Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?
The first thing to consider when you are purchasing new gutters is, “Why?” This question will help you answer the questions you’ll have before purchasing 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 drastically affect the exterior style of your home, enhancing its look in a subtler way than painting or new landscaping.
A New House – Building a home comes with a constant stream of choices about both appearance and functionality. Gutters are one of them. Deciding on the first gutters that go on your house is important because they should last at least 20 years or more.
A Renovation – If your home’s roof been damaged, the gutters might need to be replaced. Or, they may just be getting too old and need to be replaced.
You obviously know why you are replacing the gutters on your home, but the reason typically has underlying motivations…
You want to sell your house.
You want to renovate but not spend a lot of money.
Your landscaping is getting ruined by ineffective gutters.
Figuring out your “Why” will give you direction while you are shopping. You’ll know what features are worth spending your money on or if you can go with a more affordable product.
Here are the major questions you’ll want to consider when purchasing new gutters.
HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?
The fun part of purchasing new gutters is picking out 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 economical materials that are durable in most cases, besides cold climates, where they can deteriorate. Vinyl and plastic gutters are acceptable in almost every region of the country, and they come in a wide variety of colors.
METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS
These mid-priced options are both attractive and durable. Both of these materials come in a wide range of colors too. They are fairly light and are not hard to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) withstand rust and corrosion even better.
COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS
Of all the gutter materials, copper and stainless steel are the most expensive, but are the most eye-catching as well. Homeowners in Roseville who choose these materials are searching for an elegant touch, and that’s what they’ll get!
WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?
Most of the gutter types above offer these options below:
SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS
Sectional gutters – These rain gutters come in smaller sections, so they’re easy to install. In fact, many homeowners choose to install their own sectional gutters. This type is the more affordable choice, and they are made with more seams, which means there are more areas where leaks are going to occur.
Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters should be installed by a professional contractor because they need special tools. They are more expensive to purchase and to install, but less likely to leak or wear down than sectional gutters.
K-STYLE OR HALF-ROUND GUTTERS
K-Style – K-Style gutters are popular because they look great with every style of home. They’re better for angled roofs, which are more common. This one of the reasons for their popularity. Plus, 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 traditionally made of copper and steel, and they complement rounded roofs, popular before 1950, so they give homes a regal, established curb appeal. However, modern styles made from vinyl and plastic provide the best of both worlds, because they are both lightweight and functional. Half-Round rain gutters are much harder to install, but much easier to clean, when the time comes for gutter cleaning.
DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?
The climate of your region may dictate a lot about what gutters you can have. As we already mentioned, some materials will not hold up well in cold climates.
The most important climate factor to think about is how much work the gutters will need to do. Basically, how much rain or water are your gutters going to need to handle?
Professional gutter companies in Roseville will take many factors into account to get a good idea of the size and type of rain gutters that are going to work best for your home.
WHAT IS THE FORMULA?
Luckily, the formula professional roofing 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 weather statistic can be found online 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 maximum amount of rain that can happen within a 5-minute span.
Roof Square Footage – Square footage is a simple length times width calculation for standard roofs. However, you want 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. Determining your roof-pitch factor is going to help you estimate how much rainfall will actually be collected, regardless of the rainfall statistics found online.
DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?
Snowfall is factored into 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 need to seek professional guidance concerning the type of gutters that help to prevent ice dams, which could 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 on your own, or if you are going to enlist the services of a professional to install your new gutters. Professional installation will ensure maximum efficiency, instead of doing it yourself.
Most homeowners should consider paying a little extra for professional labor, to ensure that the job will be done correctly. Another bonus of hiring Ready Clean 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 best style and type for your home.