Which Gutters are Right for Your Home?

The number one thing to ask yourself when you are purchasing new gutters is, “Why?” This pivotal question will help to answer most of the subsequent 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 really impact the appearance of your home, increasing its look in a more subtle way than painting or new landscaping.

A New House – Designing a new home comes with a constant stream of choices about appearance and functionality. Rain gutters are no exception. Choosing the first gutters that go on your house is important because they will need to last at least 20 years or more.

A Renovation – If the roof on your home has suffered damage, the gutters might need to be replaced. Or, they could just be aging and need to be replaced.

You know why you are installing new gutters on your home, but the reason typically 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 often provide direction while you are shopping. You’ll know if certain features are important or if you can choose a more affordable product.

Here are the major questions you’ll need to ask when purchasing new gutters.

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

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

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

VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS

Vinyl and plastic are affordable materials that hold up well in most cases, besides cold climates, where they can wear down. Vinyl and plastic gutters are efficient in nearly every region of the country, and they are available in a wide range of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These reasonably priced options are attractive and durable. Both of these materials are available in a variety of colors as well. They are fairly lightweight and are not hard to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) are able to withstand rust and corrosion even better.

COPPER & STAINLESS STEEL GUTTERS

Of all the rain gutter materials available, copper and stainless steel cost the most, but are the most eye-catching as well. Homeowners in Cleveland Heights who decide on these materials are searching for an elegant touch, and that’s exactly what they’ll get!

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Most of the gutter types above will offer these options:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These types of gutters are made in smaller sections, so they are easy to install. In fact, most homeowners choose to install their own sectional gutters. This type is the less expensive choice, and they are made with more seams, which means there are more sections where leaks are going to occur.

Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters will need to be installed by a contractor because they need specialized tools. They’re more expensive to order 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 great with every style of home. They’re 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 traditionally made of copper and steel, and they recommended for rounded roofs, popular prior to 1950, so they provide homes a luxurious, established appearance. However, modern styles made from vinyl and plastic provide the best of both worlds, being lightweight and highly functional. Half-Round rain gutters are a lot harder to install, but easier to clean, when it’s time for gutter cleaning.

DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?

The climate of the city you live in will determine a lot about which gutters you can have. As we already mentioned, certain materials will not hold up well in cold climates.

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

Professional gutter installers in Cleveland Heights can take several factors into consideration to determine the size and the type of rain gutters that are going to work best for your home.

WHAT IS THE FORMULA?

Luckily, the formula professional home exterior 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 statistic is available on the National Weather Service or the U.S. Weather Bureau website. You should also find 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 need to factor in 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 will help to determine how much rainfall will actually be collected, regardless of the average rainfall statistics found online.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

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

Of course, the final question is possibly 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 gutters. Professional installation will ensure 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. An added bonus of hiring Cleveland Heights Gutter Cleaning to install the gutters is that we can help you answer all your questions about new gutters so that you are able to find the perfect style and type for your home.