Are rain gutters necessary on a house?

Hi Marlbobama,

I've been in the home repair business for decades, and the jury is in on this one. Yes, they are better than not having them.

Let me give you some pro's and con's.

1st the con's. Roofers HATE them. Most of my customers have been advised at one time or another NOT to use them. They make life MISERABLE for roofers.

2nd, They require frequent cleaning to work to their potential.

3rd, If not properly installed, they will DESTROY for facia/soffit area (that's your roof's overhang area) from moisture/water damage.

PROS: (WHEN CORRECTLY INSTALLED) 1st, It directs water to where YOU "NEED" it to go rather than where IT "WANTS" to go. This is CRITICAL in the overwhelming majority of homes that have gables directing water (via BADLY designed gables) towards the homes entryway. Obviously, this is more important in northern areas where ice is a problem, but still a major inconvenience in any situation.

2nd, When rain water falls from your roof's edge to the ground, it's absorbed by your masonry foundation. Block and brick foundations are even more susceptible to this damage, and if you add the freeze/thaw issue into northern homes, you can understand why foundations CRUMBLE. They not only crumble, but WAY before their time!

3rdly, When a roofer tells you that those gutters will ruin your facial boards, ask them this question. "If YOU had to pay to have your home repaired by someone else, would YOU rather pay for new 1"x6" facia boards, or have your house LIFTED (about $150,000.00 bucks), and have the foundation replaced"?

Gutters For House

Are Gutters Necessary

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RE:

Are rain gutters necessary on a house?

Or are they just for convenience? I live in SE Texas where we get a lot of downpours, rather than light rain, and the gutters can't keep up with the water in a downpour anyway.

I would say definitely yes. When we were looking at houses, there were two that we really liked, but when we got them inspected, both had severe foundation problems - basically, the cost to repair the foundations was not worth the value of the house, so they would pretty much have to be torn down in a few years. And both houses did not have gutters. So I think good working gutters are a very smart investment.

Only if you want the foundation of your house to remain sound. With no gutters, all of the runoff from your roof drains down around your foundation. This isn't a problem if you have sandy soil, but if there's any clay in your soil--and clay is common fill for subdivisions--the soil around your house will be supersaturated, much wetter than soil a few feet out from your house. This encourages leaky basements, mold, dry rot in walls, and termites, to name a few plagues of homeowners. If you're looking to buy a house and it has no rain gutters, make absolutely sure you get a structural and termite assessment from a pro before you buy.

ABC Seamless Gutters are about 30% larger than regular seamless aluminum gutters, they are also made of treated steel with a super poly vinyl finish on them. This finish is available in numerous colors. Do not purchase a gutter until you check them out. Gutters are important in directing excessive rain water to the location of choice, preferably away from the original excavation, and away from any egress windows you may have.

You need to have gutters to divert the rain away from your outside walls, otherwise the rain will seep through and cause real damage to your house. If your gutters are free from leaves or other blockages you can look at an upgrade of diameter pipe to increase the flow.

Gutters arent necessary, but they do provide a way to get water away from the foundation of your house. Even though they look as if they dont keep up with the downpours, they are actually still moving gallons of water off and away from your house. I would keep up with them and fix any problems should they arise.

Gutters are there to help keep water away from your home's foundation. So they are nice to have.