Painting the Roof

Sep 27

Drum roll…

We're thrilled to announce that we're embarking on an exciting project: painting our roof! This journey has been a thoughtful one, driven by our aspiration to transform our home into the vision we've always had, white painted brick with a dark roof.

Three years ago, when we undertook the task of painting our red brick exterior white, it was a revelation. The change was nothing short of remarkable, and you can delve into the details of that transformation in our previous post.

During that time, we made the conscious decision not to touch the roof, leaving it as it was. The red roof, a relic from the previous homeowners, had its own unique charm, evoking a Mediterranean vibe which we actually rather liked. However, our desire for a darker roof has remained a steadfast dream. Fast forward three years, and we're finally taking the leap to get the roof painted!

You can see below three years ago when we painted the roof, we tested a small area with the gutter in monument.

We will outsourcing the roof painting as there is quite a process.

PLAN

Assess the roof for damages
Professional clean with a power washer. (We also believe the tiles are original terracotta roof tiles that have been painted red! Cleaning this is a vital part before applying primer and new paint so it doesn’t peel off!)
Apply the primer
Repair cracked tiles, and re-pointing broken ridges
Spray the roof in monument
Add solar panels for power and hot water

FAQ

Won’t your house get hotter with a dark roof?

Good question, this was my very first question too. We are lucky to have a good roof foundation to start with. With good insulation and the pitch of our roof is rather steep, so the hot air tends to sit up top. Bonus, we also have whirlybird. A whirlybird roof vent works by spinning in the direction of the wind to produce a vacuum so as to suck up the warm air from the ceiling cavity.

So, will it get hot if the roof is painted dark? There are factors that need to be considered before going ahead, including understanding your climate. And of course it might feel a little hotter being dark, but won’t be noticeable. And it’s worth taking the risk for something you love!