Spring is the season for roof remodels and new home construction. If you’re choosing a new roof, color is a major consideration. You’ll be happy to learn that there are tons of options available, including for metal roofing.
Need help picking a color for your roof? Here are some expert suggestions for color options and how to choose one that best suits your property. No matter what, though, you’re sure to find a roof color that boosts your home’s curb appeal. And if you opt for metal roofing, you get a ton of additional benefits without sacrificing good looks.
First, Choose a Profile to Match the Home’s Style
When selecting a roof color, it’s best to start by looking at the home’s architectural style. That will determine what roofing profile you use. With today’s advanced manufacturing technology, you can get all the benefits of metal roofing—like weather resistance and long-term savings—in styles that mimic traditional shingles, tiles, or shakes for an authentic and cohesive look.
For example, you might have a seaside home that calls out for shake metal roofing to match the original 1600s architecture. Or you could have a Mediterranean or Spanish Mission property that would look perfect with tile roofing. Shingles are an option as well; they’re ideal for all kinds of homes, from 1920s bungalows to modern custom-built luxury properties.
Not sure which profile is best for your roof remodel or new construction? Take a look at similar homes in the area, especially those from the same time period with strong curb appeal. Other suggestions include:
- Talking to roofing contractors
- Asking your architect or builder
- Looking at design magazines
- Consulting Instagram or Pinterest
Coordinate the Roof with Exterior Colors
Once you’ve chosen a roofing profile, the next step is to select a roof color that complements your home’s paint color or colors. In some cases, this is pretty simple. If you are using a tile profile on a Mediterranean house, for example, you probably want something that replicates those homes in Italy or Spain and looks great against white or natural stucco walls, like:
- Amalfi Sand
- Capri Clay
- Rustico Clay
- Tuscan Sun
Your house may have multiple paint colors, particularly if it’s a Victorian or Edwardian home with lots of windows, porches, and gingerbread trim. In that instance, you might want to enhance one of those trim hues with a matching roof color.
Sometimes a home looks fantastic with a high-contrast roof. A white or pale-yellow house can look great with a dark roof, and vice versa. The same thing is true of a brick, stone, or natural wood home.
Are you recreating the look of conventional shingles with your metal roof? Shingles typically come in a range of tones along the same color line. Whether you want a Classic Cobblestone look or Natural Slate, you’ll find roofing that easily matches every paint scheme.
Special Considerations for Roof Colors
There are situations where your choice of roof color is subject to specific criteria. Let’s look at a few common scenarios below.
HOA Requirements
If you live in a residential area governed by a homeowner association (HOA) or in a gated community, there may be strict rules about roofing. Usually, these involve ensuring roofs are the same color and look similar.
Fortunately, many HOAs now allow metal roofing that looks like other forms of traditional roofing, as long as it fits in well with its surroundings. Uniformity is the name of the game with these organizations.
So, before choosing a roof color, inquire about any community regulations. If you need to make your case for metal roofing, bring a sample to your meeting, so the powers that be can see it does indeed look just like the tiles, shingles, or shakes on other properties.
Historic Renovation
If you own a historic home, you naturally want to match the property’s roof to the appropriate time period. In fact, there may be rules set by a preservation society or similar group that dictate any changes made to the home’s authenticity.
Fortunately, you can match even Early American homes on the East Coast with metal roofing. And in places like California and other Western states, you actually don’t want to use traditional wood shake roofing, for instance, because of the fire risk. Metal roofing is noncombustible and carries a higher fire rating, protecting your property and satisfying insurance requirements.
Similarly, homes in the Southeast look nice with clay tile roofing…but the top-performing metal roofing options fare much better in tropical storms and hurricane-force winds. The good news is you can enjoy both superior weather protection AND historical accuracy with tile metal roofing.
Blending in with Nature
From cliffside beach retreats to A-frames nestled in the woods, homes in nature are often designed to blend in with the scenery. When choosing a roof in this scenario, take a look at the background of the home.
It may help to snap some photographs at different times of the day in various lighting conditions. What are you trying to match? Perhaps it’s the rocks along the coast or the pine trees overhead. You’ll find a roof that offers chameleon-like cover, from Granite Grey to Woodland Green.
Energy Efficiency
It’s a fact that summers in most locations around the United States are getting hotter and longer. This leaves homeowners struggling with rising utility bills in the battle to stay cool indoors.
Stone-coated metal roofing is inherently reflective, meaning it doesn’t absorb the sun’s rays during heatwaves. It’s known for reducing summer cooling costs by up to 25%. To achieve the greatest cooling effect, especially if you have solar panels that perform better in a temperature-controlled environment, choose a lighter-colored roofing material.
Home for Sale
Are you thinking about putting your property on the market soon? Your roof remodel might even be part of improvements designed to attract buyers. Selecting a metal roof is smart, as it can increase your property value by up to 6%, which may be reflected in your selling price. And it attracts top buyers who want turnkey properties that won’t need major repairs in the near future. A metal roof will last anywhere from 40 to 70 years!
To pick the best color, think about what buyers want, not necessarily your own aesthetic preferences. Look at comparable sales in your market, or consult a real estate agent to see what sells.
Take the Guesswork Out of Choosing a Roof Color
Are you at the point where you’re ready to choose a roof color? DECRA metal roofing makes it easy to see exactly what you’re getting, so you can be sure the color matches your home and its surroundings perfectly.
All you have to do is request a complimentary sample. This is an ideal solution if you need to run your roofing choice by an HOA or historic preservation society, too.
Or for an image of how DECRA would look on your entire roof, try our online visualization tool. No more guesswork—just a beautiful roof that will bring dozens of benefits and more beauty to your home.
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