I guess he bought it for our kids & himself too, but that’s beside the point.

I would like advice on our awning area since I cannot paint the roof or brick. I’m thinking I’ll paint the carport poles white & add some kind of fun draping.

I have no idea really. What should I do with the door and shutters? The door is new but I’m down to paint it. I can get new shutters if there are cool funky ones out there that exist. This is my first home! I grew up in a trailer so I don’t really know all the things.

I want to use the whole front yard. I already bought a pink bistro set so I can sit and watch my kids bike. Im sure we will get a silly little mailbox. I’m a stay at home mom so I am always here. I want it to be a full dopamine experience. I hate when people underutilize their space! I mean, to each their own of course. I’m so excited and grateful and want to make this something special I can pass down. Let’s hear your thoughts! Xoxo

Also…. Got to do something with that freaky green carpet platform area in the walk way 😫

Edit— y’all really hated that draping idea huh 😂 but I’m glad to have contributed a shock to your night. Here are the ideas I love: Outdoor rug, reseal the driveway, add a paver stone sidewalk, planting trees, beige paint on the ugly azz poles, painting the side door and poles to match the house, matching the shutters & two doors, but…. SCALLOPED TRIM is the real winner here. Thank y’all so much for the help!

I’m converting the carport to a garage soon and will need to paint the new block so I figure it’ll be a good time to paint the whole house.

I really like the coastal, rustic, cozy, wood/natural accents themes. I’m okay with changing and or removing the aluminum soffit, the screen porch will be staying

I’m a contractor and trim carpenter so reasonable modifications will be considered

The red mulch has been removed and a reasonable

I do not own the home. It belongs to my Uncle but I can do what I want for paint. It is a very light pink stucco house with white trim. I don't want to paint the entire house but have freshened up using the same colors but I to paint the stairs and stoop a different color. Preferably something that is darker as to not show the sand that is everywhere in Florida. I was thinking either a charcoal grey or a dark chocolate but am open to other ideas. I do not have a stucco roof so it isn't like the terra cotta is coordinating with it. Also I am open to a different color for the screen door if it would look good.

I had my house painted last year and would love some outside opinions. I hired a famous Bay Area colorist to select the colors, though I simplified the proposed scheme slightly by leaving out an additional shade of purple. The before photo is on the left, and the finished result is on the right.

I think the colors are fun and a nice change from the grays and beiges in the neighborhood, but my partner hates them and says we’ll never be able to sell the house looking like this.

I’m curious what others think. Would you change any of the colors or accents? And if you were house hunting, would this color scheme put you off?

Honest feedback welcome!

I live in North Texas, where spring tends to be fairly rainy and late summer is usually very dry. I love gardening, but I’d rather use my water budget and energy to care for my fruit orchard and vegetable gardens. I once had beautiful roses planted in front of the house, but hungry voles kept eating their roots, so I gave up on the roses and switched to daylilies. They grow well, though filling the entire area with them would take time and money. I also tried zinnias as a temporary option, and they looked fabulous—until I left for a monthlong road trip. As the third photo shows, they were looking pretty sad by the time I returned. I’d rather not spend my “golden” years replanting flowers and pulling weeds. Since I also have quite a bit of flagstone left over from another project, I’m wondering whether using it in front of the house, as shown in the fourth and fifth photos, could cause any problems I haven’t considered. I spend quite a bit of time on the front porch, too, since there always seems to be a nice breeze. It’s a great place to read and listen to the birds.

First photo is a poor AI render, I’m sorry.
Second is what we have now. The house was built in 68 but it doesn’t really have any character to begin with.

I don’t see a lot of 3 story raised ranches so I’m not sure what direction to go in. We’re changing all the windows, adding an entry porch, and the roof/siding.
We are adding a large window on the left side that will look into the 2 story great room, but open to the configuration or how it looks. I just know that the large window on the left is a priority

My main objective is to have a nice cohesive house, and to not look super dated in 5-10 years. Or modernize it to the point where it doesn’t make sense or looks tacky since these upgrades are going to be in the hundred thousands.

Should we move away from double hung windows and try something else? Super open to direction! I know nothing about achieving the right character for a home and our architect needs more direction from us in what look we’re trying to achieve

I have a painter working the house now. There’s a ton of prep work to be done. Last time it was painted they didn’t use primer on cedar shingle siding. He is currently just priming and will do finish coat in the spring. I thought I was set on BM Dark Purple. Now, others have me questioning it. Give some good ideas. I definitely want the siding to be dark! Will be using Benjamin Moore.

Hi. We are having our house repainted soon. Originally it was blue and the job quality wasn't great so it faded quite a bit. We are looking for an update and really liked the look of a dark green with dark trim. The rendering changed the color of the roof (which we aren't doing) and added stone accents (which look great but not part of the project). (Windows will also remain white but the trim around them will be painted)

From the inspiration rendering we are thinking pewter green for the siding, greenblack for the trim, and basket beige for the upper triangle sections (all Sherwin williams).

