Exterior House Details: Gutters, Soffits, & Downspouts -

When creating a cohesive exterior color palette, it’s often best to match the gutters, soffits, and downspouts to the fascia/trim color. However, there are tons of exceptions, depending on your roof, window color, and much more!

If your mind is stuck in the gutter, welcome to my world.

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Now, rather than spouting off as I usually do (don’t worry, there will still be gratuitous spouting), we’re chatting in ‘question’ format. These are questions and concerns I receive via my Kylie M Instagram, Kylie M Youtube, and blog comment section.

James Hardie Iron Gray

First of all…

YES, YOUR GUTTERS & SOFFITS ARE PAINTABLE

If you already have gutters and they aren’t the right color, they’re very paintable. Or, if you’re building or remodelling and can’t find a gutter color that coordinates, it’ll be worth adding a bit more to your paint budget.

Our home had black gutters, soffits, and downspouts when we moved in. When I changed the exterior color palette, the black had to go. Our painter did the proper prep, then painted them to match the trim, no problem.

Sherwin Williams Roycroft Pewter siding color, similar to James Hardie Iron Gray

8 years later, our painted gutters and soffits are still going strong. MOVING ALONG.

On most homes, there’s one thing that often (but not always) calls the shots when it comes to the best gutter (and soffit/downspout) color…

Your fascia. But first…

FASCIA VS. TRIM: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

When it comes to fascia and trim, many people think they’re one and the same.

Fascia is the board that kind of finishes sections, like gables or long stretches of roof line (for example).
Trim tends to be a bit more aesthetic, like window or door trims.

For the sake of this blog post, I’ll refer to it as fascia when it REALLY matters; otherwise, it’s trim (as that’s what most people call all of it). ANYWAAAAAY.

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While there are always exceptions, your fascia color often determines your gutter color.

Now, to really get this party started, here’s what we’re covering below…

What exterior finish should your gutters match?
Light trim/fascia, black windows, LIGHT siding, dark gray/black roof
Dark trim/fascia, black windows, DARK siding, dark gray/black roof
Taupe, brown, or beige roofs with white trim and windows (and brown/black)
Colored trim/fascia (not black or white)
Using in-stock or manufacturer’s gutter colors
Metal roof exterior palettes
What if you don’t have front gables or ANY gables (sloped roof)
Red-tile or terracotta roofs
Wood soffits
Exceptions – because there will always be some!

DID I MISS ANYTHING? Jeez Louise, I hope not.

1. SHOULD GUTTERS & SOFFITS MATCH THE FASCIA/TRIM, HOUSE, OR ROOF?

If you’re redoing your roof and considering a new gutter color, the best question you can ask is…

Will this gutter color interrupt the flow of a previously established fascia color, or will it blend with it?

You want it to blend, as shown with the arrows…

Even if your gables are visually separated from your fascia/horizontal lines, they should flow.

Now, look at the same home with black gutters. While the above white arrows clutter it up a bit, it’s easy to see how black gutters make this exterior look more cluttered and disjointed…

Here’s another nicely flowing gutter/fascia line…

White was definitely the right choice for this exterior.

On the above home, while black gutters would blend with the dark black-gray roof and metal roofing, they would disrupt the flowing angles/lines of the white trim color. The guttered areas would look disconnected.

Sherwin Williams Best Warm White Paint Colors

Now, nothing helps like visuals. And it also gives us a chance to break things down into more precise details…

While you probably won’t find the EXACT same home as yours below, find 1 (or more) that shares the same FEATURES, especially window color, general trim/fascia color.

2. WHITE OR LIGHT TRIM & SIDING, DARK BLACK-GRAY ROOF, BLACK WINDOWS

If you have light/white trim, I suggest painting your gutters and soffits the same color as the trim. While this next home is RIDICULOUSLY gorgeous, in my ideal world (which is a bit unrealistic sometimes), the gutters would match the trims.

The Best Off-White Paint Colors

Why?

I’m definitely being anal (one of my redeeming features), but if the above gutters were trim color, there’d be a consistent horizontal line from left to right, whereas right now, it’s broken up.

When it comes to soffits, painting them a different color creates a striped/busy look between the siding, soffit, trim, and roof. Aside from the odd wood soffit, soffits aren’t meant to be featured.

On this next beauty, we see white gutters and soffits. Even though the windows and roof are black/dark, the gutters match the house’s fascia (trim for all intents and purposes)…

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This next home is the picture of perfection. The black windows and light fixtures accent this exterior and add visual interest, while the white gutters tie into the white trim.

