Gutters

If you’re like just about every other homeowner, you probably never think about your rain gutters until they start leaking on you when you’re headed inside. While typically overlooked, gutters are an integral part of your home’s exterior. 

If you have a house without gutters, or if your gutters are not working properly, you are risking potential serious damage over time. Here are the top four reasons you should have gutters, and make sure they are working properly.

1. Gutters protect your foundation. If your area experiences a period or periods of excessive rain, the groundwater levels rise and the soil becomes extra heavy. When rainwater is no longer being absorbed quickly by the ground, it pools on the surface. If that level of saturation and pooling is happening near your home’s foundation, it can put extreme amounts of pressure on it. If this continues to happen, over time it could cause your foundation to fail.
2. Gutters can help to prevent flooding in your basement. This one goes hand in hand with number one above. If your foundation starts to crack or crumble, inevitably, water is going to leak into your basement. Even if your basement is unfinished, this can still cause a number of problems including mold growth which is hazardous to your health.
3. Gutters prevent erosion. When homes are built, they are landscaped in a way that allows a downward slope running away from the house to allow water that falls from the roof to run away from the foundation. If your gutters are failing or missing entirely, that slope will be washed away over time and water will begin to pool near your foundation and run towards your house instead of away from it. This can lead to foundation damage. See number one.
4. Gutters protect your garden beds. Having shrubs or flower beds near the foundation of a house is a classic style that you’ll see in nearly every suburban neighborhood in the US. Some shrubs and greenery can act as a windbreaker and help protect against the elements. Gutters help to protect these garden beds so that your plants don’t get overwatered and die.

As you can see, gutters are important! When replacing gutters, there are different types to choose from and some even come in different colors to help blend in with the style of your home. 

Materials used for gutters are vinyl, metal, steel, and even wood. You can choose between seamless gutters, or sectional, however, the most common place for a gutter to have issues is where the sections join together. Seamless gutters, by name, don’t have a seam so they don’t have joints where they can fail and leak. They are more costly than sectional gutters, however, a lot of people think they are worth the extra cost. 

The pros at McAmis Roofing & Construction are ready and available to help you make informed decisions and provide quick and easy install. Give us a call if you have questions or if you need to schedule an appointment.