6 Things to Consider When Picking a Shingle Color​

flat lay of asphalt shingle samples

A new roof is a large investment and one that (hopefully!) doesn’t come around often. We believe in doing things right the first time and that starts with the first phone call to the final inspection. We are here to help you every step of the way! Surprisingly, one of the hardest decisions for our customers is choosing the shingle color for their new roof. We wanted to help with our top 6 tips when choosing a shingle color:

  1. We recommend observing other homes in your area, particularly noting different combinations of exterior facades such as trim, brick, stone, and/or siding. Determine the homes that you like vs. those that you do not like. You can also take a look at our gallery to view past home combinations we have done!
  2. Always get a full-size sample from the contractor. Do not make a final shingle color selection from a manufacturer sales brochure or minimized samples. More on why this is important in tip three! Small tip: some colors may not be available in your geographic area, so be sure to ask the contractor about availability.
  3. Pay close attention to the varying colors of the granules on the sample. Most asphalt shingles contain a mixture of various granules that make up the overall color. Matching some of the granule colors to the existing trim colors or other exterior components helps to “connect” the roof color with the aspects of the exterior of the home. Pay attention to how the colors relate to each other throughout the day as the angle at which the sunlight reflects on a roof can amplify differing tones and shades. It’s also a great idea to take your sample outside and view it in direct sunlight as well as in the shade to get an idea of how the color changes.
  4. If you are changing exterior colors, and textures, be sure to get color samples of those products and compare them with the shingle color. We love James Hardie siding! It’s always a great time to update your siding while your roof is being done so the construction takes place all at once. We also offer financing on our projects!
  5. Once you have narrowed down your color preferences, we recommend asking your contractor for the address of some homes where complete installs have been performed. It’s worth the time to drive by to take a look at the final project. Plus, most roofs can be viewed from the street!
  6. Many asphalt shingle manufacturers have visualization software on their websites where you can upload a photograph of your home and apply different styles and colors of shingles. Our friends at Certainteed have one that you can try out! This is another great option to get an idea of what your new dream home exterior may look like once your project is complete!

We hope that helps get you started! The last recommendation we can give is to talk to your salesperson! We pride ourselves on having the best salespeople that are experts in our industry and one of our favorite things about our job is educating and helping our customers! Please don’t hesitate to talk through your options with our team so we can help put your mind at ease about your decision. We are excited about dreaming up your home exterior alongside you!