Dark Roof, Light Roof: What the Color Decision Now Costs You

For years, picking a roof color was the enjoyable part. You looked at samples, thought about the stucco and the trim, and chose. The technical decisions were elsewhere. That has changed, and not only because of the rules.

Three things color now affects

• Whether the roof complies. In the hotter inland climate zones, reflectance requirements mean a standard dark shingle may not be an available option at all.
• How the house performs in August. A more reflective surface absorbs less. On a Valley afternoon that is felt, not theoretical.
• How the roof ages. Heat is what degrades asphalt. A cooler roof deck is a slower ageing roof deck.

The misconception worth killing

People hear "cool roof" and picture a white roof on a beige house. That is out of date by roughly a decade. Reflective performance in modern shingles comes from engineered granules, not from the shingle being pale.

Cool rated lines are available in the deep greys, charcoals, browns and weathered wood tones that suit the architecture around here. On the roof, most people cannot tell a cool rated shingle from a standard one by looking.

How to actually choose

Start with what is fixed. Your stucco, brick, stone and window frames are staying. The roof is the largest single surface on the house, so it should settle into that palette rather than fight it.

Look at real roofs, not a sample board. A four inch swatch tells you very little. Color reads differently across a whole roof plane, at a distance, at an angle. Drive the neighborhood and look at houses with a similar body color.

Look in the right light. A color that is handsome at midday can go flat at dusk. Our climate gives you very strong light most of the year, which tends to lighten and flatten everything.

Use the visualizer. The Design EyeQ tool lets you put colors onto a house rather than imagining it, and the style boards are a good starting point if you are unsure what you like.

Does a lighter roof look cheap?

A fair question and we get it often. The honest answer is that it depends entirely on the shingle, not the shade. A flat, single tone light shingle can look thin. A quality architectural shingle in a lighter blend has depth, shadow lines and variation, and reads as substantial.

The thing that makes a roof look cheap is a flat profile with no dimension, at any color.

Think about resale honestly

A roof is a long commitment. Fifteen years from now, the buyer looking at your house will care that the roof is in good condition and that it complies. They will not share your particular taste, so the safest choices are the ones that sit comfortably with the house rather than making a statement.

Browse the range on our shingle styles and colors page, or ask us to bring samples and hold them against your actual walls in your actual light. It takes twenty minutes and it settles the question properly.