BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL

i dig it.

Lovely

Sorry, I don't like it.

Dwell magazine highlighted a house painted black last month? I loved the look of it.

Real cool.

its hard to tell from the pic, but I think what makes it "work" is not the color but the style of paint, which in this case is stucco.
If someone just bought black paint they would not get this look. I agree in general that stucco looks brilliant in deep colors.

That ought to help a lot with the Urban Heat Island effect. NOT.

Check out the photo on this page:
http://www.invisiblestructures.com/GreenBuilding1/heatisland.htm

Might also want to check into "Cool Roofs", like at the EPA:
http://www.epa.gov/heatisld/strategies/coolroofs.html

Results of dark colored roofs:

Over 90% of the roofs in the United States are dark-colored. These low-reflectance surfaces reach temperatures of 150 to 190°F (66 to 88°C) and contribute to:
* Increased cooling energy use and higher utility bills;
* Higher peak electricity demand, raised electricity production costs, and a potentially overburdened power grid;
* Reduced indoor comfort;
* Increased air pollution due to the intensification of the "heat island effect"

Benefits of light colored roofs:

Monitoring of over 10 buildings in California and Florida demonstrates that cool roofs save residents and building owners 20-70% in annual cooling energy use. These products reduce heat transfer to the indoors, lowering air conditioning costs.

An estimate of cool roof energy savings can be determined by considering the following factors:

* Air conditioning: cool roofs can reduce summertime energy use in air conditioned buildings. In buildings without air conditioning, cool roofs can improve comfort by reducing top-floor temperatures.
* Roof insulation: cool roofs save more energy when installed on buildings with low roof insulation.
* Attic radiant barrier: these structures reduce the energy saving potential of cool roofs.
* Attic ventilation: buildings with low attic ventilation see a greater benefit from a reflective roof.
* Local climate: cooling energy savings are typically greatest in areas with long, sunny, hot summers.

Maybe the black house needs to be renamed "Easy Bake Oven".

Gee, I think I got up on the cranky side of the bed this morning (at 2 friggin AM). Not that I could have slept through the morons doing the work around the complex that started at EIGHT AM. The only way it could get any louder is if they attempted to style my hair with the leaf blower.

I need coffee. Or a nap.

That's great info, True Blue. Thanks!

I think this concept would work up here in the Pacific Northwest. The way climate change is going, we'll have 3 days of sun this year....this Easy Bake house could help warm us up! LOL

I like it

I'm with TRUE BLUE on this one and i'm in Canada. We suffer the Urban Heat Island effect up here, too! Toronto is a killer in the summer months.

Black isn't cool.

The roof seems to be terracotta tiles. How does that relate to the dark v light roof debate? Also, it could be terracotta tile edges and then a basic light grey standard roof in the middle.
cranky!

Easy Bake house! You guys have awesome comments. Personally, I was thinking it was a little too goth for my taste, but it would be great for Halloween.

hey apartment therapy how about a section on exterior house colors...i did not find many features on this topic in general...

giant EZ bake oven = LOTS OF BROWNIES...yummmm

yeah maybe that exterior would be better suited to a cooler climate

I think it's fabulous-looking -- though since plenty of Colonial-style houses are charcoal with white trim, hardly a revolutionary concept -- but would hold off on making any pronouncements about energy usage until I could look at detailed studies about excess heat in summer vs. passive solar benefits in winter. Remember also that deciduous shade trees, other landscaping choices, and even size and placement of windows can make a huge difference. Dark neutrals are actually good choices when it comes to garden design. As Thomas Hobbs points out, designing a planting for a white house is like gardening around a big old refrigerator.

Heat was the first thing that came to my mind in sunny So. California. Dark colors absorb heat and that would quickly radiate indoors especially if the insulation is as old as that house (and likely no a/c). Gorgeous, but impractical for the locale.

SydneyBristow: Most people don't paint their home black, and the sun doesn't cease to exist after hitting the roof. If it hits black walls, the sun can be expected to do the same thing as it does to roofs.

Likewise, the images at the one site showed asphalt, grass, gravel, building sides, and what their temperature was.

Why, just the other day, I walked by a new store, that has one section that is black/dark gray on the outside. It was a huge difference in temperature, so much so that it was noticeable from a few feet.

There's a reason why solar panels are black and not white. And why this solar air heater is BLACK, not white:
http://www.cleanenergyinternational.com/product1_detail.htm

And here:
http://www.westernwashingtonsolar.com/prod03.htm

True Blue - You make a good point and prove that there is no word limit to the comments. ; )

My first two thoughts were, it looks neat, must be HOT!

I have horses and color is a major consideration when buying or painting a used trailed. Almost all new ones are white or gray. When I repainted mine I went with shiny "aluminum" It's a light gray with speckles. On one camping trip in the summer the temp at the floor was 96 degrees F and at the ceiling it was 106 degrees F. It had the windows open and it is not insulated, but I am pretty sure that if it was black, it would have been MUCH hotter.

That alone convinces me that I do not want a black house even if it is stucco. Stucco holds the heat over night and would end up hot and stay hot all summer long.

Why would black make something "dramatic"?

Odd or off-kilter color combos are used very often here in Ann Arbor. I love it!

True Blue - you rock. Have a latte on me.

Several years ago the NYT profiled a gay couple in upstate NY that purchased a huge, ornate Victorian house which they promptly painted black - all the trim, everything.

It was fantastic.

Does anyone else remember this?

We actually have a black modern house with a white, commercial roof. You can see here...

http://calvinflorian.wordpress.com/

The painted panels are hardy panel that is attached off of the house by furring strips which act as a vapor barrier for water - circumventing a need for gutters. It also helps keep it a little cooler.

Anyway, we chose black as the color for our house because we didn't want to be another typical white modern house. Regardless that modern homes aren't typical. We equally liked the idea of what landscaping and greenery would like against the house - even though we haven't had chance to do any landscaping yet!

To Doris loves art! - When I saw that Dwell magazine article I knew right then and there I'd finally found my house color. It 's not actually black, but a cool bluish charcoal. My home is a 1958 ranch with a large diamond shape in the cinder block. I'm going stark white with the trim. In my 'dull pastel' of a neighborhood I choose to stand out!