Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?
The number one thing to consider when you are planning to install new gutters is, “Why?” This question will help to answer many of the subsequent questions you’ll have before making your ultimate selection.
In our experience as a local gutter service, here are only three reasons homeowners might be shopping for new gutters:
An Upgrade – Installing new gutters can really affect the exterior style of your home, improving its look in a subtler way than painting or new landscaping.
A New Home – Designing a new home comes with a lot of decisions about appearance and functionality. Gutters are one of them. Choosing the gutters that go on your house is important because they should last approximately 20 years.
A Renovation – If your roof is damaged, the gutters may need to be replaced. Or, they could simply be wearing down and need to be replaced with new ones.
You know why you are replacing the rain gutters, but the reason often has underlying motivations…
You want to sell your home.
You want to renovate but not spend a lot of money.
Your landscaping is being damaged by ineffective gutters.
Figuring out your “Why” will provide direction while you are shopping for new gutters. You’ll know which features are worth spending your money on or if you can choose a less expensive product.
Here are the major questions you’ll need to ask when it’s time to install new gutters.
HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?
The fun part about choosing new rain gutters is picking out the materials. Gutters can blend in or stand out against your house, depending on your preference.
These are the options you will have, 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 will wear down. Vinyl and plastic gutters are efficient in nearly every region of the country, and they come in a wide range of colors.
METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS
These reasonably priced materials are both attractive and durable. Both materials come in a variety of colors as well. They are fairly light and easy to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) withstand rust and corrosion even better.
COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS
Of all the rain gutter materials available, copper and stainless steel are the most expensive, but the most eye-catching as well. Homeowners in Somerville who choose these options are searching for an elegant touch, and that’s just what they’ll get!
WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?
Almost all of the gutter options above will offer these options:
SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS
Sectional gutters – These types of gutters come in smaller sections, so they’re easy to install. In fact, most homeowners choose to install their own sectional gutters. This type is the more affordable choice, and they have more seams, which means more sections where leaks are going to occur.
Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters should be installed by a professional contractor because they require special tools. They are 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 popular because they look excellent with virtually any style of home. They’re better for angled roofs, which are far more common. This speaks to their popularity. In addition, they are not hard to install. Most homeowners are proficient enough to install their own K-Style gutters.
Half-Round – Half-Round gutters are traditionally 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, more modern styles made out of vinyl and plastic provide the best of both worlds, because they are lightweight and highly functional. Half-Round rain gutters are a lot harder to install, but easier to clean out, when the time comes for gutter cleaning.
DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?
The climate of the city you live in will dictate a lot about which gutters you should purchase. Like we already mentioned, some materials don’t hold up in extremely cold climates.
The most important climate factor to think about is how much work the gutters will have to do. Basically, how much rain or water are your gutters going to need to withstand?
Professional gutter companies in Somerville can take many factors into consideration to get a good idea of the size and type of rain gutters that will work best for your roof.
WHAT IS THE FORMULA?
Luckily, the formula professional home exterior 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 online on the National Weather Service or the U.S. Weather Bureau website. You should also check 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 basic length times width calculation for residential roofs. But, you will 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. Determining your roof-pitch factor will help you estimate how much rainfall will be collected, regardless of the average rainfall statistics found online.
DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?
Snowfall is going to be factored into precipitation calculations, but you also want to consider the potential for ice dams forming on your roof. If it snows often in your region, you need to seek professional guidance concerning the type of rain gutters that help to prevent ice dams, which could severely damage your home’s roof.
Of course, the final question is arguably the most important …
HOW TO INSTALL GUTTERS?
You also need to ask yourself if you’re going to do the work yourself, or if you are going to hire a professional to install your new gutters. Professional installation ensures efficiency, instead of doing it yourself.
Most homeowners are better off paying a little extra for labor, knowing that the job will be done right. Another bonus of hiring Somerville Gutter Solutions to install the gutters is that we will help you answer all of your questions about new gutters so that you are able to find the best style and type for your home.