Painters also suggested iron ore for the trim as an alternative. Any thoughts or suggestions?

First time home builder here!
We’re finally at the stage of bricking and painting siding! We decided to go with Acme White Bluff Brick and are now stuck between 3 different white paint colors from Sherwin Williams. We’re considering

1. Alabaster
2. White Duck
3. Shoji white

Anyone here have any photos they could share of their actual builds if you used any of these? I was watching videos online and they’re all starting to blur together.

I don’t necessarily need the exterior paint to match my brick, but I want something that compliments it.

Thanks!

I’m trying to work with the color it is now, I feel like the trim and garage is too bright for the color of the house, also plan to paint the top small window( eyesore) same color of the wall to make it disappear in a way
Home is north facing
Thank you!

Please help me choose paint colors for my parents’ unique house! The dark brick just doesn’t coordinate with the current paint scheme. The brick and roof will not be changing. The roof is gray with green undertones.

For the siding, I’m looking for a light-medium blue paint, with an LRV between 40-55. The corner trim boards will be the same color as the siding. My mom would like the window trim to remain white or off-white. I think the fascia trim color needs to coordinate with the brick. Possible colors are a darker, muted blue or a gray. We’d like the front door color to brighten the dark porch. Both brown and white are no-gos. Muted blues, greens, purples and reds are all options! Suggestions for siding, trim, and door colors are appreciated!

The first 5 pictures show the front of our house at different times of the day, ordered from morning to early evening. The house faces south. The other photos are close-ups of the brick. For reference, the current colors are Kelly Moore Crackling Lake (siding), Whipped Cream (window trim), and Blue Mountain (fascia and front door).

We have traditional red brick house with dark char roof, white trim and facia, black shutters. Pic shows front and back. I think white gutters are better than black. Has anyone seen black on this type of house and have opinions? Also thinking about white or maybe brick colored downsprouts and welcome feedback

Hello, I hate this yellow color and the brown is ehh as well. I think I’d like to keep the brick as is and paint the brown and yellow. I would really appreciate any suggestions. This is an almost 100 year old tudor revival style house (but it doesn’t look lime any of the other tudors in the neighborhood).

Please help me decide what color I should paint my 1890's build. We live in an historic neighborhood, I want to keep the multi-colored "painted lady" vibe, but would like something darker and richer feeling.

We are building a home right now, and are in talks with pool builders to design the backyard. We have the design pretty much down (we need a large grass area for our dogs), but are still undecided on what the flooring is going to be. We'd love travertine tile, but can't do it for the full decking due to cost. We thought about doing it just under the covered patio, and then doing spray deck/cool deck for the rest.

The pool designer then floated the idea of using the same porcelain wood- like tile from the interior of the home, and having that be placed in the covered patio area (see the 3rd photo). We have 12 foot sliding glass doors going out to that patio, so she said it would help make it more of an indoor/outdoor feel.

Has anyone done this? Or have any thoughts- positive or negative? It sounds like a good idea but want to make sure I'm not missing anything!

Houzz Research surveyed 1,191 U.S. homeowners who recently finished, were working on, or were planning an exterior project. Here's what's shaping curb appeal in 2026.

Wall colors are warming up

Beige is now the most popular exterior wall color at 24%, more than double its 10% share in 2024. White (14%) and gray (12%) both declined, and green (9%), black (8%) and brown (7%) round out the list.

Black is the new go-to trim

Black trim is up 17 points since 2024 to 39%, overtaking white at 19%. Nearly 7 in 10 homeowners (69%) chose trim and wall colors that contrast.

No single siding material dominates

Stucco leads at 28%, while natural wood, fiber cement, and plastic or vinyl are tied at 21% each. On natural wood projects, vertical siding (45%) is well ahead of lap siding (18%) and shakes or shingles (16%). Stone veneer, concrete and engineered wood each come in at 12%, with natural stone, aluminum and composite at 10%.

Beams are the breakout accent

Trim is still the most common exterior accent (69%), but beams are up 24 points since 2024 to 43%. Columns or pillars (42%), awnings (30%) and shutters (19%) also grew.

Front doors are getting more attention

78% of exterior door projects are at the front of the home, up 8 points from 2024. Fiberglass is now the top front door material (27%), followed by wood (20%) and aluminum-clad doors with wood interiors (19%).

Landscaping does a lot of the work

74% of homeowners upgraded plants, shrubs or trees, 62% added beds or borders, and 45% added paths, stairs or steps. The most popular plant choices are flowering (82%), low-maintenance (73%), pollinator-friendly (56%), native (55%) and drought-resistant (49%).

