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Exterior Building a Home Design Dilemma

Grey Facade Help!

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Hey everyone! Needing some advice as a first home builder.

I love the colour combo of grey/black/white in a facade, initially dark and moody. We put together a colour board at my appointment but after reading about darker brick during summer, I am worried whether I need to change some things.

I am building on a small, narrow W facing block, single storey in Melbourne, do you think what I have chosen so far will significantly impact on how hot the home will get? and if so suggestions on what I switch around within the colour scheme I like that would work better (lighter grey brick? Light Garage? etc).

Have attached my board, facade, and Inspo pics.

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Comments (6)

bigreader
3 years ago
I like the dark and moody colours.
Really in Melb you have more cold days than hot so bricks holding the heat may save on heating.
siriuskey
3 years ago
The second and last appeal to me
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You see how horrible the green looks now ? Even the brown ? That was trendy in the 90's . Grey will go the same way , personally i feel it has . Wood is warm , the steel blue in one of the pictures is underutilised IMO , charcoal hides a multitude of sins . I'd definitely break a verandas look , with a charcoal base . I'd go with natural varnished timber verticals , and be tempted to do a lighter steel blue deck and handrails , as well as the gutters . I suspect the gutters won't even look out of place against the brown roof , as long as they look light and slightly industrial ( steel blue does that ) . You could even go as light as surfmist for the gutters / rails / deck without it looking 'funny' . The garage would be a challenge -- I'd personally try and get an orangy beige to reference the bricks , but that would be tricky . So probably settle for steel blue or surfmist or whatever shade of light silvery blue you opt for . I wonder how long your windows would last painted though -- given their age , I suspect they may have started to oxidise , even if they haven't , they would need a lot of prep . By keeping fairly light colours on your gutters . handrails etc , the windows maybe won't look too bad , as they look a relatively light golden shade . Personally , I'd consult an expert about the windows . Hopefully given you something to think about ?
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fianou luca
3 years ago
Moody dark colours are very popular in melbourne, so I think you should go for it. but yeah they are going to be real hot in summer. Maybe use landscaping to cool your place? Use deciduous foliage to create summer shade and deflect heat but let that absorbed heat work for you in winter. I saw the best front yard in melbourne one visit. It was a mini forest of silver birches and a lawn of ivy. Thats it. It was stunning! Silver birches would look dramatic against the dark colour and don't need much space. they grow fast too. They will shade the house with dappled green in summer, turn a beautiful golden in autumn and make a golden carpet but leave ghostly sculptural forms and reveal the moody black bricks in winter. If you use smaller foliage plants with purple tinges it could look amazing. there is also this great ground cover called huechera that basically looks like a carpet of autumn leaves year round. it comes in interesting gold and purple and red tones.
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Newbie T
Original Author
3 years ago
@fianou Luca Thanks so much for the detailed response and advice on landscaping, its really helpful!!

The descriptive way you write is really lovely too :)
Lyn Wood
3 years ago
Your colours are lovely. I do love the silver grey bricks on house two so that would be the only change I would make. Thinking that they would be a timeless choice rather than the very dark brick.
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User
3 years ago
I like colour . And timber . So you'd think I'd like the last pic with the red brick and the timber walkway , and I sort of do , but I reckon all the rest can also be improved . As a couple of people have suggested , mixing things up will keep things safe , but add some life and vibrancy .

Just a suggestion -- that last pic . Imagine if the dark bricks were on the feature wall ; if the garage was lighter render , and the garage door was the same timber as the front door -- maybe I'm weird , maybe I just like change ?

Basically , imagine any of those pics with a bright red or orange front door , and/or change the bricks to lighter or redder , change the front door or garage door or probably both to a nice stained or natural cedar or similar wood .

You've started with safe and predictable , adding a bit of well thought out colour and/or Wow will lift it from the ordinary .
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