Gutter installation is one thing that some homeowners overlook with a new home, but the water management that gutters offer can be critical in maintaining the landscape and can help protect parts of the home that you may not have considered. Rain gutters do more than keep the water off your head as you enter and exit the house when it is raining, and the cost of a gutter installation is often low when compared to the damage a home without gutters can experience.
Water Management
When it is raining hard, the water running off your home's roof needs a place to go. If you do not have gutters on the house, the water will run straight off the roof's edge and onto the ground near your foundation. Mud and water can splash up on the outside of the house, making it look messy and dirty, but may also seep into the ground near the foundation walls.
Water seeping into the ground around the house can eventually get inside the foundation, and that can cause some significant issues. A house with a gutter will carry the water away from the home and reduce the risk of water damage around your foundation.
Drains installed around the house can help move the water, but using a full gutter and combining it with a downspout and pipe that carries the water away from the structure is the most effective way to ensure the water only goes where you want it.
In some cases, a French drain installed near the house can be a good place for the downspout to dump water and is an excellent way to ensure the water is not allowed to seep into the soil in one spot.
Protecting The Roof
Water running off the roof in the wintertime can freeze along the edges, creating ice dams that eventually damage the shingles and metal flashing along the roof's edge. The ice can melt and refreeze at night, and this cycle can cause damage that requires roof repairs.
A gutter installation along the roof's edge gives that water someplace to go, and when the gutter is kept clean, it can encourage water runoff that helps maintain the edges of the home's roof. There are many different gutter colors and styles to choose from, and many times the gutter installation will improve the look of your home while providing that extra protection.
A seamless gutter system can be custom installed quickly, and something unique like copper gutters around the outside of a brick home can be the perfect finishing touch. Providing water management necessary to ensure your house stays dry and the water is dealt with effectively is the goal of any gutter installation and is effective when installed correctly.
For more information about gutter installation, contact a local company.
When you develop a roof leak, you don't have time to ignore it. Issues with leaks can cause problems as simple as incoming water and as wide-ranging as mold accumulation inside your home, which is why you should never let an issue sit. However, if you aren't careful, you could develop problems with roofing that is simply open to the elements, allowing rain and snow to enter your home, melt, and contribute to problems like mold growth. On this blog, you can learn more about the kinds of roofing issues that you could be faced with, and what to do about them.