Should You Choose Gutters or No Gutters for Your Home?
Should you professionally install gutters or no gutters? As the gutter experts, most homeowners are shocked when we tell them every home doesn’t necessarily need gutters. The truth is, your home may not need rain gutters if:
- You live in an area that doesn’t get much rain
- Your home has a very shallow roof
- You’ve already installed an effective rain diverter
- The ground slopes away from your home
- Your home has a 6” to 10” wide roof overhang
- You have an apron of stone, gravel, or concrete around your home with adequate drainage supporting it.
- You don’t mind expensive repairs.
For most residents throughout the Long Island area, however, the first scenario is a big problem. As a matter of fact, Long Island gets a lot of rain, which make gutters a pretty safe and smart investment. Continue reading to learn more about the key factors to consider when deciding if your home will have gutters or no gutters.
Gutter or No Gutters - Are There Gutter Alternatives?
The overall goal of a gutter system is to direct water away from your home prior to any problems occurring. Unfortunately, there aren't a large number of alternatives to gutters because even the best slope can be eroded over time by water.
However, as long as your roof has an overhang of a minimum of six inches past the walls of your home, you essentially have three alternatives:
- Pour a concrete apron around the foundation that slopes away from your home and extends at least six inches past the roof overhang.
- Instead of a concrete apron, stone or gravel can be used to catch the rainwater. This solution, however, requires a drainage system — above or below ground — to channel water away from you home.
- If you aren’t ready for a gutter installation, some homeowners install a rain diverter over the front door to prevent people from getting wet when entering the home.
How Do Gutters Protect Your Home?
Although gutter alternatives exist, the best solution for protecting your home is a gutter system. Gutters funnel water off your roof and away from the base of your home. If this water isn’t channeled, it’s more likely to collect and navigate its way into your foundation or slab to cause basement and crawl space leaks. In addition, gutters protect your home from:
- Foundation cracking and damage.
- Mold – standing water is an ideal environment for mold to grow in basements and crawlspaces.
- Damage to your paint.
- Insect infestations – standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitos and other insects.
- Rusting and rotting of exterior building products.
- Staining from the exterior of your wood framing, soffit, fascia, and outside walls.
- Erosion of topsoil, which acts as an additional measure of protection for your foundation.
Choosing the Best Gutters
Once you have made the decision to go with gutters for your home, the next step is to choose the best style and material for your gutter system. Make sure to ask your professional about potential future costs — such as gutter repair or replacement — for each material. costs in the future. so you can make the best decision for your budget and home. The most common styles of gutters are listed below:
- Vinyl gutters will not rust or corrode and offer a more economical price. However, these gutters can grow brittle and crack in the extreme cold.
- Aluminum gutters are rust-proof, lightweight, and can stand up in colder climates. Even so, aluminium isn't as strong as other materials and will dent.
- Stainless steel gutters are known for being virtually indestructible, but the biggest downside to these gutters are their price.
- Copper gutters are very similar to stainless steel gutters in being exceptionally durable as well as more expensive than other options.
How Much Gutter Does Your Home Need?
Determining the gutter size and capacity is a highly complex, potentially brain-freezing equation. It involves the slope and size of your roof as well as the average minimum rainfall you can expect in your area. Unless you’re a mathematician or aspiring to be one, most homeowners trust the seasoned experts at Ned Stevens of Long Island to deliver professional gutter installation.
Contact Ned Stevens of Long Island for Gutter Installation
Your home is most likely the largest purchase you'll make in your lifetimes. A viable gutter system is a small price to pay for the protection and peace of mind it provides. If you choose to forgo installing a gutter system, your repairs in a few years can easily be two, three, four, or more times as expensive than a gutter installation.
Best of all, Ned Stevens Gutter Cleaning of Long Island can help you make the most informed and economical decision. Since 1974, we have continually helped homeowners throughout Long Island choose gutters that matched their budget and home's exterior decor.
Contact Ned Stevens Gutter Cleaning of Long Island today for a free gutter installation quote.
