Young House Love

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How To Pick An Exterior Paint Color

When we last updated you on the progress of the showhouse that we’re working on for Habitat For Humanity (you can read more about it here, here, and here), its exterior was largely complete and it was awaiting some paint. Well, then it snowed for three weeks in a row, which is a complete rarity in Richmond, so while we continued to scurry around finalizing materials like light fixtures, tile, and cabinetry (more on that here), we weren’t able to update you on our color choice. UNTIL NOW! Can you tell I’m EXCITED?! Get those jazz hands up, y’all.

Show 6 Siding

We knew from the get-go that we wanted it to be in the navy family with crisp light trim and some rustic touches (like chunky wood porch beams and some stone around the foundation). The builder was completely on board when we pitched him our navy concept, so we were tasked with choosing the shade so his guys could get painting. Our first step was to bring a ton of swatches that we thought could work down to the job site and hold them up against various planes of the house (the front, the side, etc) just to see how they looked in different lighting situations. Here are the nine swatches that we brought:

BlueHouse Nine Color Grid

Some immediately eliminated themselves (Gravel Gray and Polo Blue looked almost like black when we held them up, Westcott Navy looked a smidge too gray, and Van Deusen Blue oddly read much lighter – like a medium blue). After a little more debating, we whittled our collection of swatches down to just three contenders:

BlueHouse Three Colors Selected

We liked that Hale Navy had some charcoal-ish undertones, Genteman’s Gray was pretty pure in that “it’s just navy” scheme, and Newburg Green was a smidge lighter with a hint of a green undertone (you can learn more about paint undertones here). Between the three of them, there was a nice range (unlike getting test pots of three identical navy colors) and we honestly thought all three of them could work, which was comforting. So off to the paint store we went…

We came back with three test pots to apply right to the house’s siding. Clara helped with the mixing:

BlueHouse Clara Paint Head

We just brushed them right on, being sure to remember which one was which. After each one dried we applied a second coat and waited for that to dry so we could get a true read on each color.

BlueHouse John Painting

Clara even got in on the action at the end. Start ’em young.

BlueHouse Clara Painting

These are just iPhone pictures on a cloudy day, so they don’t really capture all the nuances that we could see in person, but after two coats of each color had dried, it was clear to us that Hale Navy and Gentleman’s Gray were slightly darker and more intense, while Newburg Green was a bit less “midnight-ish” and a little less serious and formal, if that makes any sense at all.

BlueHouse Stepped Back

It’s weird to describe colors as being more or less formal, but something about Newburg Green felt more casual and friendly in person. Gentleman’s Gray and Hale Navy certainly would have been handsome, but Newburg Green was just calling our names a little louder. We also thought it would have a bit more contrast with the roof (we worried the other two might blend in with it too much since they were darker/grayer).

And so it was decided. Newburg Green was IT. And after holding up a bunch of trim swatches, we ended up with Steam as our trim color of choice. It would still read as a nice clean white on the house, but it wasn’t too stark or blinding, which we liked.

BlueHouse Final Colors

And here she is all painted and lovely! We’re really happy with how it looks with the tone of the roof and the Steam colored trim. And aren’t those two round windows in those peaks adorable?! The paint color really seems to emphasize the pretty architecture, thick trim, and sweet details like those windows. Of course there are still a bunch of unfinished elements going on (we have awesome chunky columns that will be going in above each of those stone pillars around the porch, and then all of that wood will be sealed, which will give it a slightly deeper but still warm & rustic tone).

BlueHouse AFTER

And we can’t forget how much of a difference a little landscaping will make. It’ll take the look from “The House That Sprung Up Out Of Nowhere” to “The House That’s Integrated With Its Surroundings.”

But let’s look at the front door for a moment. We’re currently debating a bunch of colors for it, so we thought it would be fun to have you guys weigh in too. It arrived in this tone (we didn’t paint it this color, but it isn’t able to be stained), so we messed around with a bunch of color options in Photoshop (over two dozen!) and these were the ones that seemed to work the best with the other elements that we had going on. Some of the nixed colors surprised me (I’ve always loved navy houses with yellow doors but it just looked too crazy on this house) and the ones that we ended up liking also surprised us (who knew we’d ever even consider a blue-gray-green door on a navy house?). So without further ado, here are our six finalists:

Doors Grid Of Six

Note: Photoshop is not real life – so the door will most likely look a lot more dimensional (and generally better) than these fake renderings when it’s actually painted.

