Gutters play an important role in your home. They collect rainwater and divert it away from your foundation. They are an essential part of your roofing system and should be installed on most roofs. We discuss the exceptions later in this article. Though they are often overlooked, gutters usually need to be installed to protect your home from water damage but depending on the style of your roof, you may not need gutters around your entire house.
Are Gutters Important?
Yes! Gutters are essential for keeping your roof and home protected against water damage. They work to divert rainwater away from your home’s foundation, decreasing the risk of soil erosion around your home. Aside from protecting the structure of your home from water damage, gutters are also great for reducing damage to any landscaping you have surrounding your home.
Without rain gutters, rainwater will run down your roof and trickle down the sides of your home. This will wash away the ground soil a little more every time it rains. If it rains excessively, your home’s foundation can be at risk of cracking or becoming damaged.
Installing seamless gutters around your home can help you keep your home safe from water damage and protect your investment.
Does Every Home Need Gutters?
If you live in an area that is prone to heavy rains and storms, then yes, you need gutters. Every home in Spring Hill, Brooksville, and surrounding areas of Florida should have gutters because we get plenty of rain! With that said, for certain homes, gutters aren’t always necessary.
If your home is surrounded by concrete, rock, or gravel and has good drainage then you may not need gutters. Likewise, if you have adequate positive grade around your home and the landscaping around your home isn’t prone to soil erosion, then you may not need gutters.
Keep in mind that even if your home doesn’t need gutters, water damage is still possible. The only way to ensure your home is protected against rainwater is to install seamless gutters around it.
Do Gutters Need to Be Installed Around the Entire House?
Most homes will benefit from the installation of gutters throughout the roof. However, the necessity of these gutters typically depends on how large your home is and how many slopes divide the sections of the roof. In many cases, it is unnecessary to have gutters around your entire house.
Here are some key things to consider when determining the gutter system that is best for your home:
- On homes with multiple slopes, there must be a gutter at the edge of each slope. The slopes of your roof will drain rainwater in different directions, so having a gutter and downspout to divert the water on each side is essential.
- If you have a low-pitch roof, you will need to install gutters at the edge of each slope. Typically, rainwater will naturally fall towards gutters. However, it may be necessary to call for a roof inspection after heavy rainfall or a major storm.
- Flat roofs don’t always require gutters around the entire house. However, this depends largely on the size of your roof. Because there aren’t any slopes in the roof, you may need to install another sort of drainage system to help keep your home protected from water.
When we do our free estimates, we assess the roof and house to determine how many gutters and downspouts you need. You may not need as many gutters and downspouts as you think.
Why Doesn’t My House Have Gutters?
If you moved into a house that doesn’t have gutters, there may be a few reasons why that might be the case.
Steep Roof. Many homes with steep roofs and long overhangs do not require gutters. This is because the roof’s slope and overhang work together to drain rainwater away from your home and the foundation. If your roof overhang extends more than a foot, the foundation will likely be safe from water damage as long as the grade of the soil around the foundation slopes away from the foundation. If the soil is flat or slopes toward the foundation then gutters may be needed if you can’t fix the grade of the soil.
Older Homes. Gutters were uncommon in residential homes up until the early 1990s. If your home was built before the 1990’s it’s possible gutters were never installed.
Gutter Deterioration. While seamless gutters will typically last up to 20 years or more, regular sectional gutters fall apart sooner because of their seams. It’s possible your home had gutters at some point but they broke down and were removed and never replaced for whatever reason.
If your home doesn’t have gutters, don’t assume that means your house doesn’t need them. Most homes in Central Florida need gutters because of the amount of rain we can get. It wouldn’t hurt to have a gutter company come out and take a look to make sure your house is o.k. without gutters.
Does Your Home Need Gutters?
If you are unsure whether or not you need gutters around your entire house, we can help! Call us at (352) 777-6553 and we’ll come out and assess your home and roof to determine how many gutters and downspouts you need. We never recommend more gutters than are necessary. We specialize in seamless gutter installations in Spring Hill, FL and surrounding area so give us a call!