Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?

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

In our experience as a local gutter service, here are three reasons homeowners will be in the market for new rain gutters:

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

A New Home – Designing a home comes with a constant stream of choices about appearance and functionality. Gutters are one of them. Choosing the gutters that go on your house is important because they will need to last at least 15-20 years or more.

A Renovation – If the roof on your home is damaged, the gutters may have to be replaced. Or, they could just be wearing down and need to be replaced.

You 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 a lot of money.

Your landscaping is being ruined by ineffective gutters.

Determining your “Why” will give you direction while you are shopping. You’ll know if certain features are important or if you can go with a less expensive product.

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

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

The fun part about choosing new gutters is choosing the materials. Gutters can blend in or stand out against your house, depending on your preference.

These are the choices you will have, in order of cost:

VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS

Vinyl and plastic are economical choices that are durable in most scenarios, besides extremely cold climates, where they will become brittle. Vinyl and plastic gutters are acceptable in most regions of the country, and they come in a wide range of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These reasonably priced options are attractive and durable. Both of these materials come in a wide range of colors as well. They are fairly light and not hard 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 Portage who decide on these options are searching for an elegant touch, and that’s what they’ll get!

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Almost all of the gutter types above 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 on their own. This type is the more affordable choice, and they have more seams, which means there are more sections where leaks are going to occur.

Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters need to be installed by a professional contractor because they require special tools. 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 popular because they look excellent with every style of home. They’re better for angled roofs, which are more common. This one of the reasons for their popularity. And, they are not hard to install. Many homeowners are proficient enough to install their own K-Style gutters by themselves.

Half-Round – Half-Round gutters are traditionally made of copper and steel, and they are best for rounded roofs, popular before 1950, so they give homes a luxurious, established curb appeal. However, more modern styles made out of vinyl and plastic offer the best of both worlds, being both lightweight and functional. Half-Round gutters are much harder to install, but easier to clean out, when it’s time for gutter cleaning.

DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?

The climate of your region will determine a lot about what gutters you can have. As we already mentioned, certain types of materials will not hold up in cold climates.

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

Professional gutter companies in Portage will take a lot of factors into consideration to determine the size and type of rain gutters that are going to work the 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 online 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 maximum amount of rain that will occur within a 5-minute span.

Roof Square Footage – Square footage is a basic length times width calculation for residential roofs. But, you will 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 is going to help to calculate how much rainfall will be collected, regardless of the average rainfall statistics.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

Snowfall is included in average precipitation calculations, but you definitely want to be aware of the potential for ice dams forming on your roof. If it snows often in your region, you should seek professional guidance concerning the type of rain gutters that help to prevent ice dams, which can severely damage your roof.

Of course, the final question is possibly the most important …

HOW TO INSTALL GUTTERS?

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

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