But let’s zoom out and break things down for a hot second (although the colors are generally a lot easier to see in the up-close grid above). First we have a paint color we’re affectionately calling Blue Steel, which is a greeny blue-gray. None of these are real colors from a paint deck (we picked all of them in photoshop), but we’d choose a swatch that has the same undertones if we opted for any of these choices.

Door Blue Steel

Next we have something in the chocolate range. Sort of like this:

Door Chocolate

Another color we considered was red, for that nautical, all-American look.

Door Red

We also played around with the idea of a rich plum door, although this one’s a lot easier to see in the zoomed-in grid above.

Door Plum

We thought something in the rust family could be a nice nod to the natural tones in the stone and the porch beams (which will end up a bit richer/darker than they are now, but should still feel warm as opposed to cool).

Door Rust

Lastly we have putty, which ties into the tones in the roof and some of the colors in the stone around the porch.

Door Putty

So don’t be shy, we’d love to see which way you guys lean! We can’t finalize the door color until the porch beams are all installed and sealed, but we’re hoping that’ll be pretty soon.

VOTING ON THIS POLL HAS CLOSED

Poll Showhouse Door

As for the inside, exciting stuff like tile and hardwoods are going in and we’re beginning our furniture/rug hunt along with trying to pin down a bunch of interior paint colors, so we can’t wait to share that progress. Hopefully in the next week or two!

Psst – Wanna see the finished showhouse? Click here for Our Full Showhouse Tour, which includes final pictures of every room, the floor plan, budget info, a video walk-through, and shoppable showhouse furniture & accessories. 

Comments

  1. Anele @ Success Along the Weighn says

    I love the bold color choice for the house. I would never see something like that around here and I’m not a fan of cookie cutter. You could never get away with that here due to the white/beige/taupe police that seem to rule all the neighborhoods.

    I’ll be interested to see the most popular color choice on the door. I know what mine is! :)

    Reply

    • Marcee ... ILLINOIS says

      Yes! Me too. Colors are great. Off the bat I selected Newburg Green. Not overly crazy about choice shades for door, but I did pick RED. Other shades do not seem appropriate. Ohmygosh …. no, no to brown. Never do browns. Too dull and boring. We have a red outside front door, not bright tho. Siding is white/gray. I love red, white and blues for the front of a house. Looks really nice. Especially with our white swing and pole flag. Sherry, Jon, Clara and Burger + new baby soon, are the best family! Totally enjoy your blog.

  2. Amanda @ Rhody Life says

    Love the house color! It really makes the thick trim on the house pop out, and I love that look. I’m biased on purple doors, since that’s what color I painted ours, but I think as a second choice, I would go with either Rust or Putty. I am definitely not afraid of color, hence the purple, but I think those two would go really well with the blue of the siding.

    Reply

  4. Kelly says

    LOVE IT! The siding color is the perfect combo of sophisticated and fun!

    I think all of the door color options are lovely. Perhaps you could choose based on what’s going to be happening INSIDE the house. My guess is that there’s going to be a pretty strong overall palette inside, and maybe the front door could be a little hint of things to come?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh that’s a fun idea! We’re just diving into choosing interior colors and furnishings (without any idea what our bedding/textiles/curtains will be) so it should be fun to see where we end up with those!

      xo
      s

  5. Lydia K says

    LOVE the color scheme so far! And stoked that I picked your final color choice out of the first line up! Digging the plum or the rust for the front door, but I may be partial because I just painted my own front door and shutters plum :) GORGEOUS, Y’ALL! When can I buy this house?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! I’m not sure when the seven showhouses will go on sale (maybe in a few months when the interior finishes are more complete)? Will keep you posted :)

      xo
      s

  6. Jordan says

    I can’t believe I’m going to say it, but I’m really liking the Blue Steel! I think the concept for the rust is great – but if the focus of that area is the gorgeous rustic beams, I wonder if the rust colored door may compete instead of compliment. So I’d say blue steel is my #1, followed by putty!

    Reply

  8. Laura @ Rather Square says

    I love that you went with Newburg Green – that’s what I liked best when I first saw all the choices too! And I’m voting for a Blue Steel door – seems very complementary with the trim and house color. So cool to see it all coming together!