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If they’d leaned into the dark roof and black windows, it would’ve drawn way too harsh a black horizontal line across this home.

Are black gutters a dealbreaker on this next home? Heck no…

Roof similar to Certainteed, Landmark, Moire Black asphalt | James Hardie Arctic White

A home can still look gorgeous (as long as it has other black features to support black gutters). However, even this gorgeous home (above) with its black windows and black roof would look best with a white gutter.

Why?

Because it continues the trim/fascia line.

The Best Front Door Paint Colors

Regardless of your roof color, if you have white trim and white windows, I suggest white gutters, soffits, and downspouts to match your white fascia/trims.

That’s right, it doesn’t matter what color your roof or your underwear is; your details should be white.

An interesting exception…

Let’s say you have…

NO gables on the front of your home (or very minimal – in otherwords, your horizontal lines are dominant)
If you have a gable, it’s only at one end (doesn’t break your home up in the middle)
AND…you have black windows, you might do a black gutter…

However, if the above home didn’t have black windows and a dark gray/black roof, it wouldn’t work – the black, like my poorly-timed IBS, would come out of nowhere.

Notice how the edges of the black roof on the gable wink at the black gutters. This helps with the ‘illusion’ of a continuous black line. On the other hand, the continuous cream cabinet color does the same.

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3. DARK OR SUPER DARK TRIM, BLACK-GRAY ROOF, BLACK WINDOWS, DARK SIDING

Because they’re super popular, this first section involves your typical dark gray or dark gray-charcoal-black asphalt roof (metal, too, although I have a metal section at the end).

THE MOST POPULAR DARK GRAY-BLACK/CHARCOAL ROOF COLORS

These dark gray roofs (and similar brands/lines) tend to be super skookum; either black, super dark gray, or a blend of both.

GAF Charcoal(GAF website)
Certainteed Cinder Black
Certainteed Charcoal Black (love this one)
Certainteed Max Def Moire Black

This next home has black windows, a dark black/gray roof, and black TRIMS. With this in place, black gutters, soffits, and downspouts makes 100% sense.

The Best Dark Gray Paint Colors

I wish I had more examples of dark roofs, dark trims, etc. If you use my advice on your home, please send photos (no nudes though, that’s my other blog…wink wink).

Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Color Consulting.

This next exterior looks badass and beautiful with James Hardie Cobblestone siding, black windows, fascia, and…black gutters, soffits, and downspouts…

Now, let’s move on to more moderate roof colors, closer to GAF Weathered Wood or similar asphalt shakes.

4. TAUPE, BROWN, OR BEIGE ROOF, WHITE WINDOWS, WHITE TRIMS

If you don’t have a dark gray or black roof, you likely have a warmer color, like Weathered Wood, Mission Brown, or Barkwood. Let’s look at a few examples so you can cast your peepers on a home or two with a similar ‘general’ color scheme.

This first one is a no-brainer for me. Introducing ANYTHING but white on gutters wouldn’t make any sense…

White windows, white fascia & trims = white gutters, downspouts, and soffits | This roof looks more like GAF Mission Brown.

This next little mid-century gem has a taupe-tiled roof and off-white gable fascia and trims…

So, while the windows are black, it makes the most sense to match the fascia color. Black is best left as an accent for light fixtures, door hardware, etc.

With exceptions, your best bet is to match your gutters, soffits, and downspouts to your trim color (as closely as humanly possible). It’s not as common to match your gutters, etc., to your roof, siding, or window color.

ANY ROOF (OTHER THAN BLACK) & BROWN OR BLACK WINDOWS

This next home has dark trim (I wish I had a better, close-up, but c’est la vie)…

With its dark brown fascia, again, using the same dark brown on the gutters, soffits, and downspouts makes the most sense.

The Best Off-White Exterior Paint Colors

In otherwords, most of the time, it’s not about your roof or window color – it’s about your fascia/trim color. Let’s just hope it’s the right color for your home! If not, you know who to call. Just joking, don’t call me – I won’t answer. Click on that link.

5. COLORED TRIM (not black or white) FASCIA, ANY ROOF COLOR

Whether you have a dark roof, light roof, or thatched roof, if your trim isn’t black or white (or you can’t get a daaaaaaamn close match in manufacturer’s gutter colors), it’s time to get your paintin’ pants on…

PAINT THOSE GUTTERS!

