Which Gutters are Right for Your Home?

The first thing to ask yourself when you are planning to install new gutters is, “Why?” This pivotal question will help you answer the subsequent questions you’ll have before making your final selection.

In our experience as a local gutter service, here are only three reasons homeowners will be shopping for new gutters:

An Upgrade – Installing new rain gutters can significantly impact the appearance of your house, enhancing its look in a subtler way than painting or new landscaping.

A New Home – Designing a home comes with a constant stream of decisions about both appearance and functionality. Rain gutters are one of them. Choosing the gutters that go on your house is important because they should last approximately 20 years or more.

A Renovation – If the roof on your home been damaged, the gutters may need to be replaced. Or, they may just be getting too old and need to be replaced with new ones.

You will know why you are installing new rain gutters on your home, but the reason often has underlying motivations…

You want to sell your home.

You want to renovate without spending too much money.

Your landscaping is getting damaged by ineffective gutters.

Figuring out your “Why” will provide direction while you are shopping for new gutters. You’ll know what features are worth spending your money on or if you can choose a more affordable product.

Here are the major questions you’ll want to consider when purchasing new gutters.

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

The best part of choosing new rain gutters is picking out the style. Gutters will blend in or stand out against your house, depending on your preference.

These are the choices for materials, in order of cost:

VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS

Vinyl and plastic are affordable options that hold up well in most cases, other than extremely cold climates, where they will deteriorate. Vinyl and plastic gutters are sufficient in nearly every region of the country, and they are available in a wide variety of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These reasonably priced options are stylish and durable. Both materials come in a variety of colors too. They are fairly light and are easy to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) are able to fend off rust and corrosion even better.

COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS

Of all the rain gutter materials, copper and stainless steel cost the most, but are the most eye-catching as well. Homeowners in CITY who decide on these options are looking for an elegant touch, and that’s just what they’ll get!

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Most of the gutter types above will offer these options:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These gutters are made in smaller sections, so they are easier to install. In fact, homeowners choose to install their own sectional gutters on their own. This type is the more affordable choice, and they have more seams, which means more sections where leaks can occur.

Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters should be installed by a professional contractor because they need specialized tools. They are more expensive to order and to install, but they are less likely to leak or wear down than sectional gutters.

K-STYLE OR HALF-ROUND GUTTERS

K-Style – K-Style gutters are far more popular because they look great with every style of home. They are better for angled roofs, which are far more common. This one of the reasons for their popularity. In addition, they are not hard to install. Many homeowners are capable enough to install their own K-Style gutters by themselves.

Half-Round – Half-Round gutters are usually made of copper and steel, and they complement rounded roofs, popular prior to 1950, so they provide homes a regal, established appearance. However, modern styles made out of vinyl and plastic offer the best of both worlds, being lightweight and functional. Half-Round rain gutters are much harder to install, but they are easier to clean out, when it’s time for gutter cleaning.

DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?

The climate of the region you live in will determine a lot about the gutters you should purchase. As we already mentioned, certain materials will not hold up in extremely cold climates.

The most important climate factor is how much work the gutters will need to do. In other words, how much water are the gutters going to have to handle?

Professional gutter companies in CITY can take several factors into account to determine the size and type of gutters that will work the best for your house.

WHAT IS THE FORMULA?

Luckily, the formula professional contractors use is not a secret. Here are the pieces of specific information you will need to decide how large your gutters should be:

Average Rainfall – This statistic is available on the National Weather Service or the U.S. Weather Bureau website. You should also check the maximum rainfall intensity for your area. This is the max amount of rain that can happen within a 5-minute span.

Roof Square Footage – Square footage is a simple length times width calculation for basic roofs. But, you want to figure all the surfaces of multi-faceted roofs.

Roof-Pitch Factor – A roof that is steep will collect more wind-blown rain than a less sloped roof. Knowing your roof-pitch factor is going to help to estimate how much rainfall will be collected, regardless of the rainfall statistics found online.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

Snowfall is included in precipitation calculations, but you definitely want to consider the potential for ice dams. If it snows a lot in your state, you need to seek professional guidance about the type of rain gutters that help to prevent ice dams, which can severely damage your home’s roof.

Of course, the last question is arguably the most important …

HOW TO INSTALL GUTTERS?

You also have to ask yourself if you’re going to try to do the work yourself, or if you want to enlist the services of a professional to install your gutters. Professional installation will ensure efficiency, instead of doing it yourself.

Most homeowners are better off paying a little extra for labor, knowing that the installation will be done correctly. Another bonus of hiring ACE Gutters Inc. to install your gutters is that we are able to help you answer all of your questions about new gutters so that you find the best style and type for your home.