Paint Policy

Approved Exterior Paint Colors and Storm Doors

IMPORTANT NOTICE (June 8, 2010)

The Board is soliciting owner feedback prior to finalizing a significant decision – that is, the choice of new paint colors for the community, as well as the “roll out” process associated with it.  A determination on siding is also included. This change will ultimately affect all homes in the community.

Paint Colors

There are several reasons for the change. As many of you have noticed for a while now, most of our colors are old and give the community a dated look. This is key concern for many owners in light of recent declines in value and the desire to increase curb appeal. In addition, due to a mix up many years ago the last time the colors were updated, there are too many colors, resulting in the lack of a common theme, which most newer communities have. Duron, the original paint brand, was bought by Sherwin Williams. And probably most importantly is the fact that the community was split in two back when it was built, with Hutchison Grove Court and Dominion Heights Court receiving a more current look, and Dominion Way and Marshall Heights Court receiving an older, dated look. Although some homeowners have still been able to find the old colors, there is frequent confusion and mismatched paint because of their age, and additional confusion because of the color variations by street.

The ARC worked with a designer to propose an updated color palette for the community. In addition, they have proposed upgrading Dominion Way and Marshall Heights Court to the scheme used on Hutchison Grove Court and Dominion Heights Court. That is, common trim colors for the entire street, with owner-chosen colors on doors and shutters. They are:

• Common trim, community-wide: Napery semi-gloss (trim includes all soffits, enclosed porches, garage doors, and other trim).
  
  
• Owner-chosen colors for doors and shutters: chestnut brown*, hearthstone (gray),  black, redwood*, and craftsman brown (light brown) – all in semi-gloss. Some of these are available to view on the Sherwin Williams website by clicking on the names. Not all are available, so please consult this list:

Napery SW-6386
Tricorn Black SW-6258
Chestnut Brown DRN-990
Craftsman Brown SW-2835
Redwood DRN-942
Hearthstone DRN-996

• Storm doors: Owners may choose to match the color of their doors or use black. Note that storm doors are very easily painted.

* These colors are already on our list and still considered current – owners with this color would need to change the trim color only.

You can view color samples on our site at www.sherwin-williams.com by searching on the paint name. You can also see “real” samples leaning up against the fence of 7710 Marshall Heights Court.

Siding

As with our paint colors, our siding colors are out-of-date. Siding is also becoming an increasing problem in the community as our homes age, as holes and leaks are developing. The proposed siding color is “Adobe Cream”, by Charter Oak. Charter Oak is a quality siding, and owners wishing to purchase a lower quality, cheaper material could match the color in a lesser quality brand. 

Transition/Rules

Many owners have been waiting to paint until the new colors were announced. (This was a topic of discussion at the Annual Meeting.) House painting and siding replacement will now require an ARC Request Form. No two homes may use the same door/shutter color (an old rule that will be strictly enforced). This transition will result in more of a “patchwork” look for several years while it is being implemented. To make it easier for owners, the Board will coordinate two group painting arrangements to get lower costs for everyone who’s interested. You will not be required to paint until it is time to paint your house (when the paint is deteriorating). The general rule is to paint no less frequently than every five years both to protect your wood trim as well as for appearance.

September 2009: Please note that the Home Owners Association is aware that several of our paint color selections are no longer available. The ARC and the Board are considering options. In the mean time, no on will be assessed for violations of the paint policy for those colors that are not longer available.

Painting your home can be a costly and time-consuming job. If you have any questions at all, contact the property management company (see contacts ) before purchasing paint or beginning work. In the charts mentioned herein pay close attention to your street and the column headings.

PLEASE NOTE: When repainting, it is best to repaint the entire house at the same time. Some homeowners are repainting the lower portions of their home while not repainting the roof trim, soffit, or upper shutters. This practice will usually result in an ARC violation since the resulting house colors no longer match because of fading (e.g. all shutters are supposed to be the same color). In addition, the wood trim, particularly along the roof, will rot if the paint is not kept in good condition. This will necessitate either an expensive repair to the wood or more frequent painting to keep further rotting from occurring.

Much of the exterior paint for the houses in Marshall Heights is from Duron.   Duron Paints & Wallcoverings has a store in Falls Church at 358 W. Broad Street (703) 532-7300. Check the white pages for information regarding other Duron locations throughout the DC Metro Area.

Common Item Colors for All Streets

Storm Doors

The "Forever View" storm door is approved for use in the community. Some colors are in stock at Home Depot, but some of the colors require a special order. The use of any other door must be approved via the standard architectural review form. The goal of the storm door policy is to keep storm doors as unobtrusive as possible.

Approved House Colors

Click on the appropriate street name to view the approved house colors and storm doors.

• Dominion Heights Court
  
• Dominion Way
  
• Hutchison Grove Court
  
• Marshall Heights Court