We’ve all seen them, lurking around the corner, maybe in the next neighborhood: houses with unaccountably strange paint jobs. As entertaining as they are to look at, odd ducks like these might deter future buyers and tend to lower property values of nearby homes. Check out these extreme exteriors to learn how your home’s fresh coat can look good and preserve the worth of your home and neighborhood.
Blend Into the Neighborhood The exterior of your house says a lot about you. But even if you have the most exuberant personality on your block, you still have an obligation to fit in with your neighbors. This is especially true if your property is part of a home owners association — an HOA. Most HOAs have strict rules about the style of your house, your choice of paint colors, and other criteria that help preserve the property values of nearby homes.
Wake Up and Smell the Daisies Choosing great exterior colors means selecting body, trim, and accent colors that complement each other. If chartreuse and salmon are your idea of a cool combo, you’d be wise to check out an app like ColorSnap from Sherwin-Williams. Take a photo of your property, and ColorSnap suggests harmonious color combinations for your house. The free app is available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.
A Solid Foundation for Your Color Scheme Painting foundation walls neutral colors emphasizes the body color of your siding — hopefully that’s a good thing. Rough-textured concrete block and poured concrete foundation walls are tricky to paint, and finishing them is a time-consuming project. Use an exterior paint formulated for concrete and masonry.
From Out of the Blue Artist Peter Kaschnig certainly was in his blue period when he painted this entire house in Klagenfort, Austria, a royal azure. While Kaschnig managed to cover every nook and cranny with blue paint — including roofing and windows — he spilled nary a drop on the surrounding lawn, thanks to proper use of tools and drop cloths.
Going Green, Literally If you want to green up your exterior paint job, selecting bright green paint isn’t exactly what we had in mind. Get with environmentally friendly techniques by selecting low-VOC paints and recycling your used paints and stains.
Over-Exuberance If you lived here, you wouldn’t have much trouble finding your house, day or night. Keep your polka dots bright with regular maintenance that includes cleaning your siding, repairing cracks and damage promptly, and refinishing with high-quality exterior paints and stains.
An Un-a-Peeling Exterior Whatever the color, the abandoned, horror movie look is never inviting. But before you start sanding and scraping, test for the presence of lead paint. If your test is positive, read up on lead paint laws that describe how to deal with the problem safely.
Keeping it Simple Multiple colors are eye-catching but spell trouble when it comes time to repaint. To reduce ongoing maintenance, choose a base color and one or two trim colors that simplify repainting. Top-quality exterior paints may cost more initially but will pay for themselves in reduced upkeep costs over the years. 
Strut Your Stuff With its dark red door, black shutters, and crisp white trim, this Colonial house has a classic color scheme — unless you factor in that dash of marketing bling on the siding. No matter what color or message says “pride of ownership” to you, you’ll get the best results using the right painting tools, brushes, and rollers.
If I can help you with any additional information regarding this article, or with any of your home buying or selling needs or if you know someone who would like some assistance, please feel free to visit my website to learn more about me www.AdrienneFrancis.com or text or call me at (201) 259-4449 .
Comments(3)