My add on question: Where does one go to research historic paint colors?

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pro/paint_colors/paint_color_samples/paint_color_palettes/exterior/ext_victorian/index.jsp

For a few historic paint color schemes (but only a few). There are also TONS of books on Amazon; search "Painted Ladies" (another word for colorfully painted Victorian houses). There are also a few websites devoted to them, but they're somewhat lackluster.

I immediately thought of this house when I saw your house, but I don't know if blue is your thing or not. The shingles clapboard reminded me of it!

http://www.theestateofthings.com/wp_teot/2010/05/17/indiana-project-exterior-paint-color-3/

And one more link, with more links at the bottom of the linked page!

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/architecture-and-design/choosing-exterior-paint-schemes.shtml

My first impression is this house should be a pale creamy yellow with light grey trim it would tie in with the grey roof.

Regardless of your color choices, I would paint all the shinges the same color and the clapboards the other color rather than breaking up the shingles.

In addition, I'd be inclined to choose a dark/earthy color for the first floor, a medium color for the shingles and a lighter color for the trimwork (steps, columns, railings, soffits, brackets, windowcasings, etc) - but I'd avoid greys completely as that would blend in too much with the roof.

Were it my house, I think I'd consider a Deep Brown for the clapboards, an evergreen shade for the shingles, and a creamy-gold shade for the trimwork.
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pro/paint_colors/paint_color_samples/paint_color_palettes/exterior/ext_arts/index.jsp

If I'm correct, the style of your house is Dutch Colonial. I suggest doing a little research to find what colors you feel compliment the house and the area. Is there an Historic District Commission that you have to get approval from? Also, go around your neighborhood and the surrounding historic neighborhoods, it's a great place to find ideas and inspiration.

I use flickr and some other "old house" websites

Here's a monochromatic 3-story: http://www.flickr.com/photos/misterdna/132093289/

Here's a DCR in beautiful greens and red, I wish I had a pic of my neighbor's, it's similar
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93174672@N00/3303241229/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jputnam/489068935/

http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/styles/dutch-revival.htm
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,1205796,00.html

First and foremost, I'd keep all the floors one color and look into the Ralph Lauren paints which I highly recommend.

I was thinking of going with a light grey coat for your house like the Ralph Lauren Natural color Plantation (RL Number: NA43 with a Cathedral Gray (RL Number NA44) trim for the windows and railings.

Stick to neutrals and earth tones like khaki, grey, white, or black since a more vibrant color may turnoff some prospective buyers and resale value.

I would highly recomment using Sherwin Williams' Color Visualizer. It's pretty realistic and takes a lot of guess work out of chosing paint colors.

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer/

*recommend

Wow, so I totally missed the last half of the post... I like your color choices! I still stand by the recommendation of the bottom two in Phila and the top in Mayflower Red, though. I think the top two in Red might be top-heavy.

historic ? doesn't look very historic to me..
How old is the house ?

"...and look into the Ralph Lauren paints which I highly recommend."

Um, Ralph Lauren doesn't make Exterior paint.

I agree with keeping the floors one color. I'm also not a fan of cream, because it already looks like a faded white, and just seems to add to the age of the house. In JP you can go a little more modern with your color scheme.

If you wanted to do a light gray for the exterior walls, a dark gray for the window trim and a nice bright white on the railing and lattice, that could look good. I'd also try to work in some red and yellow accents with flower boxes, or a painted front door.

I'm wondering what the deal is with the long, cream-colored horizontal bar across the third floor, just above the bay windows. Unless it's important for weatherizing, can you have that removed? Or paint it the same color as the house? It just cuts the third floor in half and looks like tape. Same thing for on top of the second floor. Just from looking at it I get the impression the ceilings are lower than they probably are.

Go nuts! You live in J.P.! You're lucky enough to live in an area where you could get away with painting your neon green with rainbow polka dots and nobody would bat an eye (although that would be pretty ugly). Be creative! Don't be afraid of color. Please choose a scheme that is in total reaction to the boring beige you've got now.
-your neighbor

http://www.cruzweb.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/heidleburg-polkadot-house.jpg

"I'm wondering what the deal is with the long, cream-colored horizontal bar across the third floor, just above the bay windows. Unless it's important for weatherizing, can you have that removed?"

