Which Gutters Are Right For Your Home?

The first thing to ask yourself when you are planning to install new gutters is, “Why?” This pivotal question will help to answer most of the subsequent questions you’ll have before purchasing your selection.

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

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

A New House – Building a new home comes with a lot of of choices about appearance and functionality. Rain gutters are one of them. Choosing the first gutters that go on your home is important because they will need to last at least 15-20 years.

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

You obviously know why you are installing new 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 often provide direction while you are shopping. You’ll know if certain features are must-haves 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 installing new rain gutters is choosing the style. Gutters will blend in or stand out against your house, 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 options that are durable in most cases, besides cold climates, where they will wear down. Vinyl and plastic gutters are efficient in nearly every region of the country, and they come in a wide range of colors.

METAL & ALUMINUM GUTTERS

These mid-priced materials are both attractive and durable. Both materials come in a variety of colors as well. They are fairly light and are easy to install. Galvanized metals (coated with zinc to protect them) will 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 stylish as well. Homeowners in Longmont who purchase these materials are looking for an elegant touch, and that’s exactly what they’ll get!

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT GUTTER FEATURES?

Most of the gutter materials above offer these options:

SECTIONAL OR SEAMLESS GUTTERS

Sectional gutters – These gutters are made in smaller sections, so they are easy to install. In fact, 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 there are more areas where leaks are going to occur.

Seamless gutters – Seamless gutters will need to be installed by a professional contractor because they require specialized equipment. They are more expensive to buy and install, but they are 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 every 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 not hard to install. Many homeowners are capable enough to install their own K-Style gutters.

Half-Round – Half-Round gutters are usually made of copper and steel, and they recommended for rounded roofs, popular prior to 1950, so they give homes a luxurious, established curb appeal. However, more modern styles made out of vinyl and plastic provide the best of both worlds, because they are both lightweight and highly functional. Half-Round rain gutters are much harder to install, but much easier to clean, when the time comes for gutter cleaning.

DOES CLIMATE AFFECT GUTTERS?

The climate of your region may determine a lot about which gutters you should purchase. Like we already mentioned, some types of materials don’t hold up in extremely cold climates.

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

Professional gutter contractors in Longmont are going to take several factors into account to determine the size and the type of rain gutters that will work best for your house.

WHAT IS THE FORMULA?

Luckily, the formula professional gutter 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 weather statistic can be found online 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 max amount of rain that occurs within a 5-minute span.

Roof Square Footage – Square footage is a standard length times width calculation for standard roofs. However, you will want to factor in 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. Determining your roof-pitch factor is going to help to determine how much rainfall will 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 be aware of the potential for ice dams. If it snows often in your state, you need to seek professional guidance about the type of gutters that best prevent ice dams from forming, which could severely damage your home’s roof.

Of course, the final question is arguably the most important …

HOW TO INSTALL GUTTERS?

You also have to ask yourself if you’re willing to try to do the work yourself, or if you want to enlist the services of a professional to install your new gutters. Professional installation ensures efficiency, compared to doing it yourself.

Most homeowners are better off paying a little extra for labor, to ensure that the installation will be done correctly. An added bonus of hiring Longmont Gutters Unlimited to install your gutters is that we are able to help you answer all of your questions about new gutters so that you are able to find the best style and type.