House Exterior Painting Before & After
Some home projects start with a Pinterest board and a dream. Others start with a leak. Earlier this year, my home required significant, unexpected repairs. Enough that the siding on one side of the house had to be completely replaced. It was tremendously traumatic and unsettling. So, once the new siding was up and the repairs were done (and I caught my breath), I was left with the decision of whether to try and match the existing exterior color (which I didn’t like and was done poorly anyway) or tackle the whole entire house. When I ran the numbers and factored in all the pros and cons, I decide a full house paint was worth it. It was quite the project and I’m sharing all the details of my house exterior painting before and after here.
House Exterior Painting Before
So, this house exterior before was a bit of a mess. It was a light buttery creamy yellow with a kind of warmish off white. The previous owner had chosen it and I never really cared for it. Not just because I’m not much of a pale color person but the colors always seemed a bit off and the paint job itself was not done very well. There were a lot of areas that didn’t have consistent coats. Also, there were sections that were slightly different colors that had clearly been patched up but not matched exactly (one of the main reasons I’m not a fan of color matching!) this was totally separate from the repair work I had completed.
After completing all the window replacement and siding repair I needed to either try and color match one of the existing five shades of butter yellow or start from scratch. Because painting a full exterior often includes power washing, caulking, and identifying any problem areas, I figured all this plus a more dramatic, modern color would be worth it.
House Paint Professionals
To make sure everything was done correctly – and not end up with the splotchy paint job I had before – I gathered three different bids (that’s one of my tips for home repair projects) from licensed contractors. Beyond the bid, I also did a lot of research looking deep into customer reviews, reading between the lines of websites, and checking with neighbors. I also chatted with my real estate agent just to make sure there was a good return on investment with this project.
During all this, I came across Fitzpatrick Painting & Construction. They are local to the Willamette Valley area I lived in here in Oregon and have a stellar reputation. I signed up for a bid and the whole process was seamless, those are little details I look for at the outset – I’ve been burned a couple times. It ended up being such a great fit, they decided to team up with me on this project to help paint the entire house exterior!
Disclosure: Fitzpatrick provided a discount on the full project in exchange for content- and like all partnerships, I’m really specific about who I choose to work. They definitely lived up to their reputation on this project.
Choosing Exterior Paint Colors
Choosing house exterior paint colors can be tricky! It’s more than just finding colors you like. There are a lot of things to consider such as existing home elements, architecture, landscaping which direction the home faces, and things you’d like to highlight or downplay. I’ll walk you through my decision process here to share how I tackled each of these things.
First, my home is a Northwest Contemporary architecture style. This means it has lots of angles, details, floors, and beams. Often, these homes are darker colors and have a more earthy color palette. I was really excited to discover the Rodda Miller Northwest Color Collection which grouped these colors together in a really lovely, somewhat subdued color palette that’s perfect for my home in Oregon. Truthfully though, the colors are so pretty and many with neutral undertones, they would work in a lot of different areas.
Exterior Color Combo
After a lot of research, I ended up with three colors that achieved what I was going for: a rich, moody aesthetic that stayed true to the house design. These colors were all new to me as I haven’t worked with this line of paint before, but ultimately, I was really happy with the decision.
- In the Dark – Exterior Siding
- Slightly Hued – Trim Work
- Coal Black– Front and Back Doors
How to Choose Paint Colors for Home Elements
Choosing house exterior paint colors means working with the existing elements. This might things like brick (big factor here!), stone, existing landscaping, windows wood details, and maybe even existing nearby homes. For this home, I had a few main variables to work around:
- Large sections of traditional, reddish brick
- An abundance of green, lush landscaping
- Newly installed white windows
- And yes, an HOA
- Lots of small architectural details like board and batten, trim work, beams, etc.
All this together meant it was more than just finding a color I loved – because there were many! For example, you know I love black house (painted one of my previous homes black), but I knew that would not fly with my HOA so rule that out. I also have been into muted greens lately and even considered this but I really wanted something to contrast against the lawn and shrubs. And the brick – I love keeping natural elements when possible (and there can be some risks to painting brick) so this meant I needed a warm neutral to complement this existing element. A cool color would look stark and make the brick more red.
Choosing Trim and Accent Colors
One of the biggest paint color questions is how to choose the exterior house trim and accent colors? This can be tricky! While we often start with the main color choice, I think there’s a little bit of back and forth here. Sometimes, there are certain details that will help dictate the trim color. For example, in this home, the newly installed windows are white vinyl with wood trim surrounding the window. If I had painted the window trim a dark color, it would’ve made the windows look small.
Instead, I opted for white trim with the gray siding so that the windows would look larger and more intentional overall. This is not a hard and fast rule, but because this house is larger, I wanted the windows to look proportionate. One thing to note is that contrasting trim (meaning it’s way darker or way lighter than the main siding) will make those details more prominent. I’m a big fan of dark trim on dark siding but it just wasn’t an option here.
For the doors, this is an opportunity to add some personality or feeling. I think several colors would’ve worked with this combo but at the end of the day, I just love black front doors. They feel magical and sophisticated to me. I think it’s a classic option that makes a statement and looks great with front porch plants.
Exterior House Painting After
The before and after transformation on this house exterior project is one of my favorites! It goes from being dated to more modern and moody. I love how the warm, yet fairly neutral gray (Rodda Miller, In the Dark) plays nicely with the brick and all the landscaping. Stay tuned for a full review on this paint color. One of my new favorites.Coming home everyday now totally makes me smile. It’s now more warm and inviting plus really added value to this property – something I always consider when tackling home projects.
House Exterior Color FAQs
Deciding about paint sheen depends a lot on the paint brand. In general though, matte sheens looks more modern but satin can be a little easier to clean. High quality brands have matte finishes that are easier to clean.
Dark, saturated colors consistently photograph and read as more expensive. Think deep charcoal, slate, navy, or warm black. The key is pairing them with crisp white trim and high-gloss black doors, which adds architectural definition and that polished, intentional look. A slightly warm white can also look polished on homes with the more of a farmhouse or cottage architectural style. Be careful of cool whites as those can read like stark primer, not at all expensive.
For a gray house, a crisp white or even a darker gray goes well with a gray house exterior. Both feel modern and classic.
Brick is one of the most forgiving exterior elements to work with. The key is paying attention to the undertone in the specific brick before choosing a paint color. Warm red or orange-toned brick (the most common) pairs well with charcoal gray, warm white, deep navy, olive green, and soft black. Cool toned or pink-toned brick does better with cooler grays, slate blue, or crisp white.
House Exterior Painting Final Thoughts
Overall, I am thrilled with my house exterior painting before and after! This was such a transformation that not only finished up the entire repair project but also became a complete upgrade. The new dark charcoal gray makes the house feel more sophisticated, grounded, and true to the Northwest roots. It’s also a great backdrop to all the plants and landscaping. It was a long process choosing paint colors but totally worth all the research.
I could not have done this without Fitzpatrick Painting and Construction – if you’re in Oregon, I would completely recommend them! They were one of the most professional companies I’ve ever worked with from beginning to end. Also, this project gave me the opportunity to work with a new (to me) line of paint; Rodda Miller. I really fell in love with their Northwest Color Collection and look forward to using it in future projects.
