Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Moving Fast - Asbestos, Paint Colors and More

So for our very first project, we had the folks from Safe Environmental Solutions come in and remove the asbestos siding.  They told me it's a product called Transite, which was very popular in the 50's and 60's.  In the world of asbestos, this is one of the safer types to have.  It's very hard and not very 'friable' - the term for creating dust that creates issues if it is inhaled.

So in theory, we could have left it on the house.  But since we'll be putting on an addition, the siding should all match.  It's an expensive change, but it had to go!

And even though this isn't as dangerous as some other asbestos products, the guys still needed to use all the usual precautions, including lots of plastic to contain any potential dust, hazmat suits, and special containers to seal the shingles.

Oh, and they needed a shower setup, to completely shower off and make sure they didn't have any asbestos on their body when they were done.
What color is lurking beneath the asbestos???
First peek - Black clapboards!!
But the most shocking thing during the process, was discovering the color under the shingles.  It's black, or maybe a deep charcoal gray.  In New England, we have a lot of dark colored homes (in many cases wood shingles that have darkened over time), but I wonder when black was popular??  In the 50's or 60's, before this house was covered in asbestos shingles?  

Which do you like?  Black or Yellow/Aqua???
Once I recovered from the surprise,  I started to like it!  I started to envision how it could look with lots of bright, white trim.  

Who knew a black house could be so charming?
And while I was daydreaming about what color we would use for the house, an email popped up from the neighbors - they would be putting up a new fence in a couple of weeks.  The fence is right next to the shed, so if I wanted to do any painting or maintenance on the shed, it needs to be done now.  And of course the shed siding color and roof need to match the house!
The shed needs some TLC!!
Yikes!  I thought I had months to pick a color and instead I only have a couple of days.  So I got to work. As we've discussed before, when choosing the color for the exterior of the house, you want to pick something different than the neighbors.  There is a LOT of white and blue siding around the house, so those colors went off the list.

I went back into my folder of magazine clippings for color inspiration and was startled to discover I've collected lots of dark gray house photos over the years!!  Maybe this could work!
I've had some of these clippings for years!!!  But still like them!
And I saw this on Pinterest, which is pretty gorgeous!  Black with lots of white and a pop of color on the front door!


We are going to use Hardie Plank Siding on the house and thankfully they have a limited number of colors.  I picked out the 3 I liked best - one bold dark black/gray, one a bit edgy and one 'safe' choice.
Northwest exposure
Same colors - but don't they look different in this light???

I've put them on the main body of the house and on the shed, to see them in different light.  Isn't it amazing how different they look on different walls?  I've started getting input from some of the neighbors and have until tomorrow to make the decision!  This feels like such a nail biter!  Do you have a favorite?  


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13 comments:

  1. The dark grey is stunning; just think of the curb appeal! All your plants and shrubs will pop.

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  2. I like the dark gray....so the mid-color. The darkest one would be great, too. I do not care for the lightest color though....

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  3. The darkest one! Would be great with a bright front door and maybe some landscaping that features white flowers/flowering shrubs?

    Would be especially cool if you went modern/coastal with the interior & curb appeal elements.

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  4. I am 100% a fan of the dark charcoal, but I can see you going with the darkest color too. America does not need another tan colored house. :-)

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  5. I'm feeling the dark grey the most, then the black. Don't care for the "safe" one much.

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  6. The darkest!!! I love it! Will be gorgeous with white trim.

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  7. What are the color names? There are a couple of dark grays on the Hardie website ... but definitely one of the grays. Khaki, meh.

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  8. Iron Gray is the darkest, then Aged Pewter and Monterey Taupe.

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  9. I do like the dark gray..... but still worry it might be overpowering and look out of place next to a lot of beach cottages.

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  10. I'd go with the Aged Pewter. The Iron Gray is striking,but dark colors fade more quickly.

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  11. LOL I think there is a clear winner here - the darkest gray! Shocking to me as I never would have chosen it but was immediately drawn to it, No matter which you choose I know it will be stunning.

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