Belk Builders discusses trending home exterior colors in the Charlotte area

The exterior of your home plays center stage in the overall look of your property. It defines your personality, your creative side and most importantly the feel that you want your property to have, while also greatly affecting the curb appeal and value of your home. Even though choosing a color for the exterior of your home with all the options for windows, siding, trim and doors, is one of the longest-term decisions you will make, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. As a leading home exterior specialist, Belk Builders has helped hundreds of homeowners in the Queen City make a statement by updating and refreshing their home’s exterior with upscale replacement siding and trim.

To begin, you need to consider the style of your home, its surroundings and your budget. Then consider neighboring homes.  You want yours to be in step with the feel of the development, yet distinctive. Get inspired.  Look at other houses you like, take pictures or flip through the pages of your favorite magazines to get ideas for the basic color groupings you like. Contemporary palettes, bolder and stronger colors best suited for homes with a modern, monochromatic styling, include hues trending to deeper tones and offer great flexibility for siding, trim and accents. While more traditional color choices in warm or cool neutrals can be used in more complex, sophisticated combinations for estate, historic or older homes for siding, trim and accents including the front door and shutters. Don’t forget features and details of the exterior that will not or cannot be resurfaced with siding or trim pieces.  The color of your roof along with brick and rock details affect the overall look and need to be considered in your color selections.  You want to develop a final color palette that delivers a unified look that you love that gives lots of curb appeal.

If following the decorating color ratio of 70-25-5 when selecting exterior colors for your home keep in mind:

• Body color will be the largest area of concentrated color at about 70%
• Trim color (fascia, windows, and overhangs) will be leaner swaths of color at about 25%
• Accent color (doors and/or shutters) will be pops and splashes of color at about 5%

The key to pulling together a palette that is pleasing to the eye and really works are colors that complement each other. And, the more you stick with color trends, the easier it will be to eventually sell your home. Here in our area, things have changed tremendously over the years in terms of exterior color choices and combinations for replacement siding both with Hardie® Plank and our other upscale vinyl selections. Hardie® Plank siding features a color palette specific to the Charlotte Area (see attached). Some specific colors that we see homeowners gravitating towards are Iron Gray and Booth Bay Blue, this shows a trend of bolder, stronger colors. Not to be forgotten, white siding and trim with black accents is still a classic, clean look that fits well almost anywhere because of its nostalgic draw. In addition, the neutral hues such as Sail Cloth,  Khaki brown and Timber Bark, also continue to be homeowner favorites.

Overall, colors like deep blues, heavy greens and rich browns are popular for their earthy look. They tend to blend well in any neighborhood and on many styles of homes. Even though these colors give a nice pop, they still meld with their surroundings because of their neutral, earthy tones. Trim color trends continue to be sand and off white for contrast.

Technological advances in siding colors allow homeowners to choose richer hues to suit their taste. No longer does siding need to come in bland beige or grays. And because vinyl siding typically holds up to weather and sun better than paint, homeowners don't need to worry about the need to re-paint every couple of years. Siding material defines the look and style of your home and serves the important purpose of shielding it from Mother Nature. With longevity and durability as key elements in their design, upscale vinyl  siding from Alside, Crane, Kaycan or Mastic as well as Hardie® Plank fiber cement siding, are all great choices offered by Belk Builders in a wide variety of colors. Just remember, when choosing a siding color it is vital you pick something that you're comfortable with, that makes a style statement about you, yet doesn't stick out like a sore thumb from your neighbors.

Contact Belk Builders today to learn more and request a free estimate (704) 400-4710, or visit our website at belkcustombuilders.com.