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ATG&D Dream Home | Exterior Inspiration

October 11, 2015 By Dusty Rogers 8 Comments

One of the first things we had to decide when building our dream home (after floor plans, of course) is our exterior colors and materials. G and I had already spent the past year dreaming about our “dream home” exterior so this was actually a relatively easy decision for us – surprisingly we were on the same page! I say “surprisingly” because G tends to lean toward tried and true traditional, whereas I typically operate on a wavelength one or two steps removed from the norm. Luckily, this hasn’t been an issue for us over the past 15 years of living together because #1.) G believes I have great taste and have never steered him wrong, and #2.) He’s colorblind.

As much as G was all “whatever you choose will be great” I really pushed for his input on this part of the process. I had a few opinions on how our new house should look from the outside, but I wasn’t totally married to any of them, so this was an area where G could easily chime in and sway me. I’ve always cared more about how a house looks on the inside, whereas G’s always been more of an outside kind of guy, so I really wanted him to be happy with the exterior.

Our original sketch by Brandon Ripp – our architectural designer extraordinaire with Classic Custom Homes of Waunakee – had the front exterior of our home drawn up to look like the photo below, which was an incredibly helpful starting off point for us.

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

Front Elevation of the ATG&D Dream Home

I’d been showing exterior inspiration photos to G ever since our first thought that we might build, and here are some of the general looks, colors and materials we considered.

I preferred not to go beige, and I really wasn’t sure what he’d like, so I started off showing him exterior inspiration photos that were more in the gray family:

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Refined LLC]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Sears Architects]

And then I bumped up the bold factor by showing him gray houses with black trimmed windows:

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: F. M. Construction Ltd}

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Timeless Homes]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Hanson Homes]

G really liked the gray tones, but wasn’t sure about black windows – although we both agreed we really liked more of that bold contrast look – so next I started showing him houses with black siding and white windows.

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Christian Gladu Design]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: DeGraw & DeHaan Architects]

To my insane surprise, G actually really liked this bold look (which, of course, I loved)! Black siding – who would have thought?!

The reverse to that high contrast black and white look was to go with white siding and black windows, so G opened his mind back up to black windows as I showed him these exterior inspiration looks:

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: JacksonBuilt Custom Homes]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Olsen Studios | Photography by Sean Gallagher]

As G and I went back and forth considering siding and window colors I also tossed some two-toned options into the mix, playing with a mix of light and dark shades:

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: CertainTeed Living Spaces]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Whitten Architects | Photography by Rob Karosis]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Tom Stringer Design Partners | Photo by Werner Straube]

And then – to really throw a wrench in the mix – I totally waxed poetic over how crisp, clean, and classic I find homes that are courageous enough to have all white exteriors and let their lines speak for themselves:

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Blackband Design]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: R. B. Schwarz, Inc.]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

[Source: Old Seagrove Homes]

Exterior inspiration for the ATG&D Dream Home new home construction in Cambridge, WI. | All Things G&D

Seriously, you guys – this house belongs on a postcard.
[Source: Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects]

So what do you think we went with for exterior colors – any guesses?
What would YOU choose?

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Comments

  1. 1
    Carmen says:
    October 12, 2015 at 8:54 am

    We built in subdivision where 95% of the homes are what my husband likes to call “retirement beige.” Our first color choice was a deep grey, but then I fell in love with a deep blue color called pacific blue for our siding and was surprised my husband went along with it . We did thick contrasting white trim on the windows and wood front and garage doors. I think it is stunning. We stick out like a sore thumb in our neighborhood, but in a good way:) We constantly get compliments about the bold color choice.

    Reply
    • 2
      Dusty Rogers says:
      October 14, 2015 at 9:42 pm

      That sounds so beautiful, Carmen! I lol’d at “retirement beige” – I know exactly what you mean! Our last house might’ve qualified for AARP so now I’m ready to steer clear of beiges and go for something new. I love that you went with such a bold choice!

      Reply
  2. 3
    Carrie says:
    October 12, 2015 at 11:29 am

    As soon as I opened this post I had my fingers crossed for bold black. It’s brave, but I am still hoping you go for it! If not, white is a no-fail, can’t go wrong classic. If you go that route, I am rooting for black windows.

    I am following along, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • 4
      Dusty Rogers says:
      October 14, 2015 at 9:52 pm

      Thank you so much, Carrie! I love how you sound as excited about our exterior as we are – thank you so much for following along!

      Reply
  3. 5
    Julie says:
    October 12, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    I never would have considered a black house, but I really like it in your inspiration pictures!

    One piece of advice — we resided our home in 2010 with white siding, black shutters, and a bright red front door. While I love the color combination, the white siding does get d-i-r-t-y. I wasn’t expecting splatter from the rain on the mulch, or what I can only presume is bug poop, or the spiderwebs to show up so much. So if you’re ok with powerwashing your house a few times a year, you’re golden. Otherwise, keep that in mind if you’re considering white.

    Reply
    • 6
      Dusty Rogers says:
      October 14, 2015 at 10:00 pm

      Thank you so much for your feedback, Julie – I really appreciate it!!

      Reply
  4. 7
    Alison says:
    October 12, 2015 at 10:07 pm

    So many great options! My favorite is the first picture- it looks straight out of a Nancy Meyers movie. I’m not a risk taker when it comes to design, so I align with the “safe” choices, but that house with black on top and white on the bottom is so unexpected and unique. I’m not really a fan of the all white, unless that’s what you chose, then I take it back;) Can’t wait to see what you two picked.

    Reply
    • 8
      Dusty Rogers says:
      October 14, 2015 at 10:05 pm

      LOL at your take-back, Alison! You crack me up. Isn’t that black & white house so gorgeous? I’m obsessed with it!

      Reply

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