Does A House Really Need Gutters

Your home is surrounded by concrete be it sidewalks driveway or patio.

Does a house really need gutters.

If the roof overhang is short then you will have to install the gutters. Why does a house need gutters anyway. Gutters collect rain water from the roof and through downspouts and pipes discharge it away from your foundation. The truth is some homes don t need them.

You have an apron of concrete gravel or stone around your house and an adequate drainage system to support it. If you don t have gutters and downspouts to direct runoff away from your home this will happen every time it rains. You have a 6 to 10 wide roof overhang. No you don t need gutters on your house.

Your home does not require gutters if. Do i need gutters around the entire house. Conversely gutters that are recessed too far under your roofline permit water to overflow the outer edge and leak into your basement or foundation. In short you almost definitely should have gutters on your home.

In this case the concrete already provides your foundation with a protective barrier from water. This promotes longevity for the foundation. The ground slopes away from your house. If you re not concerned about moisture it s likely time you start.

Downspouts make up a major component of efficient drainage. Gutters usually provide a space for water run off to collect thus ensuring the home isn t exposed to the lingering effects of moisture. If the gutter can run storm water quickly away from the roof but encounters a choke point at the downspouts the width of the gutters will make little difference. If your roof has an overhang of more than 10 inches then you do not need the roof gutters.

Most single family residences in the twin city metro area fare fine with 5 inch gutters. And who wants to have to regularly clean out clogged gutters if you don t have to. 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. If the overhang is long then you will have the walls protected.

You do need them at the bottom of any slope though. Your home may not need gutters if. The landscaping around your home slopes downwards especially when other factors are present. Your roof is very shallow.

Moisture can lead to mold which can destroy your home and your health faster than you can imagine. A cabin in the woods with squeaky doors drafty windows and moss growing on the north wall doesn t need gutters. 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.