    BTW, we also have had issues with appliance delivery during this polar vortex weather. We’re in the Chicago area, so we are really getting the brunt of it – we ordered a new refrigerator that was supposed to be delivered during one of the extreme cold spells, and it was delayed because of that.
    http://www.rathersquare.com/2014/01/our-fast-and-snowy-refrigerator-quest/

    Reply

  10. Rennie says

    Really? Yellow was bad? I think a deep mustard yellow — like the putty but with more color to it — would look great! Love the house color.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Isn’t that funny?! I think the issue was that since the blue siding has that soft green undertone, the yellow door was just too colorful with it (it started looking like a clown house) even in a deeper mustard tone. I think with a more deep/charcoal-y navy (like Hale Navy) it could have looked awesome though!

      xo
      s

    • Jorja says

      My first thought was mustard, too. Sherry – I saw you said that mustard was looking a bit too colorful…what about a more greeny-mustard? Now that I saw that out loud, that sounds a little, um, unappetizing? Ha!

    • Marcee ... ILLINOIS says

      Door s/b Red …. a brighter shade. This door has to compete with a huge house. If it was a double door, situation might change up a bit. Red is just absolutely wonderful for so many holidays. Always looks great. Red.

  12. Tirsa says

    Can’t believe I picked the right color from the get go. I LOVE the color on the house! Can’t wait to see what color wins for door.

    Reply

  13. Sara says

    I love the house color! It’s very New England, in all of the great ways! I voted for a plum door. It just seems to stand out a little bit more. The house looks HUGE and the door looks itty bitty. I think the plum door really makes it stand out.

    Love, love, love where this is heading!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Good question! We’re planning to get into this in a future post about furnishings/shopping, but some items in the house are “loaned” from companies and then offered up for sale during the event (so they are allowing the showhouses to “display” them for free, and then hoping to sell them during the show). Other items are just straight up purchased (we have an allotted budget to furnish the house, and the builder will stage future homes with those items). John and I are also reaching out to some of our contacts to see if they’re interested in donating things for Habitat (the more donations we get, the less we dip into the decorating budget, which means the builder can directly donate that money to Habitat instead of spending it on stuff for the house).

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So much fun! I actually shouted out yellow in the post as a color I thought I’d love but it looked weird in the photoshopped versions (total surprise). I think if we went with a more charcoal navy (like Hale Navy) it could have worked better, but the green undertones and slightly lighter blue color looked a little too compete-y with a yellow door.

      xo
      s

    • Jen. says

      Ha! I was just researching plane tix for our vacation there this summer. You live in the best city…*envy* :)

  16. Sally G. says

    I like the blue steel, but I think the rust is more original and charming with the siding color (but it’d be even better if it was more of a mustardy-yellow and less red, IMHO)

    Here’s hoping you can do some laundry soon!

    Reply

  18. Ashlyn says

    The siding color looks amazing! I love a dark blue house. Great job, guys!

    (Door: I like all of them except the putty and chocolate colors)

    Reply

    • Ellen says

      and also – – I LOVE the Newburg Green. At first I was bummed that you didn’t choose Hale Navy because that is such a pretty blue, but you are absolutely right that with the roof color the Newburg Green is much pop-ier, prettier and friendly.

  20. Julia [Chris Loves Julia] says

    The house color is completely lovely! Our backyard neighbors have almost the same color (and style) home and I was completely surprised that I loved their door color because it was….white. It really suits the house. So, my vote is surprisingly white–who am I?! That plum color is pretty, too.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so funny! I said “should we just try white?!” to John and he thought that would be hard to keep clean/impractical. Anyone have a white door who cares to weigh in?

      xo
      s

    • Meredith says

      I have a white side door that’s my primary entrance into and out of the house, and it’s not bad at all. I occasionally get a scuff out with a magic eraser or just a wet rag, but it’s pretty low maintenance.

    • Ashley says

      White front door checking in. I can confirm that dirt shows up, but we honestly haven’t tried cleaning it, so it might take years for that amount of dirt to accumulate. The previous owners were not fans of cleaning anything ever, apparently, so that sucker might never have been cleaned in the last 15 – 20 years. But nobody wants to go clean it in the subzero wind chill we’ve had, so it’ll have to stay grimy until spring. And I’ll probably just clean it really well to paint it anyways!

    • J says

      Another vote for white here – same color as the trim. I feel like the door should be lighter, to help it stand out, but totally get that the yellow might look crazy. Then maybe with a white door could bring in a little more color with a wreath, planters, etc.

