When purchasing a new home or renovating, you have a lot of decisions to make. It’s not just the interior of your home that you need to think about, but the outside too. And eventually, you’ll have to decide what color you want your house to be.
Whether you want something lowkey and neutral or want to stand out among the crowd, your perfect shade is out there—it’s just about finding it.
And if you live in the sunshine state, there may be more factors to keep in mind when choosing your perfect color than you realize.
In this article, we’ll cover the best Florida house colors and what to consider when deciding on the right one for your home.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Florida House Colors
When it comes to Florida paint colors, it’s not just about picking your favorite color and calling it a day. After all, you might adore hot pink, but will that be the best choice for the exterior of a house surrounded by neighbors who love beige and an HOA that loves matching homes?
Be open-minded, browse the neighborhood, consider the impression you want your home to give, and, most importantly, make sure you’ll be happy with the final result.
Florida Temperatures and Your Energy Bill
For most of the year, Florida doesn’t know the meaning of cold, and residents have to rely on air conditioning to feel any relief from the heat. But one thing people often don’t think about is how the color of their house affects the temperature inside their home.
Dark paint colors absorb about 70% to 90% of the sun’s energy, whereas lighter colors reflect it. This not only means that a darker home will be warmer but that your HVAC system will have to work harder to make the house comfortable.
And, of course, running your AC system longer means higher energy bills. In one study, homeowners with lighter roofs saved around 23% on their cooling costs.
So, while darker houses are becoming trendy (and can look incredible), the correlation between paint color and bills is something to consider if you’re on a budget or don’t fancy spending more every month.
In addition to keeping costs down, you may care about the environment and enjoy living in an eco-friendly home. Picking a lighter color that cuts down on your energy consumption means you’ll help reduce the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere.
If you don’t plan to move your home over to solar energy any time soon, this could be how you choose to make a difference.
The Neighbors
Depending on where you live, there are others who may have opinions about your exterior color decisions: your neighbors.
Most people want to be a good neighbor, and how you take care of the outside of your home will have an impact on your relationship with others in your community. Take a look at what’s around you.
Do you live in an area with many home styles and architectural variations—or are the houses very similar?
Are the houses primarily bright colors or do your neighbors all stick with neutral gray and beige tones?
When you have an idea of what your neighbors like, you can pick a color that better matches your goals, whether that’s standing out or blending in.
If you aim to blend in, you don’t want to paint your house mustard yellow amongst a sea of gray; however, if everyone’s houses look the same, there’s also a chance that there’s a Homeowner Association (HOA) laying down the rules.
Your HOA
An HOA is a controlling body with formal rules in place to ensure the neighborhood is maintained and everyone plays nice with each other. They’re there to make sure that you keep up with your yard and don’t paint your house tie-dye.
If you’re in a neighborhood with an HOA, you should check their rules before painting your house. Most HOAs want the neighborhood to look fairly uniform and can be strict on how you paint or decorate the outside of your home.
Familiarizing yourself with your HOA’s rules is important because not only could you face fines if you ignore their regulations, but you’ll probably have to paint your house a second time to bring it back into regulation.
We can’t say this enough: make sure you check out your HOA guidelines before you start looking at samples or decide on a shade. If you don’t, you could end up disappointed.
Resale Value
Another important consideration—is this your forever home?
It may be hard to say if you’re going to live in your house forever, but having a good idea of how long you plan to live there will help you understand if you’re painting the house for you or painting your house to sell.
If you plan to move or sell the house in a couple of years, you’ll want to consider what other people would like and not just your personal tastes. Curb appeal is everything, and buyers want to be able to picture themselves in a potential home.
You may not know the latest housing color trends, but you can learn a lot from speaking to a realtor or talking to the experts at your local paint supply store. Usually, neutral colors are the way to go if you anticipate selling soon. Though, when it comes to nuetral vs nuetral, one study found that houses painted a color between gray and beige sold for $1,526 more than those painted white.
