5 Considerations When Deciding on Your Home’s Roof Color

If you become a homeowner at some point, then you will need to keep your house in good condition. If you let certain parts of it deteriorate, then that will lower the home’s overall value. Presumably, you want it to retain its value so that you can potentially sell it one day when you’re ready to move on. 

You certainly need to think about your home’s roof if the current one’s not lasting much longer. You can usually look at your roof and tell whether it’s still solid, needs some repairs, or whether it requires a total tear-off and replacement. 

If you look at the roof and see that you must replace it, you should think about what color makes the most sense. We will talk about some considerations that should go into that decision right now.

A Lighter Roof Membrane Can Save You Money

You should know that when deciding what color roof membrane you should get, a lighter option can save you some money in the long term. In fact, you save 14% in energy costs by going from a black to white roof membrane, on average. 

That’s because, if you get a lighter-colored roof membrane, those in the industry call it a “cool roof.” It saves you money because it absorbs less heat while reflecting more sunlight than a darker-colored one. 

If you live somewhere that gets very hot in the summers, you will absolutely notice a drop in your cooling bills if you go with a so-called cool roof. That’s one consideration that might determine what color you eventually decide to get for your new roof. 

Does the Color You’re Looking at Clash with the Rest of the House?

When you’re figuring out what your house’s new roof should look like, you should also look at the rest of the building. Normally, regardless of the roofing material out of which you will construct the new roof, you will have several different color options. That’s true whether you’re using clay, asphalt, slate, or something else.

Look at the rest of your house when considering what color roofing material, you should get. If you have a house that’s painted a dark color, then you might want a lighter-colored roof that complements it. You will also want to look at elements like your window boxes or shutters. Does the color of roofing material you picked match with those, or will they clash?   

Does the Color You’re Looking at Clash with Other Nearby Homes?

You might also want to look at the other houses and roofing colors around you. It’s true that you might decide to go with something that looks entirely different from every other house on the block. Maybe you feel like you’re an individual, and your home should say that about you as well. 

However, if you have a house with a roof that’s a garish color that stands out from all the other houses in a negative way, you may regret the decision eventually. You house might stand out, but not in the way you hoped. 

Keep in mind that once you make your decision, that roofing color will likely stay that way for many years. It’s not so easy to reconsider once the roofers finish the job. 

Maintenance Considerations

Maybe you have a dark-colored house, so you feel like a lighter-colored roof makes sense. In most normal circumstances, you can move forward with the total tear-off and new installation with no issues. 

You should also think about what the lighter-colored roofing material will look like as time passes, though. We mentioned some reasons why light-colored roofing materials make sense, but keep in mind that they also stain more easily.

If you have trees that overshadow your house and drop leaves on the roof every fall, then those will eventually stain the roof. You might have to clean the roof periodically to get some of those stains off of it. 

The House’s Size

Your house’s size might also determine what color of roofing material you get. You may notice that if you see a single-story house, and it has a darker roof, then that makes it stand out unpleasantly. The home may look too top heavy. 

A roof makes up a lot of a home’s visible exterior, though. That is why, if you have a house with a darker color and a lighter roof on top of it, the building will seem to have a more balanced composition.