Colorful Homes

Like gemstones in the sand, they add a splash of color to an otherwise neutral palette.

Some people like them, and others despise them.

They’re colorful homes, and they’re popping up more and more frequently in Yuma neighborhoods.

Deeper exterior shades of brown, red and orange are becoming common. And boldly colored homes, such as bright pink and vibrant orange, can be seen amidst more traditional pastel and earthtone exteriors.

A bright house with bold interior trim

John and Natalie Hess recently painted their historic, two-story, Queen Anne-style home a bright shade of blue.

“It was an accident,” John said. “We wanted a darker blue.”

Natalie said she had wanted a deeper shade of blue because she thought it would be more suitable to the neighborhood. “I wanted something bright, but I didn’t want it to stick out all that much. I wanted a more muted blue, but it turned out this color, and I like it.”

The neighbors like it as well, she said.

“So far, everybody that has commented has liked it,” John said.

The trim is white, and the couple painted the front door bright red to match the red Swedish mailbox on the veranda.

They pulled the color into the home as well. They painted a kitchen door and some of the interior moulding the same shade of red, a vibrant accent for the white walls. They also used bright green on some of the interior moulding and trim.

“Here I can do whatever I want to, inside of my home,” Natalie said. “I do think colors do a great deal for you, to lift your spirits ... and make it a nicer, brighter place.”

But she admits not everyone shares her taste for bold color. “The guy who painted the green, he was appalled by it,” she said, laughing. “He said, ‘God, I’m glad I don’t have to live in this house!’ “

The Hesses are converting their home to a bed and breakfast, but they did not decorate the guest rooms with bright colors. “I didn’t dare use them in the guest rooms because not everybody likes them,” Natalie said. “But in my own space, I can use them.

“I lived in Sweden for many years ... it gets very, very cold and dark in the winter, and so the farmers in Sweden make their interiors very vivid, very bright, very colorful ... to sort of bring in the light.

“It’s the idea of creating a very comfortable and alive interior space that will keep you happy.”

Is there a trend toward more colorful exteriors in Yuma?

There is definitely a trend toward more colorful exteriors, said Dale Sackett, sales representative at Mitcham’s Professional Paint.

People are seeing a wider range of colors because paint manufacturers are providing dealers with darker accent bases than previously, so the capability for mixing deeper colors now exists, he said.

Burnt orange, “orangey” browns and “purplish” browns have been popular for a while and are appearing on more home exteriors around Yuma, he said. “We’re mixing a lot of that.”

The trend may change, however. “You’re going to see a lot more blue-greens and blues this year because the manufacturers are giving us books with a lot of those colors,” he said.

Randy Jones, owner of Emerald Painting Co., also said there is a trend toward deeper exterior colors in the Yuma area. But the majority of them are reddish browns and deeper earthtones rather than brightly colored houses, he said.

“Trims used to be darker and walls used to be lighter, but now, they’re taking one deeper color throughout,” he said.

Previously, stucco bases (which differ from paint) also tended to be lighter, but they are now available in deeper tones as well, he said. People are also applying deep paint colors over stucco, he said. “Paint is easier to match than stucco if a wall is patched,” he explained.

How often are paint store employees asked to mix colors that seem unattractive to them?

“More times than you could imagine,” Sackett said, laughing. “We do a lot of blues and a lot of yellows that are pretty loud. But, honestly, I believe in ‘to each his own.’ “

Would he have such an accepting attitude if his neighbors painted their homes bright yellows, purples or pinks?

“If they’re beautifying the place, fixing it up, I probably wouldn’t mind,” he said. “But I live in a condo, so I don’t have to worry about that!”

What do the neighbors think?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Minerva Gutierrez, broker at Realty World & Associates, recalls visiting a friend at a housing tract where the houses were all neutral shades except one. Painted in various shades of purples and lavenders, it really stood out, she said. “The neighbors, the other property owners, called it the Barney house. They hated it.”

Another time, she showed a bright, mustard yellow home in a new, high-end housing tract when a neighbor from across the street complained about the bold color, Gutierrez said.

“The majority of people don’t like bright colors. They like the more neutral tract homes.”

Do boldly colored houses affect property values?

“It all depends on the neighborhood,” said Garland Condry, an appraiser with Real Estate Appraisal Services. A boldly colored house “could or could not” affect property values, depending on a variety of factors, he said.

“As an appraiser, I don’t know if it would affect the neighborhood without doing a market analysis. As a buyer, in my opinion, I would not buy a house next to a lime green house. The best way to sell a house is to have it conforming to the neighborhood.”

If a boldly colored house is not conforming to the neighborhood, it could affect property sales, he said. But the color probably would not affect the value of the boldly colored house because it could be repainted, he said. “Paint is cheap and easy to redo.”

Gutierrez also said a boldly colored house could affect property sales because it can influence buyers’ opinions.

Contact information

•Real Estate Appraisal Services is located at 9379 E. Buckboard St. in Yuma, and the number is 342-3315.

•Realty World, Minerva

Gutierrez & Associates is located at 875 W. 32nd St., and the number is 344-6767.

•Emerald Painting Co. can be reached at 329-6571 and is located at 1263 S. 5th Ave.

•Mitchum’s Professional Paint is at 2260 E. 16th St. The number is 783-2959.