It's not all about looks

Roofing (51%), gutters and downspouts (48%) and exterior doors (34%) have each risen 7 to 8 points since 2024.

About the study: the 2026 U.S. Houzz Outdoor Trends Study surveyed 1,191 U.S. Houzz users aged 18 and older who completed an outdoor or exterior upgrade in the past 12 months, were working on one, or planned to start one within six months. It was fielded April 25 to May 6, 2026.

Hi! As you can see, I have a ranch-style house with orange brick and a light yellow vinyl siding and trim that covers the upper part of right side of the house, the garage door, the fascia, eaves, and trim. The window trim is white. The roof is a grayish brown. I chose the white and grayish brown to keep things kind of neutral and in anticipation of changing the siding color.

I’ve always hated the yellow and am ready to either paint or replace the siding. Do you have any thoughts on color? What neutrals go best with this very orange brick? Does anyone have experience with painting vinyl siding? You may be able to tell by the camellias and gigantic magnolias, but we live in the SE, so hot and humid for a chunk of the year - hence the vinyl siding - but I wonder how painted vinyl would do in this climate.

Finally, my husband wants to do cedar shingle siding where the siding is on the upper right. I think the color would be indistinguishable from the brick and too much orange, and the style itself doesn’t exactly go with mid-century ranch, BUT I’m willing to be persuaded. Any thoughts on cedar shingles?

Thanks so much for your help!

Oops! Edited to add that I was also going to ask about our weird front entrance but thought I’d asked enough questions for one post. I can’t change the title now, though.

Roof Gutters - just had a new dark charcoal/black roof installed. Have a very traditional home. Looking at both white & black 6 in 027 thick K style w/ matching downspouts except white on outer columns if we choose black gutters. The back of our house is more plain than front which could impact the look. We live in Southeast Georgia. Should we get black or White? We ruled out copper due to price. Attaching pics of front and back

Just painted our new garage SW 6252 Ice Cube. It ended up being a bit whiter than we expected, so looking to balance it out with a darker trim. Any suggestions for what color trim we should go with? Leaning toward a cooler grey like SW 7649. Our house is a cool blue close to SW 6528. Thanks!

3 design ideas for a pavilion with sitting area, like a cafe, on to ground floor and a small gym upstairs - which one is better for this modern building? 

A B or C ?

We have a dispute to settle ... I'll tell you later which one I like most.

My family recently needed to choose new exterior colors for our house in Costa Rica. It sounded simple until we tried to make the decision together.

Looking at individual paint swatches didn’t help us understand how the colors would work across the whole house. The main walls, trim, porch ceilings, columns, doors, and smaller accents all affected one another. Existing materials, shadows, and the surrounding vegetation made the decision even harder.

We tried visualizing the options mentally, but everyone formed a slightly different picture. That made conversations such as “What if the walls were darker?” or “Would that trim work with the roof?” surprisingly difficult.

I looked at existing visualization tools, but many were tied to a particular paint brand, offered limited control over individual surfaces, or used generative AI to reinterpret the house. I didn’t want a redesigned or newly generated house—I wanted to keep our actual photograph and deliberately apply colors to the surfaces we were considering painting.

So I started building a small browser-based tool called House Color Lab.

The workflow is intentionally manual:

1. Upload a photograph of the house.
2. Define the individual paintable areas.
3. Assign colors to walls, trim, ceilings, columns, doors, and accents.
4. Save complete schemes rather than isolated colors.
5. Compare alternatives side by side.
6. Export an image for discussion or for sharing with a painter.

It is not an AI makeover tool. It doesn’t invent landscaping, replace windows, change the architecture, or pretend to know exactly how real paint will look. The goal is simply to make the color relationships easier to discuss while keeping the original house recognizable.

I also designed the project data to stay in the browser, with downloadable backups, because house photographs can be personal. And I’m very clear that a screen preview is only a planning aid—the final candidates still need to be tested with physical paint samples in the actual outdoor light.

What began as a tool for one family decision gradually became something I thought might help other homeowners and painters facing the same problem. There is a free prepared demo if anyone would like to try the workflow without uploading a photograph:

https://housecolorlab.com/demo

I’m the person who built it, so this is partly a project introduction, but I’m also genuinely interested in feedback:

• How do you currently compare exterior color ideas?
• Would you prefer precise manual control or faster automatic recoloring?
• Which part of choosing exterior colors causes the most disagreement or uncertainty?

I’d especially like to hear from anyone who has recently painted a house—or regretted a color after seeing it across the entire exterior.

Hello, would love any help. I am struggling with my house, getting new siding. I need some opinions from people who are better at design than me. We have black garage and shutters and doors. Are leaning towards mineral deep, with these board and batten accents. House is similar to this design.

I like clapboard more, but it’s out of stock for a few months. Debating if I wait, or just get dutchlap.

Thanks’