Those are called "frieze boards" - They're an architectural trim piece that's common to the Shingle Style architecture of this house. (Just because it has a Gambrel Roof doesn't mean it's a Dutch Colonial) They run all the way across the facade to help emphasize the horizontal lines of this tall house.

Removing those frieze boards would be like removing a bay window from a Victorian house, the portico of a Neoclassical house or the divided-lite windows of a Colonial...
...and would involve re-shingling the house and weaving in new shingles that may not line up or match the older shingles.

I would commemorate the roof color by painting the house ONE color, a dove gray. Benjamin Moore Historical Color 169 would be beautiful. (You are right to go with Benjamin Moore. They make the best paint available.) I would do the trim in white, the porch in gray to match the roof, and use red in flower pots. You have to think of resale value. If you MUST have red, paint the porch floor red. It can easily and cheaply be changed when you are ready to sell.

Try these guys:

http://ipaintingco.com/Portfolio.html

They do a lot of the houses in Cambridge, mostly historic properties.

Sorry, it's late. I actually meant these guys:

http://www.scotlandpaintingco.com/gallery_ext.htm

Although the first link is pretty good, too.

Okay, I live in an area that has this type of house like crazy. Some are done very well, others not so much.

First, do NOT do cream or yellow. It's too big a house for that, and it will just be dirty a blah looking. Second, you need a pallet of 3 colors on a house this large. One for trim, one for all the shingles and clapboard (I'm rarely a fan of splitting them, the bottom will look squished under all that top of a different color) and one for pop. My neighbor just painted their place in a rich creamy brown with cream accents and did all the window frames and doors in red/orange. Brilliant. somewhat like this, but with brown base: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jputnam/489068935/

If you are not a fan of brown or mushroom-y green or red...gray would be okay, but get creative with the trim, pick a purple or a red or an orange. A large house like this needs some weight to it and something to make the details pop, otherwise it's just a hulking beige monolith.

There's a house near me that uses a coolish burnt umber brown for the shingles - almost as if they could be stained instead of painted - and then the trim is a warm sienna-reddish brown. Mixing browns isn't something I'd ever consider until I saw this place - it looks really great, while maintaining a natural vibe. And you could easily keep some highlights of cream for detailing, and give yourself a fun door, if you're so inclined.

Karen- if you're so inclined, there are people who do historic paint color analysis and determine what color your house was painted based on samples they take from the building. I know, because it's what I do for a living! It's a really great way to see how your house was finished originally and over time.

But if you're not as into paying for those services there are a lot of great books out there that you can use. But one of my favorite resources is actually ebay. Search for historic postcards of houses and you'll see some great tinted images that can give you ideas.

Or better yet, if you know when your house was built search for catalogs by Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams made in that period, they'll provide lots of great ideas for "historically accurate" color schemes.

But in general, most paint companies have a range of "historic colors" that are generally pretty accurate and suit a variety of different house types.

I live in JP. There are a lot of great colored homes on Chestnut Ave and near Green St. I'd suggest taking a walk around the neighborhood for inspiration. That's how we chose our color.
-Erica (living in JP and loving it)

So many ideas! In case you want a peek at the opinions of what constituted a dignified paint job back in the day ... http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/outside/color/goodhouse-badpaint.htm ... I'm kind of digging the gray and brown 3rd down on the right. Painting is such a big job I wouldn't want to mess it up with the wrong color. ~R

Shermin Williams makes great paint (and spends less on advertising than Benny Moore) and has introduced a paint guaranteed as long as you own your home (Duration). Take that BM fans ;p

Agree with above - creams whites greys - not appropriate. Check out Old House Journal for the real color schemes. They also used to (amy still) have a column just for this and a professional colourist would advise. If no longer avail, there are def some Shingle styles they commented on.

hth.