Exterior weatherboard colours - Advice needed

O

ozi

Hi all,

I'm about to paint the exterior of my property and very confused on which colour to go for. The problem is the house has aluminium windows which are a dreadful brown colour (mission brown ??). I was initially planning to re-paint the windows as well in a different colour but realised the amount work involved wasn't worth the hassle as it wouldn't really improve rental return. So the ugly brown is staying :mad: I will also be painting the gutters, front door and exterior trim in this lovely brown colour :D

I would like to paint the weatherboards in a nice white colour which will blend in nicely with the brown and isn't too stark. Could anyone recommend a suitable colour which will brighten up this place? Should I avoid white and go with something completely different? I hate the current beige/creamy colour so that isn't an option.

P.S. I painted the interior walls Antique White USA which looks great! Should I just use the same colour for the outside?

Here is a photo of the ugly ducking.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Ozi
 

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I'll risk it......

I don't like the brown window sills and the bit above the windows, so I would not do the trims in dark brown just because the windows are that colour. I would be maybe choosing a light putty colour for the weatherboards with a deeper putty or taup type colour (whatever two go together) for the trim. I don't think you need to add any more dark brown just because the windows are dark brown because I think it makes it all too dark looking.

A taup/putty type combo (or pick one and use double tint for trim maybe) would suit the brown window edges and the brickwork.

But don't make the weatherboards too dark, or it will make the house look smaller than it is.

That's my opinion.

Wylie

PS. I like the house.
 
Hi Ozi,

3 things:

1. Don't put any more mission brown on it:p
2. Consider hiring a Dulux Colour consultant. I did this a couple of years back and it cost 2 hrs at $120 per hour and I used the same paint scheme (inside & outside on the next 3 IP's I did. It was value +
3. Here's a pic of the colour scheme in the attachment - before & after.
Mango (Dulux) on the walls
Mountain Blue (colourbond) gutters
Light Rye (Dulux) on eves
Leave the windows brown - seems to still look ok with this new scheme

All this might be a bit dated now. But will give you somewhere to start.

Cheers,
Aimy
 

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Thank you for the feedback. I guess thats 2 votes for no more dark brown! Okay that is enough to convince me ;) Well the windows will need to stay as I won't be painting these.

Wylie, I will take a look at some putty colours for the weatherboards and something a bit darker for the trim. I agree about going to dark on the weatherboards and this is something I don't want to do.

Aimy, I hadn't considered hiring a colour consultant but maybe I should. The new colour scheme you have selected looks very good and a huge improvement.

Arghh I hate selecting colours... its a bit like clothes shopping. Too hard!!

Cheers,
Ozi
 
If only I knew how, I'd show you a house I built. (Advantage: starting from scratch)

But selecting colours is easy-peasy.

Being in the tropics I selected a light colourbond roof.... Merino.

I was going to have heritige red gutters etc but the builder said to go for a mid blue (Colourbond chart). OK. When the painter asked what colour for the weatherboard I said "Geez. Haven't thought of that." On his suggestion I OK'ed 50% Merino.

Same inside. I said I had some silver/grey light fittings so he selected one there too. I'm glad I didn't agonise over it. Can't fault the result.

But back to your question, Merino is a putty colour or maybe 25% (10%?) mousse. And no more mission brown. LOL
 
Hi Ozi,

What's the cost involved in painting over the "ugly brown" window sills? I think I would leave them (not the trim however), and if it's cheaper than a "colour specialist" - do that. If you can paint over the trim - you probably won't even notice the brown window sills - will look like a shadow :D

Why do you have to paint the front door, trim and guters that brown colour? If you're going to that effort to repaint them - paint them a better colour :D

Light colours generally go over well, brighten up the place, take them out of the "old times" ;) - Whites of most sort is a colour that's generally timeless. If you go some type of white on the house, a light putty colour would look great on the window sills, doors, gutters, etc. Or you could swap those up - but keep them light :D

None of this will likely improve rental yield however - but may improve Capital Gain.

Cheers,
Jen
 
ozi said:
I will take a look at some putty colours for the weatherboards and something a bit darker for the trim. I agree about going to dark on the weatherboards and this is something I don't want to do.
Click to expand...

Hi Ozi, you are looking for a nice putty colour, I was looking for a nice one for ages and tried 12 sample pots out and funnily enough came up with a really nice colour made by Bristol called Putty. I thought it was a little dark so I used it as half strength, but you could also incorporate the whole strength into the door or other sections you want to paint.

Here is a picture of how the colour came out, I have used it on a few houses now and it looks great.

Bronwyn
 

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Hi Jen & Sunfish,

Thanks for the great advice. I'm liking some of these putty colours and will try find "Merino".

Jen, painting the window sills isn't going to cost much $$$. It is more a cost of time and I don't have much time :( But you are right about the aluminium trim around the windows. I will be painting these as they are dull. I didn't want to complicate things which is why I thought going over everything in the same brown, but I now realise that it can be a different colour with the same amount of effort.

I understand it won't improve rental yield but I'm sure the tenants will appreciate their home looking better :)

I will post up some photos when the job is finished.