Roof Color
If you don’t plan on changing your roof’s color, make sure you choose paint that matches the one you have. Roof color is one of the most important considerations on this list, regardless of whether you are painting to sell or painting to enjoy, as it has a significant impact on the look and feel of your home.
Your walls and roof don’t have to be the same color, and in fact, might even be better as complementary colors, but clashing cool and warm tones often doesn’t look right.
This might seem like a lot to keep in mind as you look for the right colors for your home, but it’s worth it to do the research before shopping. Once you have the information you need, all that’s left is determining which color matches your personal preferences.
It’s Time! Picking the Best Paint Color for Your Home
Now that you know what you’re working with, it’s time to pick a color. There are thousands of color combinations available for painting your home, but most people choose hues within the color spectrums below.
As you decide, be sure to keep in mind your HOA’s rules and what you’re looking to get out of painting your home (either a future sale or a look that perfectly matches your tastes). Whether you want your house to be a bright, loud pop in the middle of a neighborhood or a perfect example of its uniformity, there’s a shade to make it happen.
1. Beige
Beige is neutral but a classic, making it an appropriate Florida paint color. Most houses are some shade of light brown because it’s a soft, warm color that provides a clean appearance. It’s subtle and will give you a nice glow at nighttime, especially if you dress your house up in outdoor lighting.
2. Gray
If you want something a little cooler, you might prefer a gray. Light gray provides the same neutral appearance as beige but leans more modern than classic. It also looks great with a white trim and matches almost any roof color.
Looking for something a tad edgier? Consider charcoal. It’s not black, so it won’t trap you in a painful vortex of Florida heat—and we already know that’s a huge consideration when it comes to the best house colors for Florida—but it gives a clean, sleek appearance that’s synonymous with modernity.
3. White
If your main goal is keeping the house cool, you should try a classic: white. It’s one of the best exterior paint colors for Florida homes because it works against the heat, not with it. In the height of summer, when it feels like there’s no escaping the fire, you’ll be glad you chose it.
As a bonus, there’s no color white doesn’t match, so you can use any roof or accent color you like.
The only painful part of having a white house is keeping the walls clean. If this is a big concern for you, try a creamy white over a true white, which will disguise stains a little better and require less maintenance.
4. Pale Green or Blue
Try a sage green or a light sky blue if you’re looking for a pop of color that isn’t too intense (or is still within your HOA’s regulations). You can even combine these colors, making one the accent, to give your home an ocean look—making them two of the most appropriate Florida exterior house colors.
Just be sure to clean the house thoroughly before applying the paint since trapping debris beneath these colors may change the shade or result in stains.
5. Dark Blue
For a darker color that isn’t quite black, try a navy blue. It combines a pop of color with muted tones, giving you the best of both worlds: a unique look that also keeps your neighbors and HOA on board with your home’s appearance. Contrasting navy blue with a white accent has also been growing in popularity in recent years.
With a dark blue, you will have higher energy bills than with a lighter color, but if you have room in your budget and your home’s appearance means a lot to you, it may be worth it.
6. Yellow
While an HOA might have something to say about this color, you’re in luck if you’re not part of one. Yellow matches the Florida sun and gives your house a joyful appearance, and it works well on both modern and older homes.
Prefer muted tones? Go for a mustard yellow over a bright, sunny shade.
7. Maroon
For a warm shade that’s a little less intense than sunshine yellow, maroon is a great choice. A bright red house might be too much, but maroon allows you to enjoy a red home without it being scarlet and use one of the more unique Florida home paint colors.
Many accent colors look good with maroon, but stay away from cool colors like blue and green. While you might want a loud home, you don’t want a clashing one.
Put Your Stamp On It
When it comes to the best exterior paint, Florida has its considerations—namely, the heat and your standard factors, like HOAs. While you may need to make decisions within those boundaries, you should also ensure you’re picking something you’ll be delighted with, either because it’s an appropriate color for a resale or perfectly matches your tastes. After all, the best Florida house colors are the ones that make the homeowners happy.