often do you plan on painting your house? I have friends who had a wood house and they painted one wall/side every year.

If that is the case for you, you can paint it now and wait a bit for a new roof.
If you will paint every 6 or 7 years, waiting for the room might be smart.

I got a fabulous 1920s Bungalow, with a BLUE and I mean BLUE porch. I simply painted in bland tan to 'cleanse the palate ", to find the right color. It was a smart move, I am thrilled with my choice.

:-)

other thoughts are landscape. if you love Blue Hollies as much as I do, for example, you are limiting the paint colors a great deal. (which is fine with me, as I love the BLue hollies, and love the colors they restrict me to).

If you love dark green spruce, or a certain red on a japanese maple, that will also dictate and narrow your choices.

how will the colors look in snow, too (if it snows). a HUGE mistake i see each snowall is no one thougtht about how (fill in the blank) the color would look with snow around it.

if you are in the northwest, where the skies are over cast, you'll need muddy colors to match. if you are in sunny Georgia, stronger clearer colors are called for.

enjoy!! it took me three years to find my colors, here's to you enjoying the journey as much as i did!

Montgomery Communications Oh Oh Oh, just for fun, look at this!!!

http://www.nopatternrequired.com/2011/06/mcm-home-improvement-exterior-paint-combinations/