    • Erica says

      I vote white, too! Classic and timeless. If you do go for a color, I’d consider painting the trim around the sidelights, too (the part that’s right up against the glass, not the entire door surround). I usually don’t mind when sidelights match the trim instead of the door but, in this case, the door is looking quite underscaled compared to the rest of the entry (in your photographs, since it’s currently a different color than the trim, and in your photoshopped images). I think you can fix that by making the door and sidelight trim the same color, so they’ll read as one unit. (If you do a google image search, you’ll see that wood stained doors almost always have matching wood trim around the sidelights, so you can get a feel for how it could look.)

    • Angel p says

      We have a white door and it is under a porch like yours. I’ve never cleaned it and we’ve been on the house for a year. If we lived in a high pollen area we would need to wipe it down but that would be true with any color we had. Ours looks great other than being really out of style. I think you should do a second poll with the top 2 co’or winners and white and let us re-vote.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That sounds like a plan! We’ll have to get the beams all installed and sealed and then take a new poll along with the write-in of white since there are so many votes for that :)

      xo
      s

    • Chelsea says

      We have a white door. It wipe it down once or twice a year and that’s it. The windows in it need done more often. It just got a new coat of glossy white at the end of the summer and its staying super bright and clean! Haven’t had to touch it, even with muddy dogs and little boy.

    • Chrissy says

      I’m another write-in vote for white! The house is looking great; so much fun to see the progress!

  21. Amy says

    Rust! :)

    Also the house color looks beautiful. I actually- in my head, because I’m at work- let out an “OoooOoh” when I scrolled down. You don’t see bold house colors as often these days. Lotta beige going on. Good choice!

    Reply

  22. Kate F. says

    This is seriously Sophie’s choice! My first instinct was the chocolate. But I think the wood columns may not work with a brown door, or they may make it sing…more tests are needed.

    My second choice is red. I sorta hate myself for choosing the “safe” choices. I fear this decision will weigh on me the rest of the day.

    Also I am surprised that the yellow choices didn’t work out.

    Reply

    • em says

      Oh, dear, Kate. I know this is just hyperbole, but have you seen/read Sophie’s Choice? I found your comment really jarring, and I’m sure you did not intend it. Having a son and a daughter, and being Jewish, the thought of Sophie’s choice makes be literally nauseated. I really don’t mean to be mean, and maybe my comment won’t be posted, but I just want to make sure you know what you are saying. Thanks.

    • Gina says

      I’m afraid I must agree … I’m sure you didn’t mean to offend and maybe you aren’t aware of the background, but I’d recommend reading a bit on what Sophie’s Choice is about if you don’t know. I’m not Jewish but I think that is not an appropriate use of the phrase regardless of the audience.

  23. CourtneyV says

    Have you considered a deep mustard yellow? I think the reason that rust seems to be winning out in the voting is that it’s reading mustard in the photo. I do love the blue!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We tried all different tones of yellow (even shouted that out in the post as being a huge surprise that they looked off since I usually love navy with a yellow door). I think it was just the tone of the siding (with that slight green undertone) that made the yellow options – even the more mustard-y ones – look a little too compete-y with the siding.

      xo,
      s

  25. Laura says

    While I loved the Hale Navy Sample, the color you chose looks fantastic.

    We are in the process of renovating a older home that is currently white. My gut is to keep it white, but my husband is pushing to paint it blue. Perhaps I need to hone my photoshop skills and check it out. I do love the combination of dark base color and light trim in these photos.

    Reply

    • Meredith says

      Same! I like the contrast of rust, and the putty looks great too as a more subtle choice. Plus, both would look great with some deep green boxwoods in the landscaping out front!

  27. Cat says

    I love the color… But I was kinda rooting for hale navy. I know, in person things read differently, but I loved it. I would also love to see a close up of the little round windows. And I’m looking forward to seeing them in the rooms on the inside. They’re great architectural details.

    Reply

    • Abby says

      ohh I was also hoping for hale navy. It’s tough to tell from the photo of test spots, but it looks so deep and classic… and gorgeous. This looks nice too! Excited to see how the house comes together, inside and out!

  28. Kelli says

    It was really hard to choose between putty and blue steel, since they have the same interesting but neutral vibe and are kind of the same tone. I think those votes might be getting split and skewing the results! Or maybe I just want one of my faves to win so much that I’m trying to justify the obvious “rust” lead.

    Reply

    • Kirsten says

      Ditto. I voted for blue steel, but putty would be my second choice for the reasons Kelli explained well. Loving this house so far!

