Which Gutters are Right for Your Home?
The number one thing to ask yourself when you are shopping for new gutters is, “Why?” This pivotal question will help to answer most of the subsequent questions you’ll have before making your selection.
In our experience as a local gutter service, here are just three reasons homeowners will be shopping for new gutters:
An Upgrade – Switching out the gutters can drastically impact the curb appeal of your house, enhancing its look in a subtler way than painting or new landscaping.
A New House – Designing a new home comes with a constant stream of choices about appearance and functionality. Gutters included. Choosing the first gutters that go on your house is important because they will need to last approximately 15 years or more.
A Renovation – If your roof is damaged, the gutters might have to be replaced, too. Or, they may just be getting too old and need to be replaced with new ones.
You know why you are installing new 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 being damaged by ineffective gutters.
Figuring out your “Why” will often give you direction while you are shopping for new gutters. You’ll know what features are worth spending your money on or if you can go with a less expensive product.
Here are the questions you’ll want to consider when purchasing new gutters.
HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?
The fun part of choosing new rain gutters is picking out the materials. Gutters will blend in or stand out against your home exterior, depending on your personal preference.
These are the options for materials, in order of cost:
VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS
Vinyl and plastic are economical choices that hold up well in most cases, other than extremely cold climates, where they can become brittle. Vinyl and plastic gutters are sufficient in almost every region of the country, and they come in a wide variety of colors.
METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS
These reasonably priced options are attractive and durable. Both materials are available in a variety of colors too. They are fairly lightweight and are not hard to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) are able to resist rust and corrosion even better.
COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS
Of all the gutter materials available, copper and stainless steel cost the most, but are the most stylish as well. Homeowners in Strongsville who choose these materials 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 both of these options below:
SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS
Sectional gutters – These types of rain gutters come in smaller sections, so they’re easy to install. In fact, many homeowners choose to install their own sectional gutters on their own. This type is the less expensive choice, and they are made with more seams, which means more sections where leaks are going to occur.
Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters should be installed by a contractor because they require special equipment. They are more expensive to order 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 great with every style of home. They’re better for angled roofs, which are far more common. This one of the reasons for their popularity. In addition, they are easy 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 luxurious, established curb appeal. However, more modern styles made from vinyl and plastic offer the best of both worlds, because they are both lightweight and highly functional. Half-Round rain gutters are much harder to install, but they are easier to clean out, when the time comes for gutter cleaning.
DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?
The climate of your region may dictate a lot about which gutters you can have. As we already mentioned, certain materials will not hold up in cold climates.
The single most important climate factor is how much work the gutters will have to do. Essentially, how much water are the gutters going to need to withstand?
Professional gutter companies in Strongsville can take a lot of factors into consideration to determine the size and the type of gutters that will work best for your house.
WHAT IS THE FORMULA?
Luckily, the formula professional 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 weather statistic can be found online on the National Weather Service or the U.S. Weather Bureau website. You should also find the maximum rainfall intensity for your area. This is the max amount of rain that will occur within a 5-minute span.
Roof Square Footage – Square footage is a basic length times width calculation for basic roofs. However, you 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. Figuring out your roof-pitch factor will help you determine how much rainfall will be collected, regardless of the 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 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 home’s 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 do the work on your own, or if you want to hire a professional to install your gutters. Professional installation ensures maximum efficiency, versus doing it yourself.
Most homeowners should consider paying a little extra for labor, to ensure that the job will be done right. An added bonus of hiring ASAP Gutter Service to install the new gutters is that we can help you answer all your questions about new gutters so that you are able to find the best style and type.