Cheers,
Ozi
 
bronwynt said:
Hi Ozi, you are looking for a nice putty colour, I was looking for a nice one for ages and tried 12 sample pots out and funnily enough came up with a really nice colour made by Bristol called Putty. I thought it was a little dark so I used it as half strength, but you could also incorporate the whole strength into the door or other sections you want to paint.

Here is a picture of how the colour came out, I have used it on a few houses now and it looks great.

Bronwyn
Click to expand...

Hi Bronwyn,

Thank you for posting that, it looks nice! Just a question though, is it the walls or the gutters which are painted Putty?

Cheers,
Ozi
 
I think such visual improvements can improve yield a little, and if they don't they certainly make them more likely to be rented more quickly (though that mightn't be an issue atm).
We've been the renters of many properties, and initial visual impact certainly makes a difference in decisions.

ozi said:
Hi Jen & Sunfish,

I understand it won't improve rental yield but I'm sure the tenants will appreciate their home looking better :)
..................

Cheers,
Ozi
Click to expand...
 
It is the walls that are in 1/2 strength Putty (Bristol), the gutters are in Cafe Grey (Bristol) and the windows are in white.
 
s_t said:
I think such visual improvements can improve yield a little, and if they don't they certainly make them more likely to be rented more quickly (though that mightn't be an issue atm).
We've been the renters of many properties, and initial visual impact certainly makes a difference in decisions.
Click to expand...

Agreed! First impressions are important and could be the difference in someone shortlisting your property either when searching the internet or doing a drive-by.

bronwynt said:
It is the walls that are in 1/2 strength Putty (Bristol), the gutters are in Cafe Grey (Bristol) and the windows are in white.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that - I like the colour.

Sunfish said:
Ozi, I uploaded a pix here:

http://www.somersoft.com/forums/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2796&cat=514&limit=recent

Merino is a colourbond colour.

That was taken with an old 2megapixel camera. Must take a new one with my better camera. LOL
Click to expand...

Wow very impressive. Very nice house and the colours blend in nicely.

I just spoke to the colour consultant at my local paint shop and showed her some photos of the house. Who needs a Dulux colour consultant? :D Anyway, she has recommended the following colours from the Dulux range:

- Light Rice
- Hog Bristle
- Warm Neutral
- Russian Toffee
- Self Destruct
- China White

These are light putty/brown/beige colours and blend in well with the windows. I will most likely choose one of the lighter shades for the weatherboards and a darker shade for the trim.

Cheers,
Ozi
 
ozi said:
- Light Rice
- Hog Bristle
- Warm Neutral
- Russian Toffee
- Self Destruct
- China White
Click to expand...

Ozi,

I have also used Hog Bristle and China White on the bodies of houses and they do look really nice. Hog Bristle is similar to the Putty colour I chose and China white has a slight greeny tone to it.
Seld destruct is also great for a darker shade that will go well.

Bronwyn.
 
bronwynt said:
Ozi,

I have also used Hog Bristle and China White on the bodies of houses and they do look really nice. Hog Bristle is similar to the Putty colour I chose and China white has a slight greeny tone to it.
Seld destruct is also great for a darker shade that will go well.

Bronwyn.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bronwyn! I am happy with most of these colours recommended so my decision will be a lot easier now. No more mission brown :D

Ozi
 
I'm having an IP render painted in Merino. The thing I like about it is Solver make the paint in the same color as the colorbond series. Hoping will look ok, a few months away from that stage yet.
 
Esp

Celeste said:
Hi all

another suggestion see photo below

walls - dulux "sandy day" gutters etc colorbond "riversand"

http://www.somersoft.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2639&d=1189226672

as for the aliminium windows, get some ESP from bunnings, wash down the windows, brush on the ESP wait 5min and wipe off, 90min later paint away.
no sanding etc needed.
Click to expand...

Hi Celeste,

I've been following your unit renovation with interest and its a great transformation - good luck with the sale!

Regarding ESP, thanks for letting me know. I remember reading about this product a while back and completely forgot about it. However, I've decided not to paint the aluminium windows. It is just too much work, even with the ESP (both inside and out needs cleaning, ESP, then 2 coats of paint). If I was going to sell the property then I would do it. I think the ESP will come in handy for other surfaces, such as the gutters and kitchen laminate cupboards as these will be painted too. I'll get some this weekend.

P.S. You can order free samples of ESP if anyone is interested:

http://www.floodaustralia.net/freesample.htm

Cheers,
Ozi
 
Okay, reno is almost complete now :D I never thought I'd see the end!

Thanks for all the colour recommendations! I ended up going with Dulux colours Hog Bristle (low sheen) for the weatherboards and Self Destruct (satin) for the gutters, pipes, trim, windows, etc. Anyway, I just wanted to show you all the result. Looks much better than before :) Good bye mission brown hehe.

P.S. I was planning to paint the front and side fences with the above colours but don't really think its worth it at this stage. It won't increase rent and probably won't affect the valuation too much either. If I had more time I would, but I'm running on a tight schedule and have had enough of painting!!! :eek:

Cheers,
Ozi
 

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