Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?

The very first thing to consider when you are purchasing new gutters is, “Why?” This pivotal question will help to answer the subsequent questions you’ll have before purchasing your ultimate selection.

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

An Upgrade – Installing new gutters can significantly affect the exterior style of your home, improving its look in a subtler way than painting or new landscaping.

A New Home – Building a home comes with a lot of decisions about both appearance and functionality. Gutters are no exception. Deciding on the gutters that go on your house is important because they should last approximately 15 years or more.

A Renovation – If your home’s roof has suffered damage, the gutters might have to be replaced. Or, they could simply be wearing down and need to be replaced.

You obviously know why you are installing new gutters, but the reason often has underlying motivations…

You want to sell your home.

You want to renovate without spending a lot of money.

Your landscaping is getting ruined by ineffective gutters.

Determining your “Why” will often give you direction while you are shopping. You’ll know which features are worth spending your money on or if you can go with a less expensive product.

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

HOW TO CHOOSE GUTTER MATERIALS?

The best part about choosing new gutters is choosing the materials. Gutters will blend in or stand out against your home exterior, 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 materials that hold up well in most cases, other than extremely cold climates, where they will wear down. Vinyl and Plastic gutters are efficient 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 attractive and durable. Both of these materials come in a variety of colors too. They are fairly light and 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 are the most expensive, but the most eye-catching as well. Homeowners in Chelsea who purchase these materials are looking for an elegant touch, and that’s exactly what they’ll get!

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Almost all of the gutter types above offer both of these options:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These rain gutters come 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 areas where leaks are going to occur.

Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters need to be installed by a local contractor because they need specialized equipment. They are more expensive to buy and install, but less likely to leak than sectional gutters.

K-STYLE OR HALF-ROUND GUTTERS

K-Style – K-Style gutters are far more popular because they look excellent with almost any style of home. They are better for angled roofs, which are more common. This one of the reasons for their popularity. In addition, 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 are recommended for rounded roofs, popular prior to 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 a lot harder to install, but they are easier to clean, when it’s time for gutter cleaning.

DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?

The climate of your region will dictate a lot about the gutters you should purchase. Like we mentioned, some materials don’t hold up well in 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 have to withstand?

Professional gutter contractors in Chelsea will take a lot of factors into account to get a good idea of the size and type of rain 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 statistic can be found online on the National Weather Service or the U.S. Weather Bureau website. You should also look into 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 standard length times width calculation for basic roofs. However, you 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. Knowing your roof-pitch factor is going to help you determine how much rainfall will actually be collected, regardless of the average rainfall statistics found online.

DOES IT SNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

Snowfall will be included in precipitation calculations, but you definitely want to be aware of the potential for ice dams forming on your roof. If it snows often in your region, you should seek professional guidance about the type of gutters that best prevent ice dams, which might severely 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 try to do the work yourself, or if you want to hire a professional to install your gutters. Professional installation will ensure efficiency, versus doing it yourself.

Most homeowners are better off paying a little extra for professional labor, knowing that the installation will be done right. An added bonus of hiring Mystic Gutter Cleaning to install your gutters is that we can help you answer all of your questions about gutters so that you are able to find the best style and type for your home.