Installing rain gutters and downspouts without factoring in the roof line, aesthetics and the roof's area and gutters will create problems for home owners later on. These include overflowing gutters, damage to facia and leaks in your basement.

Rain Gutters and Downspoutsff
When doing home remodeling and home improvement projects, rain gutters, downspouts and proper drainage are usually not hot topics.

However, if you ignore them and entrust them entirely to your contractor you may end up with:

1. Gutters and Downspouts that create roofing and fascia problems over time,
2. Gutters and Downspouts that are unsightly, and
3. A functionally inadequate drainage system.

Poor Design and Installation= Big Problems for Home Owners
A good example of a poorly designed and installed rain gutter and downspout system is shown in the next two photos. The entire length of the front roof drains into about 5 feet of flat roof. The latter can't really accommodate so much water.

So over time, the flat roof and fascia have leaked. The wood below it has water rot and make great termite and carpenter ant habitat.

A better solution would have been to simply drop a downspout to the left of the doorway near the garage. The problem may have also been prevented by installing two downspouts on the front of the main house.

A good gutter company should be able to work with you to find the best solution that provides a functional system that is aesthetically pleasing. You also have to think of how to get that water away from the house as well.

Kinds of Gutters
Gutters are either the open variety or the closed variety. Either type of gutter and downspouts come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most are made of aluminum. You can also order open copper gutters which over time will have a nice patina.

Regular open gutters installed on homes in areas that have deciduous trees and evergreens such as pine, will require cleaning at least twice a year. Here in the Washington DC area that's about $100 to $300 per cleaning. Some homeowners install screens on the gutters to prevents clogging by large leaves during the Fall months. You'll still have to clean the during the Spring time and get rid of small buds, flowers and twigs.

One way to limit cleaning it to make sure that large trees are not planted close to the house. Besides leaf litter, the root systems of larger trees can also affect your foundation and possibly crack it. If you have trees near your house consider pruning any branches that extend over the house.

Closed Gutter System
A closed gutter system prevents leaves and twigs from entering the gutter and downspouts and eventually clogging them. Closed systems all come under a variety of names depending on where you live. They are made of aluminum, come in many colors and do not have to be cleaned.

A closed gutter relies on water adhesion. Water flows off the roof onto the top of the gutter and adheres to it so that it flows into the system. Leaves and other large debris can't enter the system.

We installed a closed gutter system on our home in the Washington DC area. We specified over-sized 6 inch downspouts with this.

As a part of the system, the downspouts are connected to a 4 inch slotted drainage slot and taken away from the house.

Getting Estimates and Pointers
Some clients have experienced high pressure tactics from some companies. These include gimmicks to get you to sign up with them today. Don't fall for this. There is no rush.

Some companies will even say that you don't have to be home when they do the estimate. Not so. We recommend that at least one of you is at least present to point out problem areas to the rain gutter estimator so that he or she can factor that into the estimate. Good estimators can correct for those problems and design a system that addresses your concerns and places downspouts in the best places.

A good estimator will also point out damage to wooden fascia and give you a ball park estimate of what will cost to replace it.