How to Choose Your New Gutters
If you want to add new gutters to your home, what do you need to consider? How can you decide on your new gutters? While this might not be a question that keeps you up at night, perhaps it should. If you make the incorrect decision, the drip, drip, drip of poorly-managed gutters could be keeping you up at night instead. Gutters are more than just the trough at the end of your roof line. They’re an integral part of your home’s water management system. As such, it’s important to choose the right gutters and make sure that they’re installed the right way.
If you do this, then you can rest assured that your gutters will not only protect your home: they’ll add beauty and value to it as well. Here’s how you can choose the best gutters for your home.
What Size of Gutters Do You Need?
One of the first questions that people ask about their gutters is about the capacity of the gutter, especially in climates where there is a lot of rainfall. You might also be concerned that your gutters need more capacity if you have experienced water moving up and over the sides of the gutters. Before you look into larger gutters, make sure that you don’t just have gutters that are clogged with leaves and other debris.
According to Bob Vila, “The most common gutter sizes are 5 inches and 6 inches, although 4 inches is available as well. Downspouts are commonly 2 x 3 inches and 3 x 4 inches in size or 3 or 4 inches in diameter.”
As you investigate what size of gutter to use, consider how much it rains in your area and how much it rains at one time. If rainfall tends to come down in one pounding storm rather than slowly and steadily throughout the day, you will likely need larger gutters. You also need larger gutters if you have a steep roof pitch, as the rain that does fall will move quickly into your gutters.
What Shape Should Your Gutters Be?
You’ll also need to choose a gutter shape. This depends in part on the style of your home and on the diversity of shapes available in your specific gutter material. The K style gutter looks like crown molding. Fascia gutters are relatively smooth and hidden. Half round gutters are open and have the open side facing the roof. This is considered to be the traditional gutter shape, although K style gutters have become more popular since the 1950s.
What Material is Best for Your Home?
What kind of gutter material should you choose? According to Bob Vila, “Aluminum is lightweight, resistant to corrosion, and available in a wide range of colors—and it’s also often the least expensive option.” Zinc gutters are strong and don’t require painting, while copper gutters are deluxe and more expensive than many gutter choices. Steel gutters are very strong, but they can be prone to rust, which weakens your gutters. Vinyl is just as inexpensive as aluminum, but you do need to watch for degradation of the gutter material over time. Your choice of gutter material will help determine the longevity of your gutters.
Should You Choose Seamless or Sectional?
If you’re looking for gutters and you want to install them yourself, chances are you’ve looked at a lot of sectional gutter options. These gutters come in pre-cut sections that you piece together to fit your home. However, there are downsides to having a lot of seams in your gutters. More seams mean that you have more places where your gutter could leak. Seamless gutters are made to match your home. While you need to work with a gutter company to install the gutters, it can be worthwhile to have fewer seams, which leads to less rusting and warping of your gutters in the long run.
Do you need to protect your gutters from falling leaves? Do Your Gutters Need a Gutter Filter or Cover?
If you’ve had trouble with clogged gutters or downspouts in the past, you know that you’ll need to work hard to keep your new gutters clean: or will you? If you install the right gutter protection, you may not need to clean your gutters at all. While inserts such as foam filters or mesh work for a little while, after some time they get clogged with debris, just like your gutters.
Contact a Professional
If you’re getting a new glasses prescription, you’d best contact an optometrist. If you’re getting new gutters, it’s best to connect with the professionals as well. A professional gutter replacement company can assess your existing gutters and look at the size of gutter that would best suit your home. A gutter company like Harry Helmet can also talk with you about gutter covers so that you don’t need to worry about cleaning your gutters in the future. By consulting with a professional, you can ensure that you make the right gutter choice for your home.
Decide Whether You Will DIY
Gutter installation can seem relatively simple, but it is actually complex in some ways. You might think that your gutter needs to sit right at the end of the roofline to catch the water, but did you know that the gutter needs to be installed on a slight angle in order to properly drain the water into the downspouts? If you install gutters yourself, you’ll install gutters with seams. Seamless gutters offer advantages, for instance, fewer seams can mean fewer places for leaks or other problems to develop.
Finally, your gutters need to stay clean. You need to determine whether you’ll install a DIY gutter filter or work with a professional to install a high-quality gutter cover that will work to keep your gutters clean for many years to come. Working with a professional gutter company can help you create a gutter system that functions beautifully and seamlessly.
At Harry Helmet, we’re here to ensure that you get the gutter system that you need. When you’re undertaking a gutter replacement project or adding new gutter covers, we’re here for you. If you want to learn more from the gutter experts about gutter guards and gutter installation, schedule a free estimate today.
