GUTTERS. WHAT’S THE DEAL?

Gutters are important for maintaining the longevity of your home. Gutters manage the waterflow off of your roof and are a type of plumbing system. They channel all of the water from your roof and then disperse it to your downspouts pushing the water away from your home. A home without gutters has an increased chance of rot, rust, basement or crawl space water intrusion, and more issues. When a home does not have gutters there is also an increase in moisture to your siding which leads to mold, mildew and rot. Heavy amounts of water can also lead to major issues with your foundation. 

There are several different sizes of gutters. The new standard is 6” gutters, but they range in size from 4 to 8 inches. There are seamless gutters, half rounds, ones with internal hangers, and ones which are mounted with long nails. Any gutter system is offered in a wide range of colors to add whatever style you want to your home. Half rounds are the most expensive type of residential gutters, beyond copper and internal guttering systems. The reason why half rounds cost more is, because of the hangers required to mount them to your home.

Gutter Accessories

Gutters can have lots of options beyond the gutter itself. There are dozens of different styles of gutter guards, splash guards, and rain diverters - which sit on the roof to channel the water to specific areas of the gutters. There are cheap mesh gutter guards which are great and affordable for homeowners who do not have a ton of tree coverage. From there the options are flat, mesh, micro mesh, foam and helmuts. The finer the mesh the less apt pine needles and small leaves are to get stuck in the guards. Gutter helmets change the entire look of the gutter system. Not everyone prefers helmets either due to their esthetic or the price tag that comes along with them. They tend to be the highest cost when it comes to gutter guards. Gutter guards are typically a necessity on most homes as a gutter system can only work if it is clear and free of debris to keep water moving away from your home. 

Rain diverters can be necessary depending on what type of roof you have and how much water is flowing off. Rain diverters do exactly what the name says. They push the rain to new locations to add less stress to certain parts of the gutters system and prevent your gutters from overflowing.

Splash guards are also necessary at certain connection points on your gutter systems. Large roof areas that connect at a valley tend to push massive amounts of water into the corner of the gutters and can cause them to overflow. The splash guards prevent overflow and give a little extra height to your gutter system to allow the gutters to keep the water moving.