How to Choose the Right Shingle Color for Wisconsin Homes

Will your shingle color clash with your siding? Look dated in 5 years? Age well over time? Affect your utility bills? Will your neighbors gossip about your choice behind your back?

Your roof covers your home. And it can make or break its curb appeal. This guide helps Wisconsin homeowners choose confidently, with visual tools, real-world examples, and roofer-approved advice.

Use Digital Tools and Real Samples to Assess Color Options

The CertainTeed ColorView digital tool is where you should start when you're ready to select a color. It is an Augmented Reality (AR) interface where you can upload a photo of your home, then test out what different shingle color options look like.

When browsing options, pay attention to the shingle family. Most customers go with standard Landmark or Landmark Pro class 3 shingles. If you are interested in a premium upgrade to Class 4 impact-rated shingles (perhaps because your insurer plans to discount your premium), stick to the NorthGate ClimateFlex family.

Digital tools are great, but once you’ve narrowed it down, always request physical samples. Tape them near your siding, check them in morning and afternoon light, and view them from the street.

A color that looks dull in your hand may look perfect on your home. Or a sample that pops online may clash in natural light.

A side-by-side look at popular shingle color options from CertainTeed’s Landmark® lines, shown here in natural daylight to better reflect real-world appearance.

The Roof Makes the First Impression

Your roof represents up to 40% of your home’s visible exterior. That means its color impacts how everything else looks: siding, stone, trim, landscaping. The whole picture.

A good roof color choice will:

• Complement your siding and trim (not clash)

• Fit the architecture of your home

• Blend naturally into your neighborhood

  
  

Roof color should be like a great bass player. It doesn’t need to stand out, but it has to hold everything together.

Temperature and Light vs. Dark Roofs in Wisconsin

Here in Wisconsin, we get freezing winters and hot, humid summers. So does roof color affect energy performance?

No, not really.

• Dark-colored shingles absorb more heat, which can help snow melt a bit faster and reduce ice dams.

• Lighter-colored shingles reflect more sun and may help keep attics cooler on hot summer days

  
  

But with a properly insulated and ventilated attic, the color of your roof does not substantially impact the temperature of your home's interior. At least not on average, over the course of the year. The minor seasonal impacts cancel each other out.

That means most homeowners are free to choose based on appearance and preference, not performance.

✅ Pro tip: Slight season-specific impacts are possible. If your upstairs gets noticeably hot in summer and you’re deciding between two colors, go with the lighter one. It might make a subtle comfort difference.

For more on how climate factors in, explore the ASHRAE Weather Data Center.

Architectural Style and Color Pairing (and Why It Matters)

Certain roof colors tend to work well with specific home styles. Not just because they’re popular, but because they create balance, contrast, and continuity. These pairings reflect decades of homeowner preferences, professional design advice, and visual proportion principles.

Here are some tried-and-true combinations for Wisconsin home styles:

• Colonial or Traditional: Charcoal, black, or weathered wood offer timeless symmetry

• Craftsman: Medium browns, muted greens, or gray-browns echo wood and stone elements

• Modern or Contemporary: Stark contrast (black roof, white siding) or cool slate-on-gray looks crisp and intentional

• Farmhouse or Barn-style: Soft gray or black roofs complement white siding and vertical lines

  
  

If your home has brick or stone, try to match your shingles to one of the darker tones in the masonry. This pulls the look together.

For deeper insight on architectural coordination, see Get Your House Right by Marianne Cusato.

What’s Popular in Wisconsin (and Why)

We work throughout Madison and surrounding areas in Dane, Rock, and Green Counties, and we’ve seen clear patterns in what homeowners choose. So we know what looks great across siding colors, seasons, and neighborhoods:

• Charcoal or Black: Clean, classic, and versatile. Hides stains and gives sharp lines. Blends in best with solar (panels or shingles)

• Weathered Wood: A textured blend of brown and gray that matches nearly everything from beige to brick to siding with stone accents

• Pewter or Driftwood Gray: Light-to-medium gray options that complement cool-toned siding like blue, green, or white

A few of the most popular shingle colors: timeless, durable, and HOA-friendly.

Homeowners sometimes ask about very light shingles or bold colors. These are absolutely valid options, but they do come with tradeoffs:

• Lighter colors tend to show stains, dirt, and algae more easily, especially in shaded or wooded areas

• Bold or high-chroma colors (like red, green, or bright blue) can look striking but may date faster or clash with nearby homes if not carefully chosen

  
  

It’s not that you shouldn’t choose them. Just know what comes with them, and make the call based on what you want long-term.

The latest CertainTeed 2024 U.S. Industry Trend Report provides even more insight into what colors and materials are trending nationwide.

See how a color change revitalized this Madison home

Roof Color and Resale Value

If you’re planning to move in the next 5–10 years, shingle color becomes a strategic choice. It may not be the first thing buyers mention. But it will set the tone the moment they pull up.

