Before I get into the roof, the paint, or any of the pretty parts, I want to start with the bigger picture. When we decided to redo the exterior of our little bungalow, we knew we wanted to do more than just give it a fresh coat of paint. We wanted every decision to feel intentional – from the roof and gutters to the windows, siding, trim, and shutters. We took a tired 1950s Florida bungalow and completely reworked the exterior, and I want to walk you through it the way it actually happened, because each decision led us to the next, and I’m so in love with the results!
What we started with
When we first bought this home, the exterior was just… tired. There was an old roof in need of updating, original asbestos siding, huge metal hurricane shutters that blocked so much natural light, and the windows had definitely seen better days. What mattered to us was that the bones were really good, the house just needed some TLC. I kept picturing a beach cottage that looked as though it’d always been there – something coastal, classic, and just cool. That’s where we got the inspiration to touch pretty much every part of the exterior, and naturally we started at the very top.
The Metal roof
We went with a standing seam metal roof from US Steel in their COASTALUME™ material. To be totally upfront the reason we chose metal was pretty simple: it lasts around 50 years. Here in Florida, a roof isn’t exactly a cosmetic decision. Between the sun, the salt air, and the storms we get every summer, it’s something you really have to think about long-term. While a traditional asphalt roof costs less upfront, you’re looking at replacing it every 12-15 years or so. And since we knew we planned to be in this house for a long time, it was pretty straightforward math for us – we’d rather pay more for something once than keep paying a moderate amount over and over again. And who am I kidding, it looks amazing too. What I realized quickly after is how the roof set the stage for every other decision we made (and everything attached to it).
the copper gutters
Ahh, the copper gutters (the ones from the driveway story). This was an element of our exterior renovation that originally felt like a far-off dream until I started weighing the cost and benefits. Once we knew the roof was going to last 50 years, aluminum gutters just didn’t make sense anymore since they’d need to be replaced two or three times underneath a metal roof that’s built to last. With this decision, copper actually outlasts the roof, and while it was again more money upfront, it’s less over the life of the house. We went with All Seamless Gutters out of St. Petersburg FL.
I’d be lying if I said the decision was purely practical. The copper is just beautiful. It gives this really warm and beachy line, where the roof meets the house and I fell in love with the clean yet classic look… Then there’s the patina. We decided not to seal the copper and just let it age naturally, and Florida is doing its thing very quickly. They’re already starting to look like they’ve been here forever, which is exactly the Southern charm we wanted to achieve.
the paint, siding, and trim
The color gave such a dramatic change to the look of our home. Something we get asked about all the time is the siding – our house has original asbestos siding, so instead of removing it, we painted right over it with Tampa Bay Painting Co. The siding was completely intact and undisturbed, and asbestos siding can actually last an incredibly long time (as was made obvious on our home after 70 years in FL weather). Removing it would have meant abatement and completely re-siding the house, which would have jacked up the price pretty quickly. We personally didn’t see a reason to disturb it and opted to just paint it. Obviously, if you have asbestos siding on your own home, talk to a licensed professional about your specific situation. Every house is so different!
We spent a lot of time making decisions on the colors for the exterior. One important decision was adding trim around the windows where there wasn’t any originally. Painting it in a coordinating color (Sherwin-Williams Hearts of Palm) gave the house a little more definition, almost like outlining the house to give it more detail and definition. The goal of this color palette was to give coastal without feeling like a beach rental: bright white and navy, braided rope, a starfish on the door… you get the picture. I was aiming for something soft, warm, and a little sun-washed (body color in Sherwin-Williams Arrowroote) that lets you know the ocean is close by without feeling nautical, and the final look still makes me smile.
The bahama shutters
The finishing touch was the Bahama shutters. We ended up going with a custom color using Sherwin Williams Rice Paddy and they are truly one of my favorite additions to the whole exterior. I love the way that they give a touch of island charm without being too in your face, which was a really intentional move on our part. They provide a new sense of architecture to the house by adding depth and a little shadow on the otherwise flat exterior.
Another really important element is the privacy they provide, which is especially nice on our small lot. Because they’re slatted, we still get plenty of natural light which is so important to making the interior feel spacious as well… which brings me to a question we get asked a lot.
“Doesn’t that make it so dark in there?” – which is reasonable to ask! I thought the same thing before starting to research Bahama shutters. So instead of trying to convince you, I’ll just show you. This is exactly how bright it is in our living room in the middle of the day. The shutters don’t block the light, they just filter it which is honestly even nicer in a small home. The Florida sun can often come blasting through the windows making every room super hot. With the Bahama shutters we get this softer light that feels cozy rather than harsh, as well as some heat mitigation which is such a great hack for improving energy efficiency.
The lesson in the renovation
And I think that’s one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned from renovating this house: the outside of your home deserves just as much thought as the inside. We approached the exterior as a whole, thinking about how every material, color, and detail would work together to make our little bungalow feel more like us. Small doesn’t mean temporary or a stepping stone to a “real” house. It’s a home we really love to live in, and this renovation was about taking what was already here and giving it the thought, character, and attention it deserved.
The Paint Colors — Save This One
- Body: Sherwin-Williams Arrowroote
- Trim: Sherwin-Williams Hearts of Palm
- Bahama shutters: Sherwin-Williams Rice Patty (custom)
Who We Worked With
- Roof: US Steel — COASTALUME™ material
- Copper gutters: All Seamless Gutters, St. Petersburg
- Windows: Zager Windows, St. Petersburg
- Paint: Tampa Bay Painting Co.