Gutters

A Guide to Choosing a Gutter for Your Home

Posted at April 1, 2018 | By : | Categories : Gutters | 0 Comment

An important part of your home is your gutter system. But if you are building a new home or it’s time to replace your gutters, you may have trouble finding the right type of gutter for your home. Below you will find some information about the different types of gutters and their materials so that you can choose the right one for you.

Types of gutters

K-Style – The K-style gutters have bottoms and backs that are flat, and the front of the gutter usually have a decorative shape, like a curve or ogre that is similar to crown molding. There is many styles to choose from.

Half-Round – The half-round gutters are just how the name suggests. These gutters are half-round tubes. They are often seen on homes that are historic and older.

Gutters on residences are made of different metals, such as:

Aluminum

This gutter is the one that you’re going to see a lot and it comes with the following advantages:

  • Comes in a lot of colors and can be painted
  • Comes in thicknesses of .027 – .32 and it’s recommended for those who live with a snowy winter
  • Easily to install and lightweight so you can install it on your own
  • Not expensive even if you have it professionally installed
  • Price for professional installation is $4-$9 including labor and materials

Copper

Copper is extremely stylish and offers cons and pros.

Pros

  • Won’t need painting and develops patina over time
  • Beautiful
  • Won’t rust

Cons

  • Seams and joints must be welded
  • Needs professional installation
  • Having it professionally installed costs $12 to $25 per linear foot if you’re having K-style 6 inch installed.

Seamless Aluminum

This is also called continuous gutter and it’s made at the job site. A truck with a spool of flat aluminum on it will come to the house and the fabricator of the company is going to use their machine for forming your gutter so it’s the right length. This is a very popular type of gutter and it comes with a variety of factors to consider. It eliminates many seams so that the leak chance is reduced and it costs a little more than getting the typical aluminum gutter.

Professional installation costs $5-$11 in the 6 inch K-style per linear foot

Steel

Steel’s strength makes it very popular, but it also has cons and pros.

Pros

  • Many color options and it can be painted
  • Costs from $4 to $6 per linear foot in 6 inch K-style if you do it on your own
  • Strong
  • Resists rust

Cons

  • It’s better if you have it professionally installed
  • May start rusting after its been there 5 to 10 days
  • Heavy
  • Is often expensive
  • Having it professionally installed will cost $8 to $10 per linear foot

Vinyl

Vinyl is lightweight and cost-effective but doesn’t have much strength.

Pros

  • Wonderful for doing it yourself
  • Lightweight
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Sunlight may fade the color
  • Often will crack during cold weather
  • Can’t support your ladder when you lean it against your ladder

Costs – K-style 6 inch

  • $1 to $2 per linear foot DIY
  • $3 to $5 per linear foot professionally installed

Zinc

Pros

  • Durable and long-lasting
  • No need for painting since a patina will develop

Cons

  • Costly
  • Seams and joints need to be welded
  • Needs to be installed professionally
  • Cost for professional installation is $10 to $24 per linear foot

Downspouts

When you are choosing your downspouts, they come in round or square and there are sizes from 3 to 6 inches. The downspout sizes that are commonly used are rectangular in the following sizes:

  • 2×3 inches
  • 3×4 inches

You can also find decorative ones such as spiral. The sizes and number of downspouts you’re going to need is going to depend on the capacity of your system. You will need to have a downspout per 30-40 linear feet of gutter. If you’re interested in increasing the capacity of your gutter system, you want to put in more downspouts.

How Much Gutter Will You Need?

It’s often hard to decide the size and capacity of the gutter, and this is going to involve your roof’s size and slope and how much rainfall your area gets. The best choice is to have a professional do the measurements and estimations.

For the majority of people, a K-style in 5 inches will be the best choice. You also should choose a larger downspout for great drainage. If you choose a gutter that is 6 inch, you’re going to have almost two times the capacity. However, if you’re in a climate that is cold, bigger gutters might mean that it’s going to be weighed down with ice which may form so that your gutter system’s damaged. This will be increased about 25% when you have a 6 inch.

Now that you know the different types of gutters and their materials, you’ll have a better idea of what type of gutter you want to choose for your home. Whether you do it yourself or have it installed professionally, having the right gutter is essential.

About Gulf Coast Exteriors

GCE Gutters is a residential and commercial gutter service committed to providing professional quality service at a competitively low prices in Fort Myers and Cape Coral Florida. Let GCE Gutters show you how we are becoming the area’s finest gutter cleaning, repair and installation company in Lee County.