E-DESIGN Exterior Paint Colour Makeover: Brick & Shake Before & After

A Brick & Shake Exterior Ready for the Real Estate Market!

Sometimes a project comes along that makes me stop in my tracks…but not always in a good way. My clients were planning on listing their home and wanted to give it a fresh face with a new colour. However, while they were wanting to paint the cedar shake siding, they wanted to KEEP the existing trim, shutters and front door the colours they were.

I had to take a deep breath for this one and an even bigger chug of wine before I sent her a note that more or less said the following:

‘I know you want to list your home and spend as little as possible, I get it. But, there simply ISN’T a paint colour that will bring together your trim and shutter colours and how they relate to your brick and roof.

I would highly suggest you either leave everything and sell your home as-is OR, I wonder if you’d be open to the idea of going a liiiiitle bit further…okay, maybe going a LOT further by painting the trim, shutters, front door and even the little metal roof over the front door. If not, it would be a waste of your time and money to paint only the shakes as it will only add another detached colour to the palette.’ 

What’s the big problem with the above image anyway? Let’s break it down…

1. The orange of the shakes clashes with the colours in the brick and the violet undertone of the roof.
2. The green on the trim is a warm green, the green on the front door and shutters is a cool green and those two greens are just HATIN’ on each other.
3. Add those two greens in with the green of the landscaping, and as the great Kermit the Frog would say, ‘it’s not easy being green’ – especially when you’re three different versions of it.
4. While the cool green would be ‘passable’ with the brick and roof. It would’ve been considerably better if it were a lighter blue-green or a DARKER green so that it’s a more classic accent – or it could not be green at all, really.

I spent MANY YEARS home staging and have a great idea of what buyers are looking for and how to get TOP DOLLAR for a home – I know full well that sometimes you have to spend money to make money. And this home had so much FRIGGIN’ POTENTIAL I was crossing my fingers that they’d jump on my crazy train…and they did. FREAKIN’ HALLELUJAH, I love my clients.

BEFORE, potential buyers might’ve kept on driving after seeing this curb appeal…

AFTER, I’m pretty sure buyers have already unpacked their boxes…

My client had hired someone to pick the previous green trim colour for the shutters and front door, but I have a feeling the consultant was freelancing as a John Deere rep…

And look at her beautiful self now!

Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart and Sherwin Williams Pure White

They also brought the colour around to the back of the house on the french doors. And while I would suggest putting a larger black light beside the door, the overall look is still friggin’ fantastic…

Doors, Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart

That’s funny, I JUST noticed the chimney stack! I’m sure it’s TBP – To Be Painted…

What colours did we use for this exterior update? GOOD QUESTION…

• CEDAR SHAKES: Sherwin Williams Knitting Needles. A soft, light-medium warm gray with a purple undertone
• TRIM: Sherwin Williams Pure White. A warm white with a neutral base to calm it down
• DOORS, SHUTTERS & METAL ROOF: Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart, one of my fave exterior accent colours

The Best WHOLE HOME Gray & Greige Paint Colours

I’m just so grateful when clients hear me when I’m just trying to help. If I come up with an idea to spend MORE money, it’s always going to be SMART money – and I’m sure this one will pay off big time.

READ MORE

The Best Exterior Paint Colours: Why Your Home’s Exposure Matters

4 Things to Consider BEFORE Painting Your Exterior

E-Design: Exterior Makeover

Is Gray Still Trendy on Walls, Cabinets & Exteriors?

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