We’re not suggesting green camouflage is the next big trend for pillows, curtains, or duvets — but a little curbside camouflaging can make a big difference. Here’s how our house looked after some much-needed shrub pruning and removal (we even had friendly strangers dig up our old bushes for free).
Once the overgrown hedges were gone, the front of the house looked a little bare — and the propane tank by the chimney became painfully obvious. It had been hidden by foliage for years, and without that cover it stood out as an unsightly gray block against the brick.
We planted two dwarf Alberta spruces—one in front of the tank and one on the opposite side for balance—that should eventually grow to about 6 feet tall and 30 inches wide to screen the tank. But because waiting for growth isn’t our strong suit, we opted for a faster fix: paint.
The plan was simple: paint the propane tank a deep brick red to blend with the house facade. Since the tank belongs to our propane company, I called them first to ask for permission. Fortunately they said yes. Their only caveat: “don’t paint it anything crazy like black, but red is ok.” We picked a quart of exterior paint that matched the brick as closely as possible and applied two brush coats. Here I am getting started:
After the paint dried, the tank looked much more attractive and harmonized with the brick exterior:
From the street the result is subtle and effective. For roughly $14 worth of paint, the propane tank blends in instead of drawing attention:
Once I had a brush in hand, I didn’t stop at the tank. I called the power company to confirm whether we could paint the gray utility boxes on the back of the house. They told us anything attached to the house was ours to paint, so I tackled those next. I was so eager to start that I forgot to take before pictures, but here they are mid-project:
A quick coat of the same brick-red paint transformed the utility boxes so they’re far less jarring from a distance:
So that’s the story of a quart of Sherwin-Williams “Red Barn” and a strong urge to disguise gray eyesores around the house. Small paint projects like this are inexpensive, quick, and yield a big visual payoff.
An Additional Disguise Trick
If you want another way to hide exterior utility clutter, we also built a simple outdoor shelf and used plants to conceal our electrical boxes. It’s an easy, attractive solution that adds greenery while hiding the hardware.