IMAGINE if the gutters and downspouts weren’t a perfect match, it would look pretty fugly at every junction – woooooof.

If you can’t or won’t paint your gutters, soffits, and downspouts, if you don’t do a good job, you can get a real patchy look. For example, the gutters on this next home are painted to match the trim…

Just because it’s fun, let’s look at the before image of this next home…

5 Steps to Choose Your Home’s Best Exterior Paint Color

Even as-is, the color layout is right, with the gutters matching the fascia (this roof looks similar to GAF Weathered Wood or Mission Brown).

After, look at how gorgeous it looks in a soft, off-white paint color. And daaaamn, those matching fascia, trims, gutters, and downspouts really finish it off…

This roof looks a bit closer to Certainteed Pewterwood

This next roof is similar to GAF Hickory, with red (orange) and purple tones.

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The trim color is a cream (Benjamin Moore Sail Cloth) and was repeated on the gutters and downspouts. If they’d chosen white or black gutters, it would’ve looked fugly (it’s a Design term, don’t worry about it) and out of place.

This next home’s roof looks similar to GAF Barkwood, with non-white fascia and almond/off-white windows. By the way, I’m generally obsessed with how well they coordinated this brick exterior with its dark-stained shakes (far right), fascia, windows, trims, and roof…

Here’s another good example of painting the gutters and soffits to match the fascia…

6. WHAT IF YOU’RE USING IN-STOCK OR MANUFACTURER’S GUTTER COLORS

Often, homeowners already have gutters installed from popular brands like Peak, Spectra, Americmax, or Ply Gem. These brands offer pretty standard colors, along with a decent range of colors that are outside the norm.

However, whether you’re dealing with a standard color or a more unique one, if it doesn’t perfectly match your fascia/trims, you have a decorative problem.

If it doesn’t match like this…it ain’t a match

If you don’t have the budget (or energy) to have your gutters, soffits, and downspouts painted to match your trim…

a) Let’s hope you find an in-stock gutter color that’s darn close to your fascia color (like, ‘hard to tell the difference’ kinda close)

b) You might need to paint your fascia/trims/gutters, etc., to match your gutter color.

Mixing and matching might work for creative couples on boring Friday nights, but it doesn’t work for gutters.

7. METAL ROOF COLOR PALETTES

Whether you have a metal, asphalt, or cedar shingle roof can be irrelevant (with the odd exception). Again, your fascia color most likely calls the color shots.

However, for all you heavy metal fans (rock on), here’s a bit of eye candy and inspiration…

They were smart to match the gutters to the fascia and trim.

I bet thousands of homeowners or builders would install black gutters on this next home, since it has a black metal roof and a black asphalt roof…

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And it would’ve been a shame (3 slaps with a wet noodle), as it would’ve broken up the gable line, where it goes from gable to horizontal gutter.

8. WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE FRONT GABLES (or any gables – sloped roof)

Many homes don’t have gables on the front…or at all. This can include ranch-style, modern/contemporary, mid-century, or other styles with red-tiled/terracotta roofs (we’ll get to those shortly).

Don’t worry, I gotchu boo.

This next home is homey, but modern, with a mix of high and low-contrast siding choices.

In this case, the gutters and soffits are black because they match the other trims, which subsequently match the windows (it’s like I know what I’m doing or something).

So, while you might not have gable fascia on the front of your home (or minimal), you likely have it on the side. In this case, I’m usually on ‘team-match your fascia’.

This next cutie-patootie little rancher has white windows and trims. Again, bring on the white gutters, soffits, and downspouts…

This roof must be Certainteed Burnt Sienna or, more likely, GAF Hickory.

This next brick bungalow is gorgeous. Notice how the gutters are painted to match the trim (which is painted a super dark greige paint color)…

The Best Shutter Colors For Red-Brick Exteriors

Even though it has black windows, drawing a harsh black line horizontally across the entire front could overwhelm this little beauty. In the above situation, matching the trims (and shutters) works best.

This lovely Colonial-style red brick exterior looks beautiful with its greige-taupe painted gutters and downspouts – notice how they match the fascia/trims…

The 3 Best Black Front Door or Shutter Colors

WHAT ABOUT ON A HOME LIKE THIS?

On this next home, you can’t see the color of the roof from any normal vantage point. It also has fascia (trims) that aren’t white or dark, and non-white windows.

