Is black the new neutral? Black houses are certainly on the rise, and there’s no denying their chic appeal. But you may want to consider these cons before crossing over to the dark side: First, black houses absorb more heat from the sun than white houses. And black fades faster than lighter colors. For a full analysis, see Black Houses: The Pros and Cons of a Dark Painted Facade.

9. Selling your house? Consider a dark door.

According to Zillow’s 2018 Paint Color Analysis, which involved examining more than 135,000 photos from sold homes around the country to see how certain paint colors impacted their sale price, a house with a black or charcoal gray front door, on average, sold $6,271 more than expected.

10. Should you tip painters? Probably.

While tipping house painters is neither expected nor required, you may want to do so, especially if they exceeded your expectations in any way or went above and beyond for the job. How much? Some advocate tipping 15 to 2o percent, but on a $5,000 bill, that adds up to a whole lot. I like this advice I found in a Washington Post story better: It recommends a $10 to $20 tip, plus a glowing online review. “Even better than a tip, however, would be to give the painter a positive review on Yelp, HomeAdvisor or similar websites. And consider providing breakfast (coffee and doughnuts) or a pizza lunch for the crew.”

For more helpful information on painting your house, be sure to check out our Hardscaping 101: Exteriors & Facades design guide.

Plus, see the following for color inspiration:

N.B.: This post was first published July 2019.

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