Choosing the Color of Your Roofing Shingles

You may not realize it, but your roof draws a great deal of attention to the overall look of your home. Real estate professionals often refer to this as curb appeal. So choosing the right color shingles for your roof is extremely important and should be made with careful consideration along with expert guidance from a roofing professional. Because it is one of the largest investments you will ever make to protect and improve your home, choosing the wrong color roofing shingles could be a very expensive mistake, and one you will have to live with for many years. It goes without saying that a new roof is not something you can easily exchange!   You don't want to be stuck with the wrong choice of shingle color for the next 20 years or more.

Our roofing specialists tell us this is often the toughest decision a homeowner needs to make when purchasing a new roof for their home; there are so many styles and colors to choose from which make it even more difficult for some.   

The following tips will help you decide which color shingles will look best on your home:

Climate - the color of your shingles will help keep energy bills from skyrocketing.  White or light shingles reflect sunlight and help keep the temperature of your home cooler.  Dark shingles absorb heat and help keep your home warmer in colder climates.  They also help melt snow and ice from your roof.

Coordinate Colors - Dark gray or black work well with a gray or blue house.  Brown or a mix of cream and brown roofing shingles look great on a cream or tan colored house.

Using dark gray or black on a white house will give your home a more traditional look.

Green, red or yellow-painted homes give you more flexibility in choice with shingle color. You can use brown, gray or black.

You should also consider your neighborhood to blend in and avoid clashing with other homes.  If your home is in a neighborhood association, there may be rules or covenants for roofing color. 

Curb Appeal - Curb appeal adds to the value of your home.  Neutral colors are safe and stay in style. Neutral colors include tans, creams, browns, blacks, and grays.

If you want to go a little more trendy, use color combinations such as various tones of browns or a mixture of blues, blacks and grays. High-contrast colors highlight features of your home while low-contrast colors tend to hide defects.

Illusion - Dark colors tend to make your home look smaller while lighter colors do the reverse.

Architectural Style - A casual ranch house might look good with a combination of colors while a traditional colonial would not.  Drive around several neighborhoods and look at houses similar to yours in style and color.

CertainTeed provides a Colorview visualizer on their website to help you picture a shingle color on your roof.  You simply upload a photo of your home and this tool allows you to place various shingle colors on your entire roof:  www.certainteed.com/certainteed-colorview

We hope these tips will help make your roofing shingle color decision a little easier.  Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, our roofing specialists are there to guide you every step of the way.