Exterior Color Suggestions for Two Story Craftsman in SF Bay Area

11 years ago

Hello,

Our San Francisco bay area two story craftsman home remodel construction is under way... we need to gain some confidence in potential color schemes as soon as possible to so we can finalize the colors for our window order (Kolbe Ultra Series wood interior/aluminum clad exterior).

I've pasted a couple external elevation sketches below to give a feel for the style and type of siding we expect to use.

Like many people, we are having a difficult time making color decisions before the house is constructed and without seeing any samples painted on the house. White would be a safe choice for the exterior window cladding, but both my wife & I tend to prefer darker windows and see the window sash color as a chance to potentially add a little bit more character to the home. But if we select a specific sash color, it obviously needs to fit into the larger color scheme of the home. We may end up going with a two body color scheme (e.g. wood stained shingles for the second story and a blue or green body color for the lap siding on the first story.)

We would love to hear suggestions from others regarding what color scheme they think would look good on this home?

East (curb-side) Elevations:

From Remodel Images (Public)

West (back-side) Elevations:

From Remodel Images (Public)

South Elevations:

From Remodel Images (Public)

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Comments (8)

sweeby
11 years ago
White would be BORING and really water down an authentic craftsman vibe. Dark windows would reinforce your architecture and be more consistent with your desired look.

If you're chicken, a deep brown would be a safe dark choice that would go with anything and offend no one.

If you're a bit bolder, a dark rich red or deep green would be my top two choices - in that order.
RemodelingMark
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you sweeby for the reply.

It's reassuring to hear an opinion that mirrors our own. The window sash colors we have been considering are in fact: Hartford Green, Chutney (a rich deep red), and Dark Brown (Gingersnap?).

It would feel better, however, if we put this together with a reasonable overall color scheme that we feel good about. For example, if we really want to go with a blue color for the first story lap siding, then it might be challenging to make red or green sashes work.

Do you imagine a more complete (at least general) color scheme that you think would be attractive for this house?

Any opinions or insights are appreciated.

Thank you.
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sweeby
11 years ago
Try going to the website Houzz and using 'Craftsman Exterior' as your search terms. You'll get thousands of pictures of craftsman styled homes. Something's bound to click.

Here is a link that might be useful: [Houzz - Craftsman Exterior[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2116)
maylenew
11 years ago
How authentic of a look are you going for? If you google craftsman or bungalow paint color schemes, a link will come up from flickr where there are oodles of pictures of homes (mostly in the Northwest) with great exteriors. It's divided up into colors to make it easier. I ended up falling in love with green, so for our craftsman remodel, that's what we went with.
arch123
11 years ago
I would consider pastels in the SF bay area.
RemodelingMark
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you for the suggestions. We have reviewed many craftsman exterior images on both Houzz and Bugnalow color schemes on Ficker.

We have decided to go with the more bold window exterior sash option: Chutney.

We will likely paint the primary body color in either a blue or a green. We will either match the smaller second story body color to the first story or we might go with a stained cedar shingle look there.

The vertical sticking in the pedements will likely be painted the trim color (likely a creamy white.)

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.
marcolo
11 years ago
Have you ever seen the Historic House Colors site? He's actually a consultant for people painting old houses, and he has researched various period color schemes in depth. There is a gallery of past projects on the site, and you may be able to glean some ideas there.
woodbutcher_ca
11 years ago
Hi, Take a drive in your neighborhood and take some pictures of buildings you like and if you find what you like, copy it. Hey but if the house is next door than all bets off.
Good Luck Woodbutcher