This style of home is common on the West Coast of Canada and the Northwest USA (Oregon/Washington)

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In this situation, I would ideally have the gutters painted to match the trim. If the windows were black (since I see a wink of black roof peeking over the edges, I might’ve also chosen black), given the depth of the fascia’s color.

9. RED-TILED OR TERRACOTTA ROOFS

If you have a red-tiled roof, you might wonder which gutter color is best.

Where the fascia plays a larger part with asphalt, cedar shake, or metal roofs, it’s different for red tile or terracotta roofs.

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Why?

With the often-curvy front profile, some want to tuck their gutters underneath, making them more like a shadow line.

This next, red-tiled exterior is gorgeous…

The front edge of the tile is straighter than some
It has no fascia on the gables, but has it on the horizontal stretches.

In this case, we matched the gutters to the trim.

Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Color Consulting.

This next home is Mediterranean-style, with a red-tile or terracotta roof. Let’s look at it before, first…

On this roof, notice how the tiles’ edges are curved and how we treated the fascia with its paint color makeover…

The Best Dark Greige Paint Colors Sherwin Williams | Benjamin Moore’s Dark Greiges

In this case, BECAUSE the windows are painted a dark color, a dark color works well on the fascia/gutters – we didn’t match the fascia this time.

For more exterior fun, check out my round-up style blog posts: The Best Front Door & Shutter Colors and The Best Exterior Trim, Soffit, & Garage Door Colors

But it depends on the exact style and layout of your roofing tile and fascia/gutters.

This next home has a curved tile edge, but a ton of exposed gutter and fascia. There’s NO blending this bad boy in…

These features, along with the white windows, made matching the fascia/trims the most sensible option.

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Look at your exterior and its features. Consider how they’re laid out. What do you think best suits your home?

10. WOOD SOFFITS

While wood soffits can be a custom edition to a home, they have to make sense.

This next home looks gorgeous with wood soffits…

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Why?

They tie into the wood beams, the front door, and the fascia around the front portico. If this home didn’t have at least one of those other wood details, wood soffits would stick out like a sore thumb.

Wood soffits need to tie into some other wood feature. End of story.

11. SOME GUTTER-INSPIRED EXCEPTIONS

Just like not every Ginger has a temper and is slightly crazy (I’m one of those, I’ll let you guess which), there are ALWAYS exceptions to the norm. Now, don’t go thinking your home is one of those exceptions – it probably isn’t. But…

This next home’s gutter and soffits are painted to blend in with the siding color (Benjamin Moore Weimaraner)…

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This next contemporary exterior has dark fascia and integrated gutters. But notice how they painted the downspouts to match and blend with the stucco color…

This next mid-century exterior is an interesting one, where we mixed things up a bit. Here it is before, womp womp womp…

I friggin’ love my job (and I can help you, too!)

The Best Dark Brown Paint Colors | Benjamin Moore Ballet White Color Review

Notice how the fascia and soffits on the sloped roof line match the HOUSE color.
While it’s not as easy to see the gutter (which is dark brown), notice how the downspout is, too.

In this case, the dark brown acts like an accent to this home’s overall look.

SHOULD THE SOFFITS MATCH THE SIDING, TRIM, OR GUTTERS?

Good question. There are a few things to consider when choosing your soffit color.

MATCH YOUR SOFFIT TO YOUR TRIM: Creates a unified look between trim/fascia and soffits. This is a more classic approach. HOWEVER, consider that this is most often done when the fascia matches the gutters.

MATCH YOUR SOFFIT TO YOUR SIDING/HOUSE COLOR: If you want a more simplified, seamless look, you might match your house color. This way, the only visual break is the shift in shadow direction from vertical to horizontal.

While some say this can make your home look taller, if your palette is low-contrast (white/light), I disagree. The change in shadows from vertical siding/stucco to horizontal soffit suggests a slightly different shade anyway.

MATCH YOUR GUTTERS: This is most common, naturally, when the gutters match the fascia color. Otherwise, few people match the gutters and soffits with an opposing fascia color between them.

Let’s say you have dark gutters (not your choice) and a light-colored home, trim, and light windows. In this case, you might choose to have the soffits match the house.

This next home doesn’t have white windows, but with the white fascia and trims, a black soffit would have looked oppressive. In this case, matching the soffit to the house color made a lot more sense.

There’s a chance (let’s be honest, it’s a small chance; I talked a lot in the above info) that your question wasn’t answered. I’m going to add some randoms below.