The color of your roof is an important factor to consider, regardless of what material you ultimately choose. Color plays a big role in your home’s curb appeal and how it appears to prospective buyers can impact your home’s value. In some areas, color may also impact things like energy efficiency; cool roofs are often light colored because they do not absorb as much heat from the sun.
When choosing the color for your roof, you will want to consider several things. These include the color of your home; you will want the color of the roof to coordinate with your siding, trim, and other exterior accents. You’ll also want to consider what colors the roofing material you choose is available in; clay tiles for example only come in a limited number of shades. When choosing the material, it is important to keep in mind the cost of roof replacement, as it varies from one material to another.
Finally, be sure to pay attention to your region and neighborhood. Regional preferences can play a role in things like HOAs and home value, so make sure that your roof and siding combination fits into the neighborhood norm.
Using the tool below, you can see which are the most recommended roof colors for each type of siding and how they look, along with some recommendations.
Best Beige House and Roof Color Combinations
Recommended roof colors for beige or cream houses: black, gray, brown, dark green and dark blue.
Homes with a cream or light tan exterior can use several different colors. Beige or cream siding is a neutral, which means that it can work with nearly anything depending on the effect you want. This color siding has nearly universal appeal and can be found across the country on homes of all styles.
If you want to get a subtle, traditional appearance, opt for a brown or a gray roof. If you want the biggest contrast and impact, black or dark gray can be a good choice. And if you want something that’s going to work well in nature, consider a green roof for homes in wooded areas and a blue roof for homes near the coast.
Best Roof Colors for a Blue House
Recommended roof colors for blue houses: black, dark gray, gray, dark green, white and cream.
Homes with blue siding also have a wide range of different colors to choose from for their roofing. Blue siding is popular on both coasts, as well as in some northern areas. Depending on what the style is that you’re going for, you can have a lot of different choices for roof color.
If you want to create a subtle palette that still has some personality, dark green or dark blue roofs make a good choice. Likewise roofs in many shades of gray can work particularly well on beach houses. If you want more contrast, consider a white roof in hot areas that see a lot of sun, or go for a black roof if you want a more traditional look. Cream roofs also make an interesting contrast. This look works well on smaller homes like bungalows and Capes, because the shades are very close to being complementary and therefore can overwhelm a larger area.
Best Roof Colors for a Red Brick House
Recommended roof colors for brick houses: black, dark gray, gray, dark brown and dark green.
Brick exteriors are less common than other types of siding, but they can be found across the country. Homes with a brick exterior need a darker colored roof to look their best. Ideally, you do want to pay attention to the exact shade of your brick to get the best results. Homes with traditional red brown look best with shades of brown and green for their roofs. Homes with more gray in the bricks work well with dark gray roofs, while bricks that lean more toward brown than red look well with a black roof for contrast.
Best Roof Colors for a Brown House
Recommended roof colors for brown houses: black, dark green, cream and tan.
Homes with brown siding are most common in the south. And these dark-colored homes can look great with a few different shades of color for their roofs. Lighter brown and cream can make a nice contrast that can give your home a more contemporary appearance. Dark green can make a nice choice for log cabins and homes that are located in rural areas, as well as for homes that have a natural color for their siding, rather than paint.
If you want something that’s a little more traditional with your brown siding, you can’t go wrong with a black roof. Just keep in mind that it can make your home look very dark, so avoid this style in very shady areas.
Best Roof Colors for a Green House
Recommended roof colors for green houses: brown, cream, off yellow and tan.
Homes with green siding tend to have fewer options for roofing colors that look really good with them. Green siding is most popular in the north and in the midwest, but can be found in the pacific northwest as well. Most tend to be warmer in shade - creams, off-yellows, tans, and browns of all colors. Any of these shades can make a nice complement to a home with green siding.
If you want to get some contrast, make sure that your roof is considerably darker or lighter than your siding. If you want a more subtle design, then try to match the hue of both colors, giving them a similar saturation and shade.
Best Gray House and Roof Color Combinations
Recommended roof colors for light gray houses: black, dark gray, dark green, dark blue and white.
If your home has light gray siding, which is very common in the northeast and northern states in general, you have several options for your roofing color. Basically, you want to keep the color palette cool - greens, blues, whites, blacks, and grays are all good choices for your roof color. If your home is a classic style like a Colonial or Mission, black or dark gray will help you complete the traditional look.
If your home is a Cape Cod, Ranch, or other slightly new architectural style, consider shades of dark green and blue as well. And if you live in an area that sees a lot of sunlight, consider a white roof to get the cool roof feature and help lower interior temperatures.
Best Red House and Roof Color Combinations
Recommended roof colors for red houses: black, dark gray, dark brown and dark green.
Red is a bold choice for siding that can be found in many areas of the northeast, southeast, and midwest, particularly on farmhouse-style homes. This type of siding is vivid and saturated, and therefore pairs best with a deep or dark colored roof. Black is a good choice if you also pair your home with a black front door or shutters. Dark gray is a softer look, and can allow you to incorporate other softer tones - including blue/gray into your accents. Dark brown can also work well if you want to pair your siding with off-white or cream-colored trim. This can also make the home appear more subtle in appearance.
Finally, for those that want the ultimate in bold style, go for a dark green roof. Make sure the green is as saturated in tone as the red for a striking combination.
Best Stucco and Roof Color Combinations
Recommended roof colors for stucco houses: gray, dark brown, brown, cream, off yellow, tan and reddish orange (clay).
If you have a stucco home, you can have several roofing options as well. Keep in mind that stucco can be painted any color that you desire. However, most stucco homes tend to be cream or pink in color. Stucco is most common in the south and southwest, but can be found in other areas of the country as well.
Roof colors that work well with traditional stucco colors include many warm shades like cream, off-yellow, tan, brown, and dark brown. In addition, many people who have Spanish revival architecture will use stucco on the exterior and a clay tile roof. These tiles are often the traditional red/orange color to help match the architectural style.
Otherwise, if you want a contrast for your home, go for a darker shade like brown or dark brown. If you want something more subtle, then opt for a lighter shade.
Best Roof Colors for a White House
Recommended roof colors for white houses: black, dark gray, gray and dark blue.
Homes with white siding tend to look their best when paired with cool colors. White homes are popular in the north and northeast in particular, but can also be found in the midwest and on the west coast as well. White siding is particularly popular for farmhouses, as well as for mission-style homes and colonials. When choosing a roof for a white house, consider dark blue if you want to go bold and introduce some color to the design. Otherwise, another bold choice is to use black for the contrast; you can easily pair these homes with a bold red door to cement the color scheme. Dark and light gray are also good choices for more subtle designs, particular on the coast.
Best Log Home Roof Colors
Recommended roof colors for wood or log houses: black, dark green, cream and tan.
Weathered wood and log cabin homes are common in the north, from the north east to the north west. And all of them can work well with other natural tones for the roof. This includes green for homes in more rural settings, as well as shades of cream, off-yellow, and tan. Log cabins and weathered wood homes can come in many shades. Keep in mind that if your home is redder, lighter, or darker in color, that this can influence the color of your roof. In these cases, be sure to consider not only these colors, but also the colors that look good with the closest shade of your siding color, whether that’s red, blond, or dark brown.