What colour would you paint the outside of your home?

[Geezer38]

The trouble with this forum is that it is way too serious! Lighten up folks! Lets have a poll on some fairly mundane thing like what colour you would paint your home and why? I am painting the outside of my home now and it's beautiful! I really enjoy turning something ugly into something attractive, which I assume is the motivation most people have when painting; but then again, maybe not. I once saw a stucco house that was solid black; with sparkles in it! I always wondered what kind of a monster lived there.

Many years ago, I lived in a housing tract of five year old homes, all stucco, and all earthtone colors. I painted our home ivory with light blue trim. It really stood out in a neighbourhood of sameness, and it appeared to be larger than it was. I put it up for sale and sold it shortly after that to a couple who liked it because it was the only home they had looked at with a fresh paint job. The following year, they painted it an earthtone colour! Ever since then, I've wondered about the motivations of people when they paint their home. What does it say about their personalities?

I realise many of you lease or rent but forget that for the moment, if it were yours, what colour would you paint or stain it and why?

[Neko]

Mine's made of dark local Gouarec stone, and so can't be painted very easily.

[Zan de Man]

White, because that's what it is now and it suits the cottagey look.

[Fredfredson]

Light colors because they reduce the heat accumulation in summer.

F
:pooter

[toolman846]

What he said.............

[Belle Starr]

hey, Geezer,
would you paint the outside of my house,
don't care about the color, just lighten it up a bit, will ya?

[Geezer38]

Hey Belle! I'm having enough trouble with this one! It's aluminum siding and it's 30 years old, originally an ugly brownish green with white trim. I decided to patch all the holes and clean it first, so there I am, 20 feet up with a rag and soapy water. I did every square inch of it that way and patched the holes too. Then I started painting and the weather turned. We've had a hot dry summer until I started painting and then it started raining. It's comforting to know that Murphy's Law still works, but I really need some dry weather to finish before it turns cold! Anyway, it's supposed to be warm and dry starting tomorrow, so wish me luck! I'm using a very pale green with a tinge of blue in it, with white trim. The part that is done is beautiful, but it make the old stuff look even worse.

Actually, I like to paint; I like turning something ugly into something fairly attractive. It's not expensive, and it keeps me off the street and out of trouble! See, there really is a silver lining!

[roseval]

we are waiting for some legal stuff before we sell our house to a property developer, and it now badly needs painting, but it's not worth doing it. It is now a bit embarassing.

[toolman846]

You're going to give up that beautiful garden we saw, in your back yard?

Sad. Hopefully you will find more space and opportunity for another one.

[roseval]

We are going legal!
Taking our outmoded/outdated covenant to the Lands Tribunal.
Our deeds go back to the Plantation, and have ridiculous clauses added. ROI gave up all that stuff on partition, I believe.

We need a smaller house anywyas, Tooler.
I'm exporting my chn, to the "mainland". We will join them, laters.

Zan has kindly agreed to sponsor them, all. in the meantime.
Rooms, lodgings, full Irish breakfast, taxi service or car keys for the driving one. Thank you so much Zan. You will get used to the night time comings and goings, I promise.

Our land in Belfast's neutral suburb is more valuable than the house that stands on it. This house is not the one where I had my babies, anyways.
I don't feel attached to it at all.

[Geezer38]

FINALLY done! I started this project during bright sunny weather and then it started raining every time I had some time to paint, but despite it all, the job is done! Earlier this summer I replaced the roof and now the outside is a beautiful pale green and white. I liked it so much, I raised the price $4,500! It sure makes the place look clean and pretty and I'm pretty sure it will be more likely to sell now.

We hope to move from this very small resort village to a city farther south for retirement. We need a bit less winter and a few more amenities and services now that we are older. Wish us luck!
:cheers :cheers :cheers

[Ms Digabit]

Before we purchased the house it was used as a bed and breakfast..so some heathen sprayed a grey artex type coating over it which sparkles in the sunshine..it now stands out like a sore thumb in a row of beautiful origional victorian town terraces. The price of the house was reduced because of this paint job....i would like to restore it back to the origional brickwork, as we are restoring the rest of the house, but fear it will cost a pretty penny!!


http://www.dreamrealms.com/pictures/nikki/housey.jpg

[Geezer38]

Yes, I can understand your situation but I have no idea how to remove that coating. I'm quite sure you can find a professional service that will do it for you, at a pretty price too! There are so many clever, talented people on this board, I'm sure someone here can help you figure out how to do it yourself and then restore the brickwork.