According to surveys from the National Association of Realtors and real estate staging consultants:

• A freshly installed, well-chosen roof can boost home value by 3–7%

• Neutral roof colors (gray, brown, black) are preferred by the majority of buyers

• Curb appeal accounts for up to 30% of a buyer’s impression

  
  

Colors with the broadest resale appeal:

• Moire Black (we install this more than any other color)

• Charcoal gray

• Weathered wood

• Slate gray or driftwood

  
  

The best color for you might still be bolder or lighter. Just know that neutrals typically keep the most doors open when it’s time to sell.

Speaking of things that increase resale value

Adding rooftop solar is another powerful way to boost your home’s appeal to future buyers. Learn more about the return on investment in our Why Solar guide.

Should the Roof Match or Contrast the Siding?

This comes down to personal preference, but here’s how the two approaches play out visually:

• High contrast (e.g., white siding with black shingles) emphasizes rooflines and gives a crisp, graphic look. It’s a favorite on modern, colonial, and farmhouse styles

• Low contrast (e.g., gray siding with driftwood shingles) feels softer, more unified, and slightly more contemporary

  
  

Either one can look beautiful. The key is making sure it feels intentional. If you're not sure, ask your roofer to help with side-by-side comparisons.

HOA Guidelines and Neighborhood Context

If you live in a neighborhood with a Homeowners Association (HOA), be sure to check their approved color lists before falling in love with a sample. Some associations restrict bold colors, certain shingle brands, or reflectivity levels.

Even if you're outside an HOA, it's still smart to look around your neighborhood. If you live on a street of brown and gray roofs, a fire-engine red one might feel out of place. That said, a tasteful deep green or barn red could work beautifully in rural areas or older neighborhoods.

It's all about context.

Don’t Forget: Gutters, Trim, and Stonework

Your roof color needs to work with more than just your siding. Ask yourself:

• Will this color match my gutters and downspouts?

• Does it fight with my window trim or garage door?

• Will it pick up the undertones in my brick or stone veneer?

  
  

Creating harmony across all those surfaces ensures your home feels polished.

How Shingle Color Pairs with Solar Panels or Shingles

If you're considering solar (now or in the next few years) it’s worth thinking ahead about how your shingle color will pair with panels or solar shingles. Most solar panels are dark blue or black, and most solar shingles (like CertainTeed Solstice®) come in deep charcoal tones to mimic traditional roofing. So what pairs best?

• Darker shingles (e.g., Moire Black) blend almost invisibly with solar shingles, helping them disappear into the roofline for a maximally sleek aesthetic.

• Mid-tone shingles (charcoal, gray, or brown) still work well, especially if solar will only cover part of the roof.

• Lighter shingles tend to create high contrast with dark solar, which can emphasize the contrast between asphalt and glass. That's not always a bad thing.

  
  

There’s no right or wrong here, but if aesthetics matter to you, it's smart to think about solar integration before locking in a roof color.

✅ Bonus tip: Some homeowners intentionally choose darker shingles so they’re “solar-ready” for the future. Even if they aren’t going solar just yet.

Shingle Color and Bifacial Solar Panels

Over the past few years, a newer solar technology has been gaining attention: bifacial solar panels.

Unlike standard panels, which only generate electricity from the sun hitting their front surface, bifacial panels capture light from both sides. Including sunlight that bounces up from the surface below. This design makes them especially effective in open or reflective environments. On ground-mounted arrays, commercial rooftops, or flat roofs with light-colored membranes the underside of the panel can “see” extra light.

They’re not designed primarily for residential pitched roofs, since shingles sit close to the panel and reflect relatively little light. Still, some homeowners do choose to install bifacial panels on houses. It might be done for their high-end look, potential marginal efficiency gains, or because they’re experimenting with emerging tech.

If you’re one of those homeowners, your shingle color can make a small difference. Lighter shingles (such as Driftwood, Pewter, or Weathered Wood) reflect more light than darker tones, giving bifacial panels a bit more to work with. The effect won’t transform your energy production, but every few percentage points can add up over time.

If you’re curious whether bifacial panels make sense for your home’s design, talk with your roofer or solar installer about roof pitch, spacing, and reflectivity. For most Wisconsin homes, the benefit will be modest. But it’s worth considering if you value both performance and innovation.

Learn more about how bifacial panels work, or explore our solar-ready roofing options to see how your roof can support today’s most advanced technology.

How to Choose Shingle Color: Key Takeaways

• Your roof color affects curb appeal, resale value, and how well your home fits into its neighborhood

• Color rarely impacts home energy efficiency

• Coordinate your shingle color with your siding, trim, and architectural style. Don’t choose in isolation.

• Start with digital tools, then view real samples in natural light and from a distance before making a final decision

• If you’re in an HOA, get written approval for your selected color before installation

Final Tips (From Roofers Who Help Homeowners Pick Colors Weekly)

• Compare real samples outdoors, in different lighting

• Think about 20-30 years, not just what’s trending now

• Match tones

• Pick a color you’ll enjoy pulling into the driveway to see every day

Need a Second Opinion?

We help homeowners across Wisconsin choose shingle colors every week. Whether you already know what you want or need to talk through it, we’re happy to bring samples, show photos from past installs, and walk your property with you.

Reach out to Sun Vault Roofing (608-608-1082) for a free consult or just to talk color. We’re happy to help.