  30. April says

    Blue steel, rust, or bust! I would also accept putty. Chocolate and plum are meh, and red’s too trendy. I love the exterior color. I was originally liking gentleman’s, but newburg gives a similar feel with a little more uniqueness. Good call!

    Reply

  31. Sarah C says

    I loved that there was a poll but I guess I am not good at this! :D I can’t make a decision without the pillars and the wood sealed so I can see what those colors will bring to the table. I can’t visualize it on my own! :( Ugh.I hope y’all do other polls I can get in on… :D

    Reply

  32. Sora says

    Yay! I chose Newburg Green from all your choices :) It looks amazing. Do a lot of the other houses being built have such dark colors as well?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So far not many have been painted yet, but there are two that are neutral/beige/stone that we think are painted (sometimes it’s just the siding color so it’s hard to tell) and the others aren’t done yet. Can’t wait to see what colors they go with!

      xo
      s

  34. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    That house color looks so good! It still reads classy yet fun. I picked “Blue Steel” because I like the blend and I think it will help the chunk of the columns and beefy windows stand out even more.

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  35. Kate says

    I’m surprised Chocolate is so low in the rankings. I liked, it, but it was my 2nd or 3rd choice because it’s a “safe” color. Maybe it’s that way for a lot of people?

    Reply

  36. Gabrielle Collins says

    Loving the color choices here. I went with Putty, but Rust was a close runner up. I adore navy blue, and I love everything about this house so far! Cannot wait to get an update on the interior. Any update on the super secret project still in the works? :)

    Reply

    • Michelle M says

      I am so with you. IDK why it’s behind. But I love it so much! Plum is one of my two favorite colors though so maybe I’m biased? But I really think it looks the best.

  38. Alexa @ travelmiamor says

    Y’alls houses up north (I’m in Houston, TX so everything is north… should I say northeast?) are so different than what we have here in Texas. I love that you can have so much color on the outside of a house. Our materials are pretty much all stone and brick.

    Reply

  39. Jenna says

    If I was to design and build a house, I would design and build this house. I love every choice you have made so far! Can’t wait to see the finished product!!

    Reply

    • Brandy says

      Sherry,
      It’s HardiePlank by James Hardie. I’m curious on why you/the builder didn’t go with the ColorPlus technology. Too expensive? Didn’t like the paint options? I work in the commercial field and we go with the ColorPlus 90% of the time.

    • Jennie says

      Yes, I am curious about this too! We have HardiePlank – ours came pre-colored, and it is essentially maintenance-free as far as color goes. Very interested to hear Justin’s opinion! For what it is worth, we LOVE our siding. It was costly, but the benefits far outweighed any concerns with the price.

    • Michelle says

      Thanks for the info! I know nothing about siding but everyone around here uses the pre-colored and not paintable stuff. Is paintable siding becoming more popular, or has it always been so? Or is it just a material preference?

    • Michelle says

      hmm..on doing some more thinking. I suppose the difference is that most people around here use vinyl siding.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, I think if you use things like HardiePlank it’s typically painted after it’s put up, and things like vinyl or aluminum siding are hung in the color that they usually remain (I think?).

      xo
      s

    • John the Builder says

      Great question on the siding! We used primed James Hardie siding. While I love the ColorPlus Hardie product as well, it does not offer a shade of blue that would have worked within its color palette. So the primed option enabled us to customize the exterior color. (And it gave John a chance to whip out his paint brush!)

  41. Aimee says

    Love the navy and white trim. There is a house in our town very similar to this and I’ve always admired its color scheme. Personally, I would paint the door white and bring in color (lots of red!) with the porch accessories and potted plants, but I’m sure whatever you choose will look great.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Does anyone have a white front door without a storm door or screen door? Is it hard to keep clean? That’s the only reason we didn’t try it out. Would love feedback from those who have white front doors like this!

      xo
      s

    • JennP says

      I have a white door, and it does get a little smudgy and dirty sometimes, but – really – what doesn’t? I just give it good wipe down when it needs. It’s nowhere near the hassle of keeping my white kitchen cabinets and baseboards clean!!

    • Barb says

      We have a black door on our white house and it shows a ton of dirt, so darker is no guarantee of easier maintenance. It’s kind of like a black car or ultra dark hardwood – it shows every bit of dust and dirt. Our black door takes on a golden hue when all the spring pollen is flying around in the air. In winter it seems to get bumped along the bottom as people come in with snow boots that have just tromped through all the salt we throw around to melt the ice, leaving lovely white salt stains.

