Gutters Yes or No

We are having roof done. Our gutters have been in disrepair for years and we were quoted 2000 for new ones. I’m in discussion with my wife on whether we actually need gutters. One contractor said we didn’t need them now my wife doesn’t want to get them.

We have a roof overhang of 2 feet past our walls, so no issues with water on siding or windows. We have a sandy soil.

Can i I hear some arguments on why or why not should we get gutters?

 

Gutters are probably the #1 defense to getting water away from the foundation, assuming they are plumed correct.

Personally I would never not have gutters!

 

Agree with Marq. Ideally, you want to get your runoff about 10' from your structure, which is the reason that you see long extensions and/or minimal slope away from foundations. And of course you see a lot of houses with no extensions and no slope, but if you flip through past posts here as well as articles and other sources on the internet you will find countless issues pertaining to wet or damp basements and crawlspaces, damaged foundations, rotted sill plates, termites, etc. So it becomes quite evident that gutters and downspouts do more than prevent you from stepping in a puddle when you go out the door.

 

i had one house that didn't need or have gutters cause it was in town and everything went into the streets... I got a house last year and put gutters on it cause it needs to drain away from the foundation. I highly recommend seamless gutters. I put a trench for all my downspouts to run the water underground into a 4" drain line to a lower spot on the property. You didn't say if u live up north, but consider the fact that they will freeze up and possibly contribute to ice dams if not done properly.

 

Except for over the steps to the front porch, I don't have gutters on my house. Since my house is the high point on the hill and the ground is pretty much slate rock - my house doesn't really need gutters. I do have gutters on both ends on my barn [which has a longer roof] to stop erosion on the low side and to prevent moisture from coming thru the block on the high side [where the interior wall is a few inches below grade]

The seamless gutters are a lot better than the 10' sections you'd use if you diy.

The determining factor should be what happens to the water that comes off the roof. As long as the ground next to the foundation never gets soggy you should be ok without gutters.

 

Do you have window wells or a bulkhead door to your basement? They can collect precipitation running off your roof quite quickly.

If I didn't have gutters, I would consider a "Rainhandler" system to, in theory at least, disperse the water away from your foundation. I'm not really recommending "Rainhandler" because I haven't used them myself, but I like the idea. I am thinking of trying them behind my garage where the tree cover is so dense that the ground below receives very little rain. Also, since there is no basement under the garage, I don't have as many concerns about a wet foundation.

 

Unless you live in a desert you should ALWAYS have gutters.

 

Well, ice dams are due to lack of insulation but with the water freezing they can get caught up in the problem.

I have seen a lot of houses without gutters with massive ice dams also!

 

Heating cables are the solution to ice dams, either on the roof or in the gutter or both.

 

Unless you like trenches in the ground below your roofline, I would recommend gutters.

 

I have agree with Marq and Tolyn. Even if you don't need them for proper runoff and foundation purpose, the trench caused by the roof water looks ugly.

 

In addition to all the reasons mentioned for having gutters, most loan agencies including the VA require them to qualify for a loan. The reason is property integrity.
My gutters dump into a below grade 4" PVC system that carries water to the ends of the property. Not knowing where you live, you could also catch it in barrels and use for irrigation.

 

A wise man told me once that a house pretty much becomes a useless box of wood, bricks, and other stuff, if you can't get clean water in when and where you want it, and get waste water out when you have to. With completely covered and screened gutters, and downspouts that drop into 6" diameter poly pipes that run underground out to the underground storm sewers under the street, you can pretty much tell how I feel about the correct answer to your question!