My house needs a new roof now that leaks may been detected. Should I go with a color (red) that goes along with the brick to blind in or with a color that contrasts? Any advice is appreciated.

Also, here is a video that does a 360 on the exterior of the house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU6RymFV_Sc

I like a black roof. goes with everything

Trying to match is almost always a bad idea, IMO. You need a contrasting color that complements the existing brick. Unlike James, I'm not a fan a plain black- at least for that style of house (and especially in your our climate- it would absorb a lot of heat!). Most shingles these days are multicolored, I'd probably go for that style in medium/light grayish hues.

Do you have any HOA or County/city regulations on your house? In Maryland, a lot of the HOA's will not let you change any color without permission.

Once you have double check that, I would go for the contrast. By having that contrast, it will help your house stand out; whether a rental unit or selling in the future. 

If I were in your shoes, I would put a gray roof on.  I lighter color roof holds less heat, which in turn means the in the summer time in the south, your house doesn't have to work so hard to stay cool. Also, with no shutter on the front, there would be just a little more contrast on the house.

@Jeff Lee  I would def contrast it, and its a simple roof so you may look into metal. If you can save a tearoff by using metal is may be just as cheap, less hassle, and faster to use metal. Just my thoughts, we really like the metal (no blown of shingles) if we have a blown off metal roof (which we havent) then that would easily justify a insurance claim. Less maintenance is always better.

Originally posted by @Thomas Fleming :

Do you have any HOA or County/city regulations on your house? In Maryland, a lot of the HOA's will not let you change any color without permission.

If I were in your shoes, I would put a gray roof on.  I lighter color roof holds less heat, which in turn means the in the summer time in the south, your house doesn't have to work so hard to stay cool. Also, with no shutter on the front, there would be just a little more contrast on the house.

There aren't any HOA issues and I would prefer a lighter color for less heat.

For those in favor of a contrasting color, what color - other than black - would you go with?

Always go with a contrasting color. Even if you color match perfectly, the roof and the brick will fade at different rates.

Like James I prefer black, but if you want to avoid black I would go with a slate gray.

Talk to your roofing contractors.  While there are color options, there are generally one or two super common colors, the basic browns that most people use and they have in stock for less money.  Last time it saved me $600 on a smaller property of mine to switch to the common color they buy in bulk vs going back with a similar dark grey that was on the house.  I had white siding so i might have more options than you, but this is the same color that is on my primary residence with red brick as well.  And again, these are the main colors, not ugly rejects they are trying to get rid of.  If I remember correctly, it was Weather Wood color.

That must be location specific. Dark gray  or black is definitely more common than brown here.

@Jeff Lee  Might check out these guys I found them via google so never used them,  I would go with a light stone color or evergreen. Are you keeping the house red? http://www.metaloutlet.com/colorchart_new.htm

Evergreen? Hmm, don't know about any green color. Looks too radical for me!

Yes, the rest of the house will be the same color as you see in the video.

My next roof on my house will be a metal roof .  It will also be my last roof .

Hey Jeff, I work as a regional training manager for GAF. You can call one of our Certified contractors and they can show you what your house would look like with any shingle we manufacture. It's an awesome app called the virtual home Remodeler. Feel free to contact me and I can give a few names and numbers of some reputable certified company we have in your area. FYI, New Orleans is hosting the International Roofing Expo during the last week of February. I'll be attending the GAF booth if you wanna stop by. Good luck

Jake

@Jake Landry  - can you pm me info on the expo? I'm a contractor here in NO and might try to attend if I get a chance. It's sad to say, but as much as I travel for conferences, trade shows, and stuff, I always seem to miss the ones in my own back yard. I don't do a lot of roofs right now but am thinking that we should be due for another storm in the next few years, and I'd like to get certified before that happens.

@Jeff Lee  - I agree with the contrast. Weathered wood and the grey are very popular here. 

Thanks for the advice. When I looked at the sample board, my first choice was Weathered Wood as well.

@Jake Landry  - you didn't mention the Cool Series:

http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential/Products/Sh...

I believe Weathered Wood can be found in that series ...

iko dual black is what I would use, second choice if I wanted to lighten it up a bit, would be iko driftwood. 

Both would work well

If you use lighter colored shingles, the house may be a little more energy efficient since you are in a warm climate.