First of all, I'm not familiar with "Artex", exactly what is it? I'm thinking that if it is applied to brickwork, it must be a latex base, or is it a stucco-type masonary finish? I think you must have Home Depot stores there or a similar building supply stores; take a sample to them and ask what they recommend. Part of the enjoyment of being a homeowner is figuring out clever ways to repair the sins of your predecessors (damn them all to hell!). Wishing you the best of luck with this, I'm sure you can do it, just start and keep going!

[sir digalot]

Artex is a trade name for a texturing type of plaster, usually used on the inside..

the external stuff ( depending on age) is usually an asbestos resin or asbestos conrete mix... in either case chipping or sanding is probably not a good idea, and unfortunatly it will add a significant cost to the disposal of the finish, somnething that only a professional company should be doing, due to the nature of the asbestos...

Before doing any work it is recommendable to have it inspected, it may not contain asbestos, but the majority of the coatings from the "bygone" era, do, (they never worried about asbetosis and crap back then, most of em were dying from dyssentry and TB anyway :lol)

if it does not contain asbestos, and is concrete based the only real way is chipping and grinding, until you hit the origional brickwork, this coating will be about 2-5mm thick in most places ( it is sprayed on like most renderings) so could be a bugger to get rid of especially on the rougher surfaces like the existing pointing and mortar, luckily the age house, and the part of the country that you are in, they built em with those smooth "yorkshire" bricks, not the rough "southern" bricks ( so the soot will wash off em easier :lol )

in some places a rendering like that will add to the value of the property, but in your case it does kinda look like a tea cozy was strapped to the house, at least it is not pink...

another way would be of course to fill over it, but since you are restoring the house the only way would be to chip and sand, although you do risk damaging the brickwork too...

:D

[wifeandmother]

How many of you live in an area where the color of you home is chosen by a small group of citizens delegated to keep the neighborhood the same as it was hundreds of years ago? If you paint your home a color other than that commanded by this group, you would be subject to an order to repaint in the "proper" color at your expense.
Dj

[freespirit]

*reads sirdigs's post*

:/


Ms Digabit I feel for ya... after reading all that I think I'd be at the "phuckit" stage if I were you.



*lol* @ "tea cozy" and "soot"

[Francois Cellier]

I am afraid, it will cost you an arm and a leg to remove the coating.

Unfortunately, chipping and grinding is likely to destroy the surface of the red brick underneath. Chemistry has the same problem. Something strong enough to attack the coating, will most likely attack the brick below as well.

One option to look into is burning it off. The brick may be heat resistant to a higher temperature than the coating. It really depends on what the coating is made of.

[Ms Digabit]

wow thanks for all the help there folks.
Although d.i.y would be a cheaper method (if we knew how to remove it, grinding, sandblasting, burning etc ) it wouldnt really work as we are both afraid of heights. lol . sigh ....i think it will have to settle for a subtle retouch or re paint..........hhhmmmmm pink you say sir digs..........if we're going to stand out...do it in style hey.

[potter]

Before we purchased the house it was used as a bed and breakfast..so some heathen sprayed a grey artex type coating over it which sparkles in the sunshine..it now stands out like a sore thumb in a row of beautiful origional victorian town terraces. The price of the house was reduced because of this paint job....i would like to restore it back to the origional brickwork, as we are restoring the rest of the house, but fear it will cost a pretty penny!!


http://www.dreamrealms.com/pictures/nikki/housey.jpg


Have you thought of sand blasting it? Sand blasting is pretty common for cleaning brick and mortar.

[CockySOB]

I prefer more natural colors, primarily because I prefer blending with natural surroundings to brazenly standing out.

In truth, I wouldn't paint unless I had no choice in the construction of the building. I much prefer a material's natural coloring, especially in terms of wood, steel and stone. This is true both for commercial and residential buildings.

[GeneralPatton]

The best way to paint, is a earthy type dull color that will last longer than a bright white, or other high maintence color......Sure the bright light colors look nice, but repainted every couple of years just isn't on my schedule. I have that siding thats like 50% wood, 50% concrete. Its a brownish type color, not shit brown but earthy brown, and after two years it basically looks the same as new! :yay