Don't Be Scurred....

......picking the exterior colors and materials for your new home is ONLY like picking your spouse....

...no big deal.
Eeeeee....I'm nervous!
Anyway, this WAS my pretty exterior before the stupid budget got the better of it! 

I think we get so nervous because nowadays we don't need to repaint our homes every 2-3 years.

Our siding materials are basically indestructible and meant to last a lifetime.

Can you change your mind and paint your siding a different color?

Sure.

Would you rather go on vacation?

Yes.

Always.

This "durability" is why most people keep their homes as neutral as possible.

I don't blame them.

Picking an exterior color is scary.

Hence, the number of homes that are beige or gray.

These are neutrals that you won't HATE someday, right????

They are best for re-sale, right?

I guess.

Seeing too much beige and gray can also get a little boring folks.

BUT how can you guarantee that you won't get sick of a certain color that isn't beige or gray?

My only answer: By being true to YOU!

Should you think of what color is best for resale?

I guess.

That thought might be just about as much fun as thinking of how you will eventually die. 

That also begs the question, are you building this house for YOU or the next owner?

I'm telling you...the people that make all the right decisions, plan appropriately for everything, and make the wisest of decisions based on facts and charts are rarely fun, and they tend to die kinda young.
Whether it's an internal death or an actual death is debatable.

Please don't bore me and everyone else to death with your exterior selections.

Problem is, I just have a little trouble following my own advice sometimes.
Shhh! Don't tell anyone!

If I had a very urban property that required a tall, thin house, it would be a no-brainer....

Add some flower boxes and I'm set!

BUT our lot is in a very conservative neighborhood with lots of rules and requirements.
Sounds like the perfect place for me doesn't it?
Errrr.

Some of my future neighbors were incredibly upset when a red/burgundy house started going up.
I celebrated!

I have more respect for red/purple than beige.
Red takes guts and a strong declaration of love.
**Beige is kinda wimpy.

**Feel free to call me a big wimp if my house ends up being beige or close to beige. I have no idea what I am doing!
I will surely deserve it.

If we are not celebrating diversity and the beauty of individual character, what ARE we celebrating??

Too often, people are more concerned with how their exterior announces their success and achievement than with how it projects their personality and style.

Some people just don't know how to do anything else.

How do you incorporate a color or texture or theme that says something about who you are and what you love?

What colors are you drawn to?

What color are your eyes?
What color eyes does your loved one have?

Look in your closet.
What colors do you wear all the time?

Your house should look like you!

Do you see beige lining your closet???

Do you wear khakis all the time???
If your answer is yes, are you forced by your job to wear khakis all the time, or do you actually like them?

I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you probably don't love the khakis.

Do you love the versatility of blue jeans??

.....and how they go with everything??

Then, maybe a medium to dark blue house is for you.

The darker the better if you ask me.

It's more dramatic and less common.

You could also change the color of your front door every six months just for fun!

Are you the lady in red?

 Let's look at an iconic image of my style and see how it should translate to my exterior.

I obviously LOVE classic black with white.

The obvious exterior selections would be these:

 White and black.
But not just any white.....not too bright...not too creamy....a perfectly soft white.
The white shown above is probably too bright for me.
If the white is too crisp, it's too modern.
If it's too creamy it's too country.

I think this white is spot on:

Elegant.

It's nearly a "bone white"...probably a custom color knowing my track record :(

THIS white is lovely as well:

The typical way to incorporate black would be with shutters and a black front door.

Like this:

BUT I want to do something a little different.
Something you don't see all the time.

Not that you see white houses with black shutters ALL the time, but they are fairly common.
Not nearly as common as gray and beige, but still common.

How often do you see black windows?

They just add a little something.
Like eyeliner.
A little bit of sophistication.

How often do you see black windows on the interior??

 OR custom colors on the interior of windows??

 Yellow??



Green??

Most houses have either wood or white windows.

I want options!

Your only standard options for interior colors are white or wood.
Sounds kinda racist to me.

Back to my point, like every other non-standard thing in home building, "options" come at a price.
The standard windows that your builder is going to include are single hung, vinyl windows.

The end.

Not for me.

I am STUB.BORN.

For an extra couple hundred dollars per window, I upgraded to Marvin's Integrity, All Ultrex, double hung windows. Being from the line of Marvin, they are among the best.
Do you think that's why I wanted them?
Of course not!
I am not that logical!
I wanted them not for their sensibility, durability, ease of cleaning, and two options for opening.
Let's be real.
This is ME we're talking about.
We all know that I just wanted the black exteriors with the option of painting the interiors red or pink, or whatever color I feel is appropriate, because I don't like being told "No."

PLEASE NOTE: I said, that I would be painting them whatever color I please.
You see, along with that upgrade, came the fact that I won't be able to afford to have them painted.
This seems to be a pattern....
The painter of those upgraded windows is gonna be me.

Wooohooo!!

In about 6-9 months, if you find yourself wondering where I am..... you know the answer.
I am at home.
Painting windows.
Quite happily :)

Now I am desperately trying to figure out how to make something like this happen....

I die!!

What would YOUR exterior look like if you had no fear of judgment?