What Color House Goes With A Black Roof?

Take a drive down almost any New England (or Northeastern) suburb, and you will notice a ton of homes that sport black roofs. It's easy to see why, too. Black roofs are elegant, and they're known for giving a house that traditional British look that people adore. Of course, not all homes go well with black roofing. To make sure your home looks chic, we took a look at the most popular ways to coordinate color with black roofing material.

There are plenty of beautiful ways to make a black roof work with your home. The house colors that are most frequently paired with a black roof include:

  • White 
  • Brick
  • Beige
  • Grey
  • Blue

A mismatched roof and house color can make your home look a little off-kilter or even cause your local HOA to complain. This guide will help you make the right paint choice for your roofing.

Two story residential home with vinyl or board siding on the facade, What Color House Goes With A Black Roof?

The Best Colors For Black Roofs

Every roof color will have its own perks and pitfalls. Black is no exception. If you want to add pizzaz to your home's exterior, then opt for one of these nifty colors below.

White

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Two story residential home with vinyl or board siding on the facade

A white house and a black roof is a classic combination. In fact, it's one of the most common house colors that you can choose. White is stately and offers a clean look that works well with Tudor, Victorian, and other European-inspired looks. Even if you go for an off-white hue like eggshell, it's hard to deny what a beautiful contrast this dynamic duo offers. 

Virtually every type of architecture can work with a white house paired with a black roof. Moreover, this combination also works well with almost any type of accent color. So if you love having red, green, or even violet accents to your house's front, this is the go-to for you. 

Brick

Two story residential home with both brick and board siding on the facade

Black roofing and brick exteriors go together like peanut butter and jelly. The brickwork's rusty red (or slate grey) works perfectly with black, primarily because it's so traditional. Red works well with black as a classic pairing, while grey and black offer a monochromatic look. This home exterior option offers a fair amount of texture and a way to add old world charm to a building. 

Brick buildings can work well with both black and concrete roofs. In some cases, you might even see roofing with a combination of the two hues together. It's a chic, modern look. Oh, and since removing paint from brick is doable, you also can experiment with different colors if you have this material on your home's facade.

Beige

One story residential low-income home with board or vinyl siding and front entry garage

Not to be outdone with the striking contrast of white and black, beige and black is becoming increasingly popular among home designers. This offers a less striking contrast that is more modern in appearance. Some even consider it to be a more versatile look, particularly among luxury homes in developed communities. 

If you have a beige home, expect many compliments if you pair it with a black roof. It adds an air of luxury that few other roof stylings can offer. 

Grey

Suburban house exterior

Fun fact: most black roofs don't actually look black. They look dark grey. This, in turn, means that you get an elegant monochromatic look from pairing grey buildings with a black roof. Better still, grey buildings that are paired with black rooftops tend to have a cool-hued look that can help absorb heat.

If you have a Cape Cod home or a traditional ranch, the chances are that grey has been a potential paint that's on the top of your list. We can't blame you. It hides grime beautifully and always adds a more contemporary veneer to a home. 

Blue

American house with well kept front yard

In a typical paint setting, black is not considered to be a warm or cold color.  Because black roofs often look grey, they tend to err on the cooler side of things in most situations. This is why many home designers tend to pair black roofs with home paints that have cool undertones like greys, blues, and though rarer, greens. 

Blue houses that have black roofs are a truly all-American look. They're beautiful, individualistic, and to a point, retro. Maybe that's why this combo is coming back into style. 

What Colors Make A House Look Bigger?

Much like certain walls and curtain colors can make a room look bigger, certain colors make a home's exterior look larger than it really is. Believe it or not, the very same colors used to "expand" a room can also help make your home's exterior appear bigger. If you want your home to look impressively big, opt for light neutral colors like whites, off-whites, sandy beiges, or greys. The darker the color, the smaller your home will probably look. 

Do Black Roofs Fade?

While black roofs can offer a formal and upscale appearance to almost any home, they have a fairly big drawback. Black roofs are more prone to bleaching due to the sun's lightening effects on materials. Whether they're made of black shingles or asphalt doesn't matter, either. It's something that you will have to count on happening. 

Though black rooftops tend to show signs of fading the most, virtually all types of roofing will show fading to some extent or another. If you don't want to have fading become apparent, you will need to choose a lighter type of roofing for your home. 

What Color Roof Lasts The Longest?

If you ask most home improvement gurus, they'll tell you that roof coloring doesn't really have much of an impact on your tiles' ability to last. What matters more is the material that your roof is made from, and that's actually backed by science. Though the tiling color doesn't impact longevity per se, there is some anecdotal evidence suggesting there is a color that may be more durable than the rest. 

Light grey and beige tiles are both rumored to be more durable than black tiles. This makes sense, considering that lighter tiles are less likely to undergo serious UV-related fading. While there is good reason to believe that light tiles may last longer, you shouldn't choose your tiles' shade based on how much longer they'll last.

At the very most, the extra durability that you might receive won't be too much. It's not going to stretch the life of your roof for decades. If you want to extend the life of your roofing, maintain it well, and choose a roofing material that's known for durability instead. 

What Are The Benefits Of Having A Black Roof?

While light roofs are known for having a great ability to reflect light and keep things cool, black rooftops have their own perks. In colder climates, black roofs are popular because they absorb and retain heat. This makes them more weatherproof in areas that are prone to snowstorms, sleet, and ice. 

Moreover, the heat of a black roof can transfer the heat it absorbs into the rooms below. This, in turn, can help reduce heating costs in colder climates. Some groups also suggest that having a black roof can help melt the snow away faster. So if you've ever wondered why black roofs are so popular in New England, now you know.

Conclusion

Having a black roof is a classic choice among homes in the Northern part of the country, and it's easy to see why. Black roofs are known for being great for cold climates and also being a subtle way to reduce heating bills in the cold. Of course, if you have a black roof, you will have to make sure you get a house color that works well with this cold-friendly color. 

For most homes, having a white, off-white, beige, grey, or blue home is the best possible pick. When choosing a house color for your home, it's important to remember that you don't have to settle for just one color. Modern houses often have multiple paint colors on their exterior, so if you're feeling a white home with black trim, go for it. It's all about making your home feel like your own personal paradise.

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