Which Gutters are Right for Your Home?

The number one thing to consider when you are shopping for new gutters is, “Why?” This pivotal question will help you answer many of the questions you’ll have before making your final selection.

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

An Upgrade – Installing new gutters can really impact the curb appeal of your house, enhancing its look in a more subtle way than painting or landscaping.

A New Home – Designing a home comes with a lot of of choices about appearance and functionality. Rain gutters are no exception. Choosing the gutters that go on your home is important because they will need to last approximately 20 years or more.

A Renovation – If your home’s roof has experienced damage, the gutters might need to be replaced, too. Or, they may simply be aging and need to be replaced.

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

You want to sell your house.

You want to renovate without spending too much money.

Your landscaping is getting ruined by ineffective gutters.

Figuring out your “Why” will help to give you direction while you are shopping for new gutters. You’ll know what features are important or if you can go with a more affordable product.

Here are the questions you’ll want to consider when purchasing new gutters.

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

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

These are the options for materials, in order of cost:

VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS

Vinyl and plastic are affordable materials that are durable in most cases, other than cold climates, where they can wear down. Vinyl and plastic gutters are acceptable in nearly every region of the country, and they are available in a wide variety of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These reasonably priced materials are both attractive and durable. Both of these materials are available in a variety of colors as well. They are fairly light and are easy 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 eye-catching as well. Homeowners in Troy who decide on these materials are looking for an elegant touch, and that’s what they’ll get!

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Almost all of the gutter materials above offer these options below:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These gutters are made in smaller sections, so they are easy to install. In fact, homeowners decide to install their own sectional gutters. This type is the more affordable choice, and they have more seams, which means 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’re 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 far more popular because they look great with almost any style of home. They’re better for angled roofs, which are more common. This one of the reasons for their popularity. In addition, they are not hard to install. Most homeowners are capable enough to install their own K-Style gutters.

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 out of vinyl and plastic offer the best of both worlds, because they are lightweight and highly functional. Half-Round rain gutters are harder to install, but they are 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 should purchase. As we mentioned, some types of materials don’t hold up in extremely cold climates.

The single most important climate factor is how much work the gutters will need to do. Essentially, how much rain or water are your gutters going to need to handle?

Professional gutter companies in Troy can take a lot of factors into account to determine the size and type of gutters that are going to work the best for your home.

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 statistic is available online 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 maximum 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 have 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. Knowing your roof-pitch factor is going to help you calculate how much rainfall will be collected, regardless of the rainfall statistics.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

Snowfall is going to be included in precipitation calculations, but you also want to be aware of the potential for ice dams. If it snows regularly in your state, you need to seek professional guidance concerning the type of gutters that best prevent ice dams, which might 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 willing 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 maximum efficiency, versus doing it yourself.

Most homeowners should consider paying a little extra for labor, knowing that the installation will be done right. Another bonus of hiring True 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.