ideas for colours to paint exterior of our house in New Zealand

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We are racking our brains finding colour ideas for our 10 year old, 2 story pale mint green roughcast home with pale grey corrugated roof. It has a large veranda along the north(sun facing side in these parts)The roof colour will have to stay(coloursteel)

What are colours that people in other countries are using at the moment. Do we do 2 colours top and bottom or does that make the house look taller whereby we want to make the house appear lower. The windows are white aluminium. Tell me the latest trends it could be interesting. kiwikaren

-- kiwikaren (fp116@ihug.co.nz), March 04, 2002

Answers

Coffee and milk, Bruselles sprout, cauliflower, tree bark, dead grass, cloudy day, computer plastic and dirt road are the most popular home colors around here.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), March 04, 2002.

ROFL at the wonderful descriptive terms of colors mentioned. DELIGHTFUL!

-- Rose (the art teacher) (open_rose@hotmail.com), March 04, 2002.

Seems that a good paint for your roof would help (good to reduce solar heating), know that it is done a lot around here (those that can afford it), is there a prohibition on roof painting in your area? A window treatment can be very effective.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 04, 2002.

I have all ways been fond of a medium grey with flat, pale black trim. Horizonal line will help the house look lower.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), March 04, 2002.

Hunter green trimmings and cream, is used a lot here in Pennsylvania USA.

-- Ralph Roces (rroces1@yahoo.com), March 04, 2002.


I live in North Dkota where many many many of the old farmstyle houses are painted all white! And the big old barns either white or red. Many of the places all the house, barn, and outbuildings are all white. Very striking reall in this country setting...

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), March 04, 2002.

Take a pic of your house then scan it and send it to the paint program on your computor and try different colors in the paint program. You will get a better idea of what the finished house will look like.

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), March 04, 2002.

Mitch:

Pale black? Isn't gray just a pale black? Teehee

KiwiKaren:

If I/m fond of tan with dark brown trim. It gives the house a natural look. I think just about anything would match a steel roof, as it is a neutral color. All the same, painting it a matching color would also protect the metal from eventual rust. I think it is a special type paint.

-- Debbie in MO (risingwind@socket.net), March 04, 2002.


How about cream/yellow with pale sky blue trim?

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 04, 2002.

Hey many replies from you all thanks very much for putting the time in to respond. We are able to paint the roof eventually but the coloursteel is a product which is coated with colour at the factory prior to putting on. I think pale grey would nearly go with everything.

We have lots of trees and grass and dairycows so maybe I need to consider them too huh!

I sort of feel like coffee and cream (or low fat milk in my case) is ringing some bells at the moment but not really sure with the roof.

I will come to the USA one day since those red barns are something I would love to have here. I did see a shed pamplet recently and see that we here are able to buy them in kitset but we don't need a shed at the moment.

The other colour that weve liked is the natural roughcast prior to painting but think that is possibly dated. Keep up the great things said on this board. Great to talk.

Seeya Karen

-- kiwikaren (fp116@ihug.co.nz), March 04, 2002.



Mmmmm I do like the sound of yellow(lemon) with a pale blue trim, thanks for that. Karen

-- kiwikaren (fp116@ihug.co.nz), March 04, 2002.

You trying to regain the Tom Bombadil they left out of the Lord of the Rings movie, Karen?

Actually, I was wondering about a yellowish colour myself - pale ochre or bamboo or dead grass or like that - possibly a little more earthy than lemon, but still light. Maybe with some variation on a just-darker light brown or light green or even a light clay/terra rossa as trim. Actually heritage colours of maroon trim against sandstone-coloured walls with a grey roof could be quite good. And of course if you've got a ColourBond roof good for 20 years (or whatever) then you sure don't want to lose the benefit of the guarantees on that before they expire. Or do unneccessary painting.

Me, I'd gather up two sets of each applicable colour chart, go through one set coding them as to origin (Dulux, Wattyl, British Paints, whatever; a letter beside each colour). I'd then cut the coded sets all up into individual squares, reserve the closest to your roof colour, and then start shuffling the other colours and laying them against your roof colour, with just the slightest sliver of the potential trim colours peeking out. I'd make sure to do that in sunlight. I'd at least get a good short list with half an hour preparation and half an hour of checking colours, then I could go back to the set I hadn't cut up and start thinking again.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 06, 2002.


I once saw a charming little Arts and Crafts style house with hay colored clapboard, forest green shutters, white trim and a brick red door. It really worked and nicely set off the surrounding garden.

Some of the big American hardware centers will now scan your house into a computer and you can try out different paint combinations. Anything like a Home Depot or Lowes in NZ? Good Luck.

-- diane greene (greenwitch@catskillnativenusery.com), March 06, 2002.


We also have a pale gray roof. We painted our house soft yellow with deep plum trim (we told the neighbors we were going to paint it yellow and purple- scared them half to death) We just love it and so do the neighbors.

-- Gayle Smith (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), March 10, 2002.

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