Sunday, January 26, 2014

Picking colours for our house - your help needed!

Tomorrow I have a meeting with Chichester Harbour Conservancy to discuss the materials we are using to finish our house. In our local area the Harbour Conservancy have a lot of input into planning decisions. They have an extensive policy document which details how building design can minimise its visual impact on the environment and the local council takes a lot of notice of their advice and recommendations.

By consulting with them tomorrow I hope to achieve their approval on the finish before I apply to get it officially approved by the council. We do already have planning permission, but this is a separate stage of approval we have to go through with materials prior to building.


As you can see from the artist's impressions, the finish of our house will be part render and part weatherboard. We are hoping to be able to finish the roof in something that looks like slate (but not slate itself as it costs a fortune!) and we hope to stick with white UPVC windows (all the windows at the front will be new, but many elsewhere are staying and are already UPVC.) However we do need to make decisions about he render and the weatherboard.

So, this is what we fancy for the weatherboard colour.... It's called Boothbay Blue and is one of those colours that looks grey or blue depending on the light. It should also meet with approval from the Harbour Conservancy as it blends in to the landscape well.

But what colour for the render? Should it match the weatherboard or contrast with it? I fear a light render won't meet their approval, but if we match the weatherboard will the whole house look like a battleship? Our front door will be red by the way, that bit fortunately has never been a matter for debate!

All opinions and comments much appreciated!

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19 comments:

  1. Like the idea of contrast. Why won't they approve light render? I wondered about white, matching the windows...

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    1. White stands out too much against the landscape. They don't even really like you to have white window frames, but as I say we have existing ones already...

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  2. Contrast - go a shade lighter than the woodwork?

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    1. Thank you, makes me feel so much better when a couple of people back up what you've been thinking! :-)

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  3. I think too much of the blue/grey would be overwhelming (although it is fab) I think a stark white would not be right either for the render. A softer grey perhaps?

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    1. That seems to be the consensus, SO useful to get a few people's opinions. :-)

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  4. I think a contrast would probably be good, but if you've got a nice red front door then I don't think it'll look too much like a battleship even if you have to stick to one colour!

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  5. I think a contrast would probably be good, but if you've got a nice red front door then I don't think it'll look too much like a battleship even if you have to stick to one colour!

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  6. Haha! This made me laugh. When we first bought our bungalow it was taramasalata pink! It was the first thing I changed for a dove grey, but the builders then called the house 'the battleship' from then on. Love the colours you have chosen. It sounds like a contrast would be good for the render too! Good luck - eek!

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  7. I love the grey with a splash of red.
    Sue x

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  8. The gray with a red door is a very classic crisp look. We had that on our last house that we built here in an Australian village. As to the render, I'd go with a shade or two paler in the gray. It will give you a slight contrast, but also break up the 'battleship' appearance. I took a break from journalism in the 1980s and trained as an interior designer in London, but bless your heart, you're doing it the harder way a module at a time. Best of luck with that, Clare!

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  9. The blue/grey is lovely, but I agree with the others, a softer shade for the render would be best. Do you have to have UPC windows at the front? Wooden windows are so much nicer, better for the environment, last longer( yes UPC does degrade) and are the same sort of price if you have off the peg ones, which you can do if building from scratch.

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    1. Only if you promise to come round and paint them every few years! ;-)

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    2. Yes , it's true you have to paint them, but with modern pre-painted windows from the factory they do not need painted so often. I apologise, I've just got a thing about UPC windows- I hate them. But you are going to have to paint the weatherboards and render, so adding the windows in isn't so much more

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  10. I would go with an off white, somewhat creamy colour. Doing the same here and I still drive around the neighbourhood looking for what is the right colour...

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  11. For my 2 cents worth, I would definitely go with a softer grey for the render. Combined with the different textures it will break up the "bulk" look of the house & help to blend more seamlessly.
    Good luck with the officials!
    Lush

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    1. I think you hit the nail on the head, that's what I'm looking for, a bit of "breaking up" of the surface...

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  12. It's going yo look gorgeous whatever you decide but a contrast sounds nice. Can't wait to see a photo of the finished house x

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