Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?
The number one thing to consider when you are purchasing new gutters is, “Why?” This pivotal question will help to answer the questions you’ll have before making your ultimate selection.
In our experience as a local gutter service, here are three reasons homeowners will be shopping for new gutters:
An Upgrade – Installing new gutters can significantly affect the appearance of your home, improving its look in a subtler way than painting or new landscaping.
A New Home – Designing a home comes with a lot of of decisions about both appearance and functionality. Rain gutters included. Deciding on the first gutters that go on your home is important because they will need to last approximately 20 years.
A Renovation – If the roof on your home has experienced damage, the gutters may need to be replaced. Or, they may simply be deteriorating and need to be replaced.
You know why you are installing new rain gutters, but the reason often has underlying motivations…
You want to sell your house.
You want to renovate but not spend a lot of money.
Your landscaping is getting damaged by ineffective gutters.
Figuring out your “Why” will often provide direction while you are shopping for new gutters. You’ll know if certain features are worth spending money on or if you can go with a less expensive product.
Here are the questions you’ll have when it’s time to install new gutters.
HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?
The best part of installing new gutters is choosing the style. Gutters can blend in or stand out against your house, depending on your preference.
These are the options for materials, in order of lowest to highest cost:
VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS
Vinyl and plastic are affordable choices that hold up well in most cases, besides cold climates, where they can become brittle. Vinyl and plastic gutters are acceptable in most regions of the country, and they come in a wide variety of colors.
METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS
These mid-priced materials are both attractive and durable. Both materials are available in a wide range of colors too. They are fairly light and are not difficult to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) will resist rust and corrosion even better.
COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS
Of all the rain gutter materials available, copper and stainless steel cost the most, but the most stylish as well. Homeowners in South Bend who decide on these materials are searching for an elegant touch, and that’s exactly what they’ll get!
WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?
Most of the gutter options above will offer these options below:
SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS
Sectional gutters – These gutters come 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 less expensive choice, and they have more seams, which means there are more sections where leaks can occur.
Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters should be installed by a local contractor because they require special equipment. They’re more expensive to purchase and to install, but they are less likely to leak than sectional gutters.
K-STYLE OR HALF-ROUND GUTTERS
K-Style – K-Style gutters are far more popular because they look great with almost any style of home. They’re better for angled roofs, which are far more common. This attributes to their popularity. In addition, they are not hard to install. Most 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 are best for rounded roofs, popular prior to 1950, so they provide homes a luxurious, established appearance. However, modern styles made out of vinyl and plastic provide the best of both worlds, being both lightweight and highly functional. Half-Round gutters are harder to install, but much easier to clean, when it’s time for gutter cleaning.
DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?
The climate of your region may determine a lot about the gutters you can have. As we already mentioned, certain materials will not hold up in extremely cold climates.
The single most important climate factor to consider is how much work the gutters will need to do. Essentially, how much water are the gutters going to need to handle?
Professional gutter contractors in South Bend are going to take a lot of factors into account to get a good idea of the size and type of gutters that are going to work best for your roof.
WHAT IS THE FORMULA?
Luckily, the formula professional gutter contractors use is no 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 look into the maximum rainfall intensity for the city you live in. This is the max amount of rain that can happen within a 5-minute span.
Roof Square Footage – Square footage is a standard length times width calculation for residential roofs. However, you want to factor in 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 going to be factored into precipitation calculations, but you also want to be aware of the potential for ice dams. If it snows regularly in your state, you need to seek professional guidance concerning the type of gutters that help to prevent ice dams, which might severely damage your home’s roof.
Of course, the last question is possibly the most important …
HOW TO INSTALL GUTTERS?
You also need to ask yourself if you’re willing to try to do the work yourself, or if you are going to enlist the services of a professional to install your gutters. Professional installation will ensure maximum efficiency, instead of doing it yourself.
Most homeowners should consider paying a little extra for labor, knowing that the installation will be done correctly. An added bonus of hiring South Bend Gutters to install your gutters is that we are able to help you answer all of your questions about gutters so that you find the best style and type for your home.