    • Cassie says

      We had a white door growing up and as part of our chores we had to wipe it down every so often. If you do it enough (and I’m talking every 5-6 months, nothing crazy like weekly or anything) everything came off just fine. We either used a wet rag or my dad would spray the whole door with the hose and we would dry/wipe everything off. Worked great!

    • Leah says

      I had a white door growing up too. We washed it perhaps once a year, and it almost always looked fine. The door was under a porch, which helps a lot. We’d just hose off the door when we hosed off the siding (necessary in Seattle with all the trees and drizzly rain we got).

  42. Stevi Clark says

    It’s looking beautiful! I voted for the plum door. With the house color being so bold, I like that it’s not as obvious from the street. I imagine guests being pleasantly surprised at the color of the door as they get closer and closer to the house. I think it will be especially pretty if you plan to use any kind of purple flower in your landscaping :)

    Reply

  44. JenB says

    I was really rooting for Hale Navy, but once I saw the house painted with the Newburg Green, I thought it looked lovely! And I love the plum color for the door, but rust was a close second. I found this link to a house painted with Hale Navy. Quite pretty, too! And I like the burgundy door. It’s just so much fun to try different combos! Wonderful job, guys!
    http://northbrook.certapro.com/halenavy.aspx

    Reply

  45. Elyse B says

    I’m really liking the Blue Steel, and Putty is my second favorite. I’m sure the final color of the wood will make a difference, but I feel like the Rust (which looks pretty mustardy to me) is too clashy with the wood… but obviously a lot of your readers like it so maybe I’m crazy!

    I love the siding color too, that was my favorite and it really brings out all those wonderful Craftsman details.

    Reply

  46. LisaOK says

    I love the navy and rust combo! The poll is so fun–would love to see more of them. We are going to paint the exterior of our house this summer. It’s so fun (and scary) to see how a little swatch on the house transforms once the entire house is painted. Lots of pressure to get that color right!

    Reply

  47. Ami says

    I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I just don’t get any of those color choices for the front door. We are about to paint our house so I was super interested in this post and read very carefully through your thoughts on the house color. May I ask why a traditional white or black door didn’t make the list? To me either of those makes the most sense. It would allow so much opportunity for color to come from the landscape naturally. And, no Anele, I am not a member of the white/beige/taupe police!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We thought with the roof being charcoal that a black door might fit in less than a color like Putty (which we chose to mimic the roof tone instead). We did chat about white as an option though! I thought it would look nice, but John worried it would be really high maintenance to keep a white front door looking good. Does anyone have experience with that?

      xo
      s

    • Sarah says

      I agree with Ami – traditional door (I’m thinking black, but maybe white)! all of these front door choices seem off to me (sorry!).

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ve heard from a lot of people with white doors and generally they have said it’s not too hard to take care of, so that’s definitely the write-in added color that has come up the most!

      xo
      s

  48. Peggy says

    I love the look of the house. The siding looks awesome!
    I’m not in love with any of the door colours. They all look a bit dark to me. I would prefer a brighter shade of yellow or red… or a deep rich orange.

    Reply

  49. Koliti says

    I really like the darker & happy teal-y blue house color! My computer screen probably doesn’t do justice to the swatch samples – so it didn’t translate well until I saw the pics of the house. YUMMY! And thanks or letting us cast a vote on the door color – FUN!

    Reply

  50. Melanie says

    I LOVE the navy! I was so excited to move into an old neighborhood with a rainbow of house colors so I could paint my house a dark color, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. After doing a lot of research we discovered that dark colors + hot climates = crazy electric bills in the summer. I suspected that to be true, but I didn’t expect it to be as extreme as it apparently is. Did that factor into your decision at all? I know Richmond has milder summers than Houston (where I live) so maybe it isn’t a concern?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Wow, we’ve never heard that (including the builder)! As you mention, I’m sure Houston is a whole different ballgame than Richmond though. There are a bunch of energy efficient options the builder is using here (special insulation & heating/cooling systems, water saving toilets, energy star appliances, low-e windows, etc) so I hope those choices, in combination with our milder summers and winters, will really help in the long run. There seem to be a good amount of darker-toned homes here in Richmond, so that’s comforting to see :)

      xo
      s

    • Melanie says

      I hope I didn’t make you second guess your color, because it looks awesome! I’m sure it’s less of a concern in Virginia, which is probably why you don’t hear about it there, and I know darker colors are more common as you move north. Apparently in really hot climates it can be a big deal though!

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