What’s in The Colour of Siding?

What’s in the colour of siding you may well ask. Can we do our own thing, and express our personality? Or are there other aspects we should consider? Things like the climate, the neighbours and so on.

Colour. The Vibrancy of Our Personalities

The warm colours at one end of the spectrum, that’s red, orange and yellow tell the world we are bright, welcoming people. While the greys and mauves speak of us as quiet, reserved, and please-make-an-appointment types.

Blue and greens are middle ground tints. But that not even the beginning of the end of the story. We also have to be practical, because our homes are investments and often our largest ones.

What’s in The Colour of Siding In Terms of Climate?

The colours of the spectrum are available in a bewildering range of intensities, in terms of dark to light thanks to computerised blending. Dark absorbs energy while it bounces off lightness.

A home with light, cream-coloured siding should be cooler on a winter’s day than a darker grey tint. And you’ll see the result on your energy bills, unless you pick a colour for your siding that’s a fair compromise across the seasons.

Choosing Siding Colours in Terms of Building Vernacular

Vernacular is the dialect of people and things. We don’t expect a Canadian to necessarily speak with a London cockney language, or a Cape Cod style home to be universally grey. Sure. We can play the piano a bit with a cute cottage. But we could devalue a trad Victorian unless we are careful.

Ought We to Concern Ourselves with the Neighbours?

Before you ask what’s the colour of my siding to the neighbours, think it through first.  Neighbourhoods tend to attract like-minded people, and their character often shows through in their colour choices.

A home buyer interested in purchasing your home will probably expect it to blend with the local vernacular. If you are on the market and your siding colour conflicts with their expectations, they may down-value your home and perhaps not even stop by.

Your Personality Also Belongs in the Colour of Your Siding

This is not to say you should blindly follow the advice of convention. Choose a siding colour you love, because you will have to look at it every day. Just don’t go overboard because siding colour is expensive to change, particularly if it’s vinyl.

Related

The Right Shingle Colour for a Roof

How to Choose the Best Siding Colour

Image: Spectrum of Colour: Andrés Nieto Porras BY CC 2.0 Share Alike