Choosing the right siding color for your home can change its look and feel, and have an impact on its resale value. You also may have to live with the color a long time, so it’s a good idea to do the work up front and select the best color before siding installation.
1. Think About Your Environment
A lot of considerations come into play when deciding your new siding color, including personal preferences. But you should also give strong thought to your surrounding environment and how your house and siding will fit into that.
Think about your neighborhood and how your color will suit that. What’s the landscaping, or proposed landscaping, for your home? Stark, minimalist landscaping might call for a bright, even candy-like color to play counterpoint. Luxuriant wild growth and a medley of flower colors could help you decide to choose something more neutral and subdued.
Climate also plays a factor. How a house looks with new siding in summer might be quite different in the depth of winter. Keep in mind that the strong sunlight of summer makes colors look brighter.
2. Consider the Character of Your Home
The character of your home is revealed in its architecture. A stately old home has a decidedly different character than a modern bungalow and will likely call for a more subdued siding color scheme.
Take a close look, as well, at the color of your roof. As one of your home’s dominant visual elements, it should be taken into account as you decide a complimentary or contrasting siding color. If you are due to replace your roof soon, it’s a good idea to consider the colors of both your siding and new roof tiles at the same time.
As you look at your home, you will notice it seems different at different times of the day, as the light changes. Your siding color will also look different as the day progresses. To anticipate these changes, it’s a good idea, if you can, to apply swatches of your siding colors under consideration on different sides of your home. Look at them closely in the morning, afternoon, and evening to see changes. You should also place the swatches close to parts of your home where the color won’t change – brick foundations, for example.
3. Choose Complementary Colors
Your home siding color doesn’t ever stand on its own. As the main hue, it requires color accents that are lighter or darker complimentary colors. To create a coordinated effect, you might want to update the colors of your home’s railings, doors, window trim, and so on at the same time you are arranging for your siding installation.
What Central Pennsylvania property owners should consider
The Right Siding Color is best understood in the context of the whole property, not from one symptom alone. The age of the materials, previous repairs, water-management details, installation methods, and nearby exterior components can all affect what is visible. Central Pennsylvania’s mix of heavy rain, wind, summer heat, falling leaves, freeze-thaw cycles, and winter weather can also make the same concern look different from one home or building to another.
Start with observations that can be made safely. Avoid climbing onto the roof or disturbing damaged materials. Instead, note when the concern appeared, whether it changes during particular weather, and whether it is isolated or occurring in several areas. Photographs taken from a safe location and notes about prior work can help a professional understand the history without relying on memory alone.
Details worth documenting
- fading or mismatched repairs that affect the project scope
- signs that the concern may extend behind the visible siding
- cracked, loose, warped, or missing panels
- staining or softness around windows, doors, and penetrations
- open seams, failed trim, or areas where water may enter
These details do not replace an on-site evaluation, but they make the conversation more useful. They also help separate a maintenance item from a repair need or a larger project. A clear evaluation should explain the observed condition, the likely scope, the surrounding components that were checked, and any assumptions that could affect the recommendation.
Questions to ask before authorizing work
- Is there evidence of moisture behind the visible surface?
- How will trim, flashing, and penetrations be handled?
- Can the existing profile and color be matched?
- What ventilation or drainage details are part of the wall system?
- How will nearby roofing, gutters, windows, and doors be protected?
- Can the affected area be repaired cleanly, or is replacement more practical?
Ask for the proposed work in writing and compare scopes rather than price alone. Materials, labor, disposal, cleanup, ventilation, flashing, permits, warranties, and possible concealed conditions should be easy to identify. If alternatives are available, the practical differences should be explained in plain language so the decision reflects the property’s needs and the owner’s priorities.
Greenawalt Roofing serves homeowners across Central Pennsylvania. Learn about residential siding services, review what happens during a Full Exterior Exam, browse the company’s service areas, or request a free estimate.
