The Power of Paint: Before and After Home Exterior

Laura Wakefield
Sep 8, 2025
2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

I fell in love with this house the first time I laid eyes on it. The bay windows let in so much light, and the overall charming essence of it appealed to me. It was built in the 80’s, so I knew it needed a little updating. Ok, let’s be real. It needed a TON of updating, but still it felt like home right away. I had a vision for it’s full potential, and we got a great deal on it, because it seems not many others could see past this sea of green. Roof, walls, trim - it was a lot of green, and the paint wasn’t in great shape anymore either. It was time for an update for sure.

Two-story suburban house with a large tree in the front yard under a sunny blue sky, calm daytime scene

I knew I wanted to lighten it up, but I took awhile (agonizing and polling my friends for opinions) deciding what color to go with. Who knew there could be so many different shades of beige and white?

From experience I understood that paint colors can change a lot when magnified over a large area, and may also look vastly different depending on the lighting. So I chose a few contenders, and put swatches on the side of the house.

Partially painted house siding with fresh white stripes beside a brick corner and window, showing a home repair in progress

Once I narrowed it down to my top three, I covered a larger area with each and lived with them for a month. I wanted to see how they looked at different times of day, to be sure I was making the right choice. I didn’t want a shade that was going to take on yellow or blue tones. I wanted a crisp, clean look and feel.

Exterior house wall being repainted, with primer patches, green downspout, potted plants, and paint cans on a wooden deck.

Painting your home is a huge commitment, so I took color selection very seriously. I’m so glad I did, because I am going to live with my decisions for many years. Ultimately the winner for us was Benjamin Moore’s “White Dove.” We went with a black roof and accents to compliment the soft white backdrop, and the results are stunning.

Sunlit white two-story house with black shutters and porch, front walkway, and shrubs in a quiet suburban yard.

This is the power of paint to transform and update a home. It’s been so thrilling to see our vision become reality. This is how our home looks today. It still needs a lot of work in the landscaping department, but we will get there slowly but surely. If you’ve been on the fence about painting your exterior, I’d encourage you to go for it. It makes a tremendous difference visually, and when done well can increase the monetary value of your home far beyond the cost of the project. The most significant immediate benefit to us though, has been that now our home reflects our personal taste and style. It feels like us, and we love it!