When it is time to replace the roofing on your home, you want to get the very most out of your investment. This means making all the right choices from which roofing company to choose to what product to purchase. Did you know that the roofing color can make a difference also?
You want to coordinate the roof color with the rest of the home’s exterior finishes and choose a color that helps your home be more energy-efficient.
Choosing the Roofing Company
When you choose a licensed, insured, and established roofing company such as Denver roofing company, you can count on knowledgeable advice on roofing materials and roofing colors. Choose your roofing company carefully because a roof is only as good as an installation job. And cheap roofing shingles will not last no matter how well they are installed. So, before you worry about color, you need to choose the best quality roofing you can afford and hire the right roofing company to install them.
Look online for roofing company rating sites for your area. If you know people who have had roofs, replaced, ask them who they used and if they are happy with the job. Talk to several roofing companies and get quotes for like materials and services. When you choose the company you want to use, ask for references and recent jobs you can drive by. Get a contract listing materials and installation details you will be paying for. The contract should list the price and the installation schedule. It should state who cleans up the old roofing and other roofing debris and there should be warranties.
Choosing the Best Roof Color
Choosing the best roof color should take a little thought and discussion. The roof covers a lot of square feet of a house. Roofs cover from 25% to 40% of a house’s visible exterior. The right color is important to the home’s curb appeal and overall look of the house. When asphalt shingles are used, there are a lot of color choices to consider. Some considerations include:
- Coordinating the shingle color with siding and shutters is important. The roof color should be different enough to be contrasting. It is nice if the shingles pick up tones from the house trim and shutters. Take a sample of the shingle colors you are considering and hold them up to the house siding and trim to see how they look.
- Consider using shingles with color blends. Asphalt shingles come in either solid colors or blends. A blend of shingles can add interest to an exterior with a plain siding. A solid shingle color might look better with brick or stone siding of varied colors.
- Try for a nice balance with light and dark shingles. Dark-colored roofs get more attention than medium or light colors. The style of the home makes a difference. multi-level houses need darker shingles to balance the house’s height. But, ranch houses look better with medium colors.
- The roof should complement the home’s architectural style and the setting. Examples of this are dark roofs on traditional homes, deep green shingles on a wood-sided home surrounded by trees, or blue shingles on a white beach house featuring red trim.
- Look at the other homes near you and notice what their roofs look like. Check to see if there are roofing rules with a local home owner’s association. Choose roofing colors that are similar in overall look to the neighborhood homes.
Choosing Roof Color Based On Climate
It is a proven fact that dark colors absorb heat and light colors reflect heat. Good insulation is the best way to protect against unwanted heat loss or gain. But the shingle color can alter the attic temperatures by as much as 40 degrees.
Generally speaking, dark-colored shingles work better in cool climates because the heat absorption helps melt snow and ice. But, in warm climates lighter shingles help keep AC bills lower by reflecting light and heat. So, if you have cold winters and hot, sunny summers, you need to balance the color choice. You can use brighter colors such as blue or red where there is bright sunshine that will make neutrals look washed out. Experts say that proper attic ventilation is as important as shingle color. If you have plenty of soffit vents, you can choose any color shingle. But, in hot climates, plenty of vents and lighter color shingles may save a homeowner money on cooling.
CoolRoof Rated Shingles May Be Required By Some Local Building Codes
These special shingles are often highly reflective and lighter colored. Title-24 is the most common cool roof code you will find. Before going to a lot of trouble picking shingle colors, check for this code and then narrow your selection to meet the code parameters.
Visualizer Tools
Some roofing companies and shingle manufacturers have online visualizer tools that let you choose a home similar to yours from a group of images, then you can try different colors and shingles on that image. They may let you pick a siding color similar to yours also. This tool can help you narrow down your choices. Then, you can take samples of the few favorite choices to hold up to your home for a final choice.
The Final Choice
In the end, you will pick a color that fits within the neighborhood parameters, the climate you live in, that coordinates attractively with your home colors and style, and your personal preferences. Choose the color you like best that blends into the neighborhood, meets homeowner association rules or local building codes. And if you have a lot of trouble deciding on a color, go the safe route of a medium to dark neutral grey. It is always good to ask the roofing professional what they think since they have installed a lot of roofs and have experience with what works in your area.
It is important to get good quality roofing installed by expert roofers so the roof will do its job well no matter what color roofing you choose. Don’t skimp on the roof venting or the attic insulation. Consider shingles with color blends for a little more interest than solid color shingles. If you have considered everything and picked a shingle color then that is the right choice for you.
