They’re popping up everywhere—those vibrant, eye-popping homes that take curb appeal to the next level. Daring and creative homeowners are drenching their residences in rich hues; for some it may be as an accent color on part of the home, but for the truly bold the entire home is making a lively style statement.
You will also need to address the level of on-going maintenance associated with a richly-painted exterior, especially in our region where you’ll need to account for our Bay climate. Sun will be your main concern. Darker colors absorb the sunlight faster than others. Inside, this could result in higher cooling bills in the summer. Outside, the side of your home that receives the most sun can start to fade as soon as three years.
That said, the quality of exterior paint continues to improve. Though you will pay more for the top-of-line options from the most respected manufacturers like Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, you will save precious time and some money down the road when it comes to touching up and re-painting. Some of these paints also contain built-in primer for the most practical and fastest application.
Convinced yet? If you’re still debating whether or not to plunge head-first into color, keep in mind you can consider some bold moves with your door color, trim, and shutter color. But with so many attractive options and the availability of the most durable exterior paints ever, the question may not be if you dare to go dark, but when.
