Which Gutters are Right for Your Home?

The very first thing to ask yourself when you are planning to install new gutters is, “Why?” This important question will help to answer the questions you’ll have before making your ultimate selection.

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

An Upgrade – Installing new gutters can drastically impact the appearance of your house, enhancing its look in a subtler way than painting or landscaping.

A New House – Designing a home comes with a constant stream of choices about appearance and functionality. Rain gutters included. Choosing the first gutters that go on your home is important because they will need to last approximately 15 years.

A Renovation – If the roof on your home has experienced damage, the gutters might have to be replaced, too. Or, they may simply be getting too old and need to be replaced.

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

You want to sell your home.

You want to renovate without spending too much money.

Your landscaping is being ruined by ineffective gutters.

Determining 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 choose a less expensive product.

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

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

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

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

VINYL & PLASTIC GUTTERS

Vinyl and plastic are economical choices that are durable in most cases, other than cold climates, where they will wear down. Vinyl and plastic gutters are sufficient in most regions of the country, and they come in a wide variety of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These reasonably priced options are both attractive and durable. Both materials are available in a wide range of colors as well. They are fairly lightweight and 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 available, copper and stainless steel are the most expensive, but are the most stylish as well. Homeowners in Winston-Salem who purchase 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 options above will offer these options below:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These rain gutters come in smaller sections, so they’re easier to install. In fact, most homeowners choose to install their own sectional gutters. This type is the more affordable 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 need specialized tools. They’re more expensive to buy 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 not hard to install. Many 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 recommended for rounded roofs, popular before 1950, so they give homes a luxurious, classic appearance. However, more modern styles made out of vinyl and plastic provide the best of both worlds, being both lightweight and highly functional. Half-Round gutters are much harder to install, but much 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 the gutters you can have. Like we mentioned, some materials don’t hold up well in cold climates.

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

Professional gutter contractors in Winston-Salem will take many factors into account to get a good idea of the size and the type of rain gutters that will work best for your home.

WHAT IS THE FORMULA?

Luckily, the formula professional roofing 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 is available 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 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 residential roofs. But, you will 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 roof that is less sloped. Knowing your roof-pitch factor is going to help you estimate how much rainfall will actually be collected, regardless of the rainfall statistics.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

Snowfall is going to be factored into precipitation calculations, but you also want to consider the potential for ice dams forming on your roof. If it snows regularly in your city, you should seek professional guidance concerning the type of rain gutters that best prevent ice dams from forming, which might really damage your home’s 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 do the work yourself, or if you want to enlist the services of a professional to install your gutters. Professional installation will ensure maximum efficiency, compared to doing it yourself.

Most homeowners should consider paying a little extra for labor, knowing that the installation will be done correctly. An added bonus of hiring Winston-Salem Gutters to install your gutters is that we will help you answer all of your questions about gutters so that you are able to find the best style and type for your home.