Do I Need Gutters For My House?

I am sure many homeowners in Columbus GA have asked themselves why do I need rain gutters since they require a lot of maintenance like constant cleaning out during the fall when a lot of leaves are falling. Rain Gutters can come loose from the fascia over time and during a really bad storm can only disburse so much rain water and may overflow. There are many new homes that do not have rain gutters but before making a decision not to include them when building your new home in Harris County GA, Phenix City AL and Columbus GA, I would suggest to consider the disadvantage and advantages of having rain gutters installed

Rain gutters are designed to redirect rain water and prevent soil erosion from around your home. Side walks under your roof can be worn down after many years from rain pouring down from your roof without rain gutters. They are generally made of plastic, vinyl or aluminum and typically are attached to the fascia under your roof.

A lot of homeowners who have a garden will capture rain water coming out of the gutter downspouts and redirect to a large tank. If your home has a basement, it would be highly recommended to have rain gutters.

Another reason to have rain gutters is to prevent your home foundation from eroding. The home I had for 28 years in Harris County GA did not have rain gutters and dirt was constantly being washed away from under my roof to the point I had larges holes in the ground. Large amounts of rain water also poured off my roof and hit parts of my cement driveway causing it to be worn down. After many years the roof shingles hanging over the fascia worn down and got shorter allowing rain water to go behind the fascia causing them and the soffit to rot. For these three reasons, I would highly suggest having rain gutters installed on your new home.

If anyone tells you not to install rain gutters, I would definitely ask why. Since rain gutters are attached to the roof fascia board, some roofing companies in Columbus GA, Phenix City AL and Harris County GA might tell you that rain gutters might possibly damage your fascia board by causing them to rot from rain splashing up against them. A good roofing company in Columbus GA should point out the advantages and disadvantages of having rain gutters.

If your home is around a lot of trees, it is obvious you are going to spent a lot of time removing leaves from your rain gutters. There are gutter covers that allow rain water to enter and prevent leaves from entering your rain gutters. Some rain gutters can be installed by the homeowner but other types might require a professional gutter installer. If you prefer to install them yourself, I recommend vinyl because they are easier to work with and install. Aluminum gutters comes in more different colors than vinyl and is something to think about when trying to match colors. I prefer vinyl gutters because they never have to be painted.

One of the headaches of having rain gutters is the regular maintenance of keeping them cleaned out. Climbing a ladder to keep my rain gutters cleaned is not one of my favorite things to do. Generally I would clean my gutters twice per year but if you live in an area with a lot more trees, you should clean them out more often. Not cleaning your rain gutters could definitely do a lot of damage to your fascia and other parts of your home. Some people use a blower to clean their gutters but I prefer to clean them by hand.

Conclusion

Generally the extra added expense of adding rain gutters to your new home in Columbus GA is definitely worth it because without them, you might spend more money on the damage caused by not having them. I can say this first hand because the home in Harris County I lived in for 28 years did not have rain gutters and I experienced the damage to the soil erosion around my home and the damage done to the fascia board and soffit from rotting.