Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?

The number one thing to consider when you are purchasing new gutters is, “Why?” This important question will help you answer the questions you’ll have before making your ultimate selection.

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

An Upgrade – Switching out the gutters can significantly impact the curb appeal 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 decisions about appearance and functionality. Rain gutters included. Deciding on the gutters that go on your home is important because they will need to last at least 15 years.

A Renovation – If your roof 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 obviously know why you are replacing the rain gutters on your home, but the reason typically has underlying motivations…

You want to sell your house.

You want to renovate but not spend too much money.

Your landscaping is getting damaged by ineffective gutters.

Figuring out your “Why” will often give you direction while you are shopping for new gutters. You’ll know which features are worth spending money on or if you can choose a less expensive product.

Here are the questions you’ll want to consider when it’s time to purchase new gutters.

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

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

These are the options for materials, in order of lowest to highest cost:

VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS

Vinyl and plastic are affordable choices that are durable in most scenarios, other than extremely cold climates, where they can become brittle. Vinyl and plastic gutters are efficient in almost every region of the country, and they are available in a wide range of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These reasonably priced materials are both stylish and durable. Both of these materials come in a variety of colors too. They are fairly lightweight and easy to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) will withstand rust and corrosion even better.

COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS

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

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Almost all of the gutter options above will offer these options below:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These gutters are made in smaller sections, so they’re easy to install. In fact, many homeowners decide to install their own sectional gutters. This type is the less expensive choice, and they have more seams, which means more sections where leaks are going to occur.

Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters will need to be installed by a professional contractor because they need specialized tools. They are more expensive to order and install, but 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 excellent with almost any style of home. They are 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.

Half-Round – Half-Round gutters are usually made of copper and steel, and they recommended for rounded roofs, popular prior to 1950, so they provide homes a regal, classic 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 out, when the time comes for gutter cleaning.

DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?

The climate of the region you live in may determine a lot about what gutters you can have. As we mentioned, some types of materials don’t hold up well in cold climates.

The most important climate factor is how much work the gutters will have to do. Essentially, how much rain or water are the gutters going to have to withstand?

Professional gutter contractors in Revere are going to take many factors into account to determine the size and type of gutters that are going to work best for your home.

WHAT IS THE FORMULA?

Luckily, the formula professional home exterior 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 can be found 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 will occur within a 5-minute span.

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

Roof-Pitch Factor – A steep roof will collect more wind-blown rain than a less sloped roof. Figuring out your roof-pitch factor will help you estimate how much rainfall will actually be collected, regardless of the average rainfall statistics.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

Snowfall is included in precipitation calculations, but you also want to consider the potential for ice dams. If it snows a lot in your state, you should seek professional guidance about the type of rain gutters that best prevent ice dams, which can really damage your roof.

Of course, the final 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 hire a professional to install your new gutters. Professional installation ensures maximum efficiency, instead of doing it yourself.

Most homeowners should consider paying a little extra for labor, knowing that the job will be done right. An added bonus of hiring Revere Gutters to install your gutters is that we will help you answer all your questions about new gutters so that you are able to find the perfect style and type for your home.