The number ONE question I get asked on Instagram is, “What color did you paint your home exterior?” I think you’ll be very surprised by my answer! In this blog post, I’ll share the products and colors I selected when designing my gray craftsman-style house exterior. I hope that sharing this information will help YOU to create your own dream home exterior :).
In full disclosure, I didn’t keep the most stellar notes when I built my house because I had NO intention of ever sharing this info. I don’t have *all* the product info, but I DO have the most important elements (i.e. stone, roof shingle, and shake shingle info) that you need to replicate the overall look of my craftsman home exterior.
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WHAT COLOR DID YOU PAINT YOUR HOME EXTERIOR?
The short answer to my number one question (what color did you paint your home exterior?) … I didn’t paint it ANY color!
The shake shingle is actually a vinyl product that looks very ‘real’… and I LOVE it! By ‘real’, I mean it doesn’t look like plastic, run-of-the-mill vinyl siding. It truly looks like a cedar shake. (Side note: be sure to purchase the highest quality vinyl shingle that your budget allows. The higher the quality, the less plastic and ‘fake’ it looks).
Our board and batten is Hardie board, and we created a custom paint color to match the vinyl shake shingle. This was a tricky task because the vinyl product I used is a variegated color, so it actually has roughly 17 colors in it. It took SEVERAL tries to get a custom paint color to match the vinyl.
Purchase my custom paint color formula.
Mastic Cedar Discovery Perfection Shingle
MASTIC SHAKE SHINGLE SIDING
Mastic “Cedar Discovery Perfection Shingle” (7”). Color: Cape Grey
Many people are surprised when they hear that my shake shingle is vinyl. Vinyl gets a bad rap, BUT the quality depends on the level of vinyl you choose. High-quality vinyl products (like mine) look very similar to actual cedar shake shingles.
I am SO happy we chose a vinyl shake because there is ZERO maintenance. The Mastic ‘Cedar Discovery Perfection Shingle’ is a great option if you want the look of actual cedar shake but don’t want the maintenance of cedar shake. (p.s. I don’t get paid by Mastic to say this. I am just sharing my experience with you.)
HARDIE BOARD AND BATTEN SIDING
Hardie Board with custom paint color to match our vinyl shake. Click here to purchase our custom color formula.
MY STONE
Buechel Stone. Fond Du Lac Kensington Blend.
CERTAINTEED ROOF SHINGLE
Certainteed Landmark Shadow Ridge Shingles. Color: Driftwood
METAL ROOF + WINDOW TRIM
Window Trim Color: James Hardie Arctic White.
Here’s where my records get fuzzy … SORRY! I don’t have any info on the metal roof. It is a deep charcoal gray, so choose something similar. I wish I had kept better notes!
Your curb appeal is the first impression people have of your home, so you want to get it right … from the materials, you use … to your front elevation (i.e. the front façade of your house based on your floor plan).
Although I don’t have ALL the information to replicate my gray craftsman style house exterior (sorry!), I did share the most important elements (i.e., the shake shingle, roof, window trim, and stone) in this post. If you love the look of my home and want to recreate the elevation as well, my custom floor plan is available for purchase.
Want an easier way to confidently make design decisions for your new home? Download my *FREE* Guided Design Decision Workbook and get step-by-step guidance through how to make those tricky design decisions for your home :).
