What is the point of gutters? If you’ve had to deal with clogging or debris pile up in your gutters, you’re likely to have wondered if gutters are necessary.
So, do you need gutters on a house?
This is an excellent question, and this article provides all the answers. Considering excluding this roofing component, what you read below will determine whether to do so.
Are Gutters Needed?
Gutters perform vital functions, and this article shows you how.
We’ve discussed the answer while covering relevant details like protection provided by gutters and situations when gutters become an option.
Gutter pros and cons, alternatives to gutters, improving gutter functionality, materials, and the best types, and what happens with a house without a gutter are covered.
-
What is the purpose of gutters?
Gutters are necessary or needed in a house because they help prevent water from pooling around your yard, which can cause damage to the foundation.
With gutters in place, rainwater is kept from pouring down your walls.
If you have a lawn, you’ll need gutters installed on your roof to preserve the soil structure. Pest presence and activity can be heightened in lawns due to water saturation.
Why Are Gutters Important?
There’s no denying, that gutters are essential to a roofing system’s overall functioning. As a channeling system for rainwater, gutters serve a vital role in moisture management.
This helps in the prevention of mildew and mold growth. In providing a direct answer to the question above, gutters are needed due to the many benefits derived.
Gutters function by catching rainwater that flows down the roof surface.
This is then channeled down a home’s drainage system without causing damage through erosion and steady deterioration of your foundation.
With these benefits, it’s clear that gutters are essential and needed.
When are Gutters Not Necessary?
However, there are times when gutters may not be needed on a roof. Some of these reasons include snow and ice accumulation when there are drainage alternatives and also your roof design.
Some roof designs are better left without gutters. Read on to learn the circumstances under which gutters become optional.
As stated earlier, there are cases or situations where gutters become an option. In other words, you may not need a gutter due to such circumstances.
Examples include weather conditions within your area, natural slopes, a structure surrounded by concrete, and when your roof has an overhang.
Regarding weather, places with little annual rainfall may not require installing gutters on roofs.
Buildings around areas with natural slopes won’t require having gutters as water is channeled away naturally. For structures surrounded by concrete, this acts as a moisture barrier that protects your foundation.
Little water is absorbed into the soil while the rest is channeled away. Also, an overhang or roof extension will help keep water away from the foundation and walls.
Do You Need Gutters on a House?
Yes, but from the discussions, it’s evident that the necessity of roof gutters depends on your needs. This involves weighing the pros and cons of such installation.
So, what are the pros and cons of gutters on a roof?
Pros include protecting a home’s foundation and walls from moisture, limiting mold growth, and helping to preserve the soil structure on which your building rests.
Having stated the need to have gutters on the house, it’s also necessary to look at the kind of protection it offers. All components of a house are considered vital.
However, some areas or parts are deemed more critical as they bear the structure’s weight or perform other equally crucial functions.
Here, we’re talking about the foundation, walls, and lawn.
Do you know there are drawdowns to having gutters on a house? These include clogging from leaves and debris buildup, the need for regular maintenance, and may not have aesthetic appeal.
In some cases, gutters may even affect a property’s value when made from inferior materials and in bad condition.
Alternatives to Gutters
Are there alternatives to gutters? If there are, what are they, and which option best serves my needs?
There are several alternatives to gutters on a roof. Examples include rain dispersal systems, drip paths, grading, drip edges, rain chains, and french drains.
Dispersal systems are mechanisms designed to slow the velocity or force of rainwater hitting the ground.
As the name suggests, drip paths are a form of pavement designed to deflect and bear the impact of falling water from the roof’s edge.
Grading serves to direct water away from your home’s foundation.
Drip edges are bare in their design and mostly made from metal sheets slanted to protect a structure from moisture. Rain chains serve to guide and manage water flow.
Improving Gutter Functionality
To improve gutter functionality, some simple maintenance actions need to be taken.
Such maintenance actions may improve efficiency by adding rain collection and other moisture management systems like french drains, splash blocks, and irrigation hookups.
All these serve to provide overall efficiency.
Gutter Materials
Having discussed the importance of gutters on a house, it’s vital to know the different materials gutters are made from. This offers alternatives to homeowners shopping for products that suit their needs.
Different gutter materials are made from copper, aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and plastic. So, which gutter materials are best for your project?
There are no definite answers, as people have different needs.
For example, if you want a durable gutter material that won’t attract mold, is rust-resistant, and offers value for money, you may consider going for aluminum, copper, and cast iron.
Other considerations may influence your decision.
No Gutter on House? Here is What to Know
You may have wondered what happens with a house without a gutter. It depends on whether the building requires one or not.
As discussed earlier, there are cases where gutters are necessary and others where it’s optional.
So, in an arid region with little rainfall, nothing happens to your structure as there are little to no moisture problems to deal with.
On the other hand, a place that receives abundant rainfall and has no gutter alternatives installed is likely to be worst-hit by moisture damage.
All kinds of moisture-related problems are likely to be experienced. Also, a house without a gutter but has other alternatives like french drains, drip paths, grading, and the like won’t pose much of a problem.
Gutters are needed on the house due to the reasons outlined above. However, there are situations where gutters may not be necessary. It’s up to you to decide if you need it or not.
Also, consider expert opinion on the matter.