Do You Really Need Gutters On Your House

Why does a house need gutters anyway.

Do you really need gutters on your house.

The ground slopes away from your house. Does the ground slope away from the house. You do need them at the bottom of any slope though. Gutters collect rain water from the roof and through downspouts and pipes discharge it away from your foundation.

No you don t need gutters on your house. So you say your house doesn t have any gutters at all and you re wondering how you can ensure your home property stays safe from water damage. You have an apron of concrete gravel or stone around your house and an adequate drainage system to support it. Here are four reasons to install gutters on your new house.

You should always inspect your roof so that you can know whether you really need the gutters. Your home may not need gutters if. Your home is surrounded by concrete be it sidewalks driveway or patio. Your roof is very shallow.

Do you battle leaves in your gutters twice or three times a year. Your roof is already constructed to direct water down the slopes where the gutters will then do their work. You live in an arid location where there is little annual rainfall. Unless your roof slopes in all directions you probably don t need your house surrounded with gutters.

If you don t have gutters and downspouts to direct runoff away from your home this will happen every time it rains. The landscaping around your home slopes downwards especially when other factors are present. Hiring a professional roof inspector can make things easy for you because you can easily know whether the roof needs more protection through installation of the gutters or opt for the house design without gutters. This promotes longevity for the foundation.

But most homes do need a good rain gutter system to collect the storm water that lands on the roof and direct it away from the house to prevent damage to the structure of your home and to protect your foundation and driveway and sidewalk from pooling water on the sides of your home. For instance if your roof slopes two directions toward the front and back of the house with a peak in the middle you won t need gutters on the sides of the home but should install them in the front and back. No gutters or gutters in poor condition will detract value from your house not only will a lack of gutters or ones with issues hurt your home and affect the sale it could also actively lower your home s value. Gutters usually provide a space for water run off to collect thus ensuring the home isn t exposed to the lingering effects of moisture.

This seems like a logical train of thought but the reason clogged gutters cause damage is because they let water flow over the sides where it pools all around the foundation. If there is a strong apron gravel or concrete slab you may not need gutters since your home is suitably protected. A cabin in the woods with squeaky doors drafty windows and moss growing on the north wall doesn t need gutters. You have a 6 to 10 wide roof overhang.

In this case the concrete already provides your foundation with a protective barrier from water.