Why Gutters are a Good Investment

Gutters, downspouts, and rain chains; black colored k-style aluminum seamless gutter with downspout, half round copper gutters, 4-inch round copper downspout, black rain chain as downspout substitution, and built in copper gutter.

Gutters play some of the most important maintenance roles by keeping rainwater away from the foundation and roof. It might look like a small task but it’s one of the reasons your house will stay in shape for years to come.

The lack of gutters allows rainwater to accumulate and pool at your home’s foundation, meanwhile rainwater can seep into your roof, both issues lead to a myriad of problems.

Below we have listed some of the more common benefits that gutters provide:

1. Gutters help protect your homes foundation & surrounding landscape

Without gutters, water that runs off your roof lands at the base of your eaves, usually near your foundation. This can cause a few problems. It can form unattractive trenches and ruts in your landscaping; it can cause water to seep behind your siding, causing the wood behind the siding to rot; and it can cause water to enter your basement, causing mold and mildew to be circulated throughout your living spaces.

2. Gutters keep water away from your attic

Gutters don’t just keep water out of your basement. They also help the roof of your house. Without gutters, some of the water that travels over your eaves is likely to seep behind the boards that protect your attic, allowing moisture to accumulate at the top of your house.

3. Gutters help to prevent insect infestations

Moisture around a home’s foundation creates an ideal breeding place for insects, such as termites and ants. Gutters and downspouts channel water away from the foundation, making your home less attractive to bugs.

4. Gutters protect a home's siding

For houses with a short overhang, rainwater will flow from the roof, down the wall leaving discolored stripes such as stained siding, painted siding will be eroded, and wooden siding will rot. This can be quite hard to get rid of no matter the siding finish or material.

Gutters protect the siding by collecting the rainwater from the roof and safely directing it away from the house.

5. Protect the facial boards

Without the use of gutters, a home's facial board is directly exposed to flowing rainwater from the roof due to it being directly under the main roofing material. No matter the type of facial board material it’ll get damaged when exposed to the flowing rainwater from the roof.

6. Gutters keep water from pouring down on you and your guests

Lastly, without gutters, rainwater and melting snow comes down from the roof right where it falls. That can mean rivers of water cascading down on your head as you’re entering or exiting your home. Gutters divert this water to downspouts at the corners of your house, so you’ll stay dry when you’re opening your front door.

Whether to invest in gutters is a decision that needs to be carefully considered. You don’t want to save a few hundred dollars today, only to spend thousands to repair water damage later.