Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?

The first thing to ask yourself when you are shopping for 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 three reasons homeowners will be shopping for new gutters:

An Upgrade – Switching out the gutters can drastically affect the exterior style of your house, enhancing its look in a subtler way than painting or landscaping.

A New House – Designing a home comes with a lot of choices about appearance and functionality. Gutters are no exception. Choosing the first gutters that go on your home is important because they will need to last at least 15 years or more.

A Renovation – If your roof has suffered damage, the gutters might have to be replaced, too. Or, they may just be aging and need to be replaced with new ones.

You obviously know why you are replacing the gutters on your home, but the reason typically has underlying motivations…

You want to sell your home.

You want to renovate but not spend a lot of money.

Your landscaping is being ruined by ineffective gutters.

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

Here are the major questions you’ll have when purchasing new gutters.

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

The best part about installing new rain gutters is picking out the materials. Gutters will blend in or stand out against your home, depending on your preference.

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

VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS

Vinyl and plastic are economical options that hold up well in most scenarios, besides cold climates, where they will wear down. Vinyl and plastic gutters are efficient in almost every region of the country, and they come in a wide range of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These mid-priced options are both attractive and durable. Both materials come in a variety of colors too. They are fairly light and are not hard to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) are able to fend off rust and corrosion even better.

COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS

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

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Most of the gutter types above will offer both of these options below:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These types of gutters come in smaller sections, so they’re easy to install. In fact, many homeowners decide 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 local contractor because they require specialized equipment. They’re more expensive to buy and install, but they are 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 virtually any style of home. They are better for angled roofs, which are far more common. This attributes to their popularity. Plus, they are easy to install. Many homeowners are proficient enough to install their own K-Style gutters by themselves.

Half-Round – Half-Round gutters are usually made of copper and steel, and they recommended for rounded roofs, popular before 1950, so they provide homes a luxurious, classic curb appeal. However, modern styles made out of vinyl and plastic provide the best of both worlds, being lightweight and functional. Half-Round rain gutters are much harder to install, but easier to clean, when the time comes for gutter cleaning.

DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?

The climate of your region will dictate a lot about what gutters you should purchase. Like we already mentioned, some materials will not hold up well in extremely cold climates.

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

Professional gutter contractors in Plymouth can take many factors into consideration to get a good idea of the size and type of rain gutters that are going to work the best for your house.

WHAT IS THE FORMULA?

Luckily, the formula professional 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 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 occurs within a 5-minute span.

Roof Square Footage – Square footage is a simple length times width calculation for basic roofs. However, 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. Determining your roof-pitch factor is going to help to estimate how much rainfall will actually be collected, regardless of the rainfall statistics.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

Snowfall is included in average precipitation calculations, but you definitely want to consider the potential for ice dams forming on your roof. If it snows regularly in your state, you need to seek professional guidance concerning the type of gutters that help to prevent ice dams from forming, which could really damage your roof.

Of course, the last 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 yourself, or if you want to enlist the services of a professional to install your gutters. Professional installation ensures maximum efficiency, instead of doing it yourself.

Most homeowners should consider paying a little extra for labor, to ensure that the installation will be done right. Another bonus of hiring Plymouth Gutters Plus to install your new gutters is that we will help you answer all your questions about gutters so that you are able to find the best style and type for your home.