Look at this picture closely.  This is our current model home entry and I wanted today to share a little story that was behind the scenes regarding the roof.  First of all, this is a French Country home, so the emphasis is placed on details with respect to the roof and the underside of the roof- which is called the soffit.  Typically these homes are more stucco in nature, which can get bland if you don’t call attention to something cool outside of that.  For us, it was all about the roof.  So we get the contractor to lay out samples next to the house on an easel that is probably half the size of a sheet of plywood.  These tiles have color patterns that are similar, but if you look closer you’ll notice something else.  The tiles, as a finishing touch have a paint brush-type groove running front to back on the surface.  It’s minor, but you can see it.  Up close, it looks a little odd but once you put it on the roof it looks amazing.  One more thing- most tile roofs I see are laid in a very geometric pattern, in other words the tiles aren’t staggered.  Staggering doesn’t go with every style, and it’s a little more because the yield of the tile takes more quantity to cover the same amount of roof.  Jason and I both liked the look of the grooves and the staggered.  So we ask the contractor if that’s okay and he immediately gets fired up and says “no one’s doing that- it would be awesome!”  We have received a very favorable response from our prospects, but I would venture to say that most of them wouldn’t be able to pin point it, they just know it when they see it that it’s more cottage-like.  Don’t be afraid to try something new.  A little twist on a method can yield huge dividends in the design aesthetic of your home.