An important part of every new rain gutter installation we perform is having the customer choose gutter style and color. Clients are normally surprised to have different style choices, but color is another matter. For some reason, so many of us just assume gutters have to be white.But it's not true. Gutters and downspouts come in a full range of colors.
Maybe we assume white because that's what most homes have.Perhaps the thinking is that white goes with everything, so it doesn't matter what color the siding and roof are. That may or may not be true depending on how you feel about color palettes. Nonetheless, a different color choice might actually make your home look better.
We have done gutter installation jobs for customers who wanted the gutters and downspouts to disappear. That being the case, an obvious color choice would be the same color as the surface the gutters are being installed against. Choose the same color and they are harder to see.
The main benefit of making gutters disappear is guaranteeing that the eye isn't drawn to them when people are looking at the house from thestreet. That is important to some home owners.
Accenting your home with gutter and downspout color is the opposite of making them disappear. So how do you do it without making your home look gaudy? There are two standard rules of thumb, based on the assumption you are not going to make them the same color as your siding:
· Trim Color – If the majority of the trim on your house is wide (and especially if you have shutters around the windows) it's suggested that you match downspouts and gutters to the trim. Your trim is already a dominant feature, soyou don't want the gutters to contrast.
· Roof Color – If your home's trim is thin and lacking window shutters, it isbetter to match the downspouts and gutters to the color of the roof. That way,they will not overshadow the trim and siding colors.
You could pick something completely random if you wanted to.We've seen it before. There are some people who love nothing more than to mixand match colors for the most unique look possible.
We should warn you that you may not have a full pallet of choices if you belong to a homeowner’s association (HOA). It has been our experience that HOA's usually don't want individual houses to stand out. They Prefer that everything look uniform. And unfortunately, many HOA's insist that all the homes in the neighborhood have a similar style.
If you belong to an HOA, don't even think about choosing agutter color until you find out what is allowed and what is not. It wouldn't be much to have off-color gutters and downspouts installed only to have the HOA come and tell you to take them down.
Finally, you might also not have any choice if you live in ahistorical home that enjoys special status. Historically preserved homes only receive special status if owners stick to the rules for maintaining the home's integrity. Check with your local permitting authorities to find out what you can install.
In the absence of some sort of restriction, you can choose from among a variety of different colors for your new gutter and downspout installation. You don't have to settle for white. Of course, it is okay top refer white.
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