Rain gutters are essential to prevent water damage to the foundation of your home. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and are made from different materials.
At home improvement stores like Home Depot, you’ll find plenty of gutter options to fit the style of your house and budget.
To replace your old gutters, contact your local gutter pros for FREE ESTIMATES!
Home Depot Rain Gutters
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Let’s take a look at some of the rain gutters available at Home Depot:
Rainhandlers:
Rainhandlers are white Aluminum Gutter With Brackets & Screws, costing $229.59
The design of this four-inch (diameter) by 50-foot-long gutter from Rainhandlers offers a few special features.
It has an open louver to prevent snow and ice build-up. Additionally, it’s self-cleaning as debris and leaves can fall through the slats.
The value pack includes 10 single units. It’s available in brown and silver.
Amerimax Gutters
Amerimax are K-Style Copper Straight Back Gutter that cost $107.16
This K-style gutter is made from high-quality copper for durability and resistance to rust and pitting. It offers a stylish, traditional, and historical look for your home or business.
It’s a convenient DIY length to fit a 5-inch diameter, and 10 feet in length.
Amerimax: Half-Round Gutter cost $71.16
This half-round style gutter offers an elegant royal-brown finish. It’s created by Amerimax using high-quality aluminum for longevity and low maintenance.
The traditional look of this design would complement your home or business. It’s also perfect for restoration projects and suitable for DIY.
Did you know? That a cat once lived inside a Home Depot for 13 years? As of 2014, “Depot” had been living inside the South Carolina branch for that length of time. The cat greeted customers, lounged in the garden department, and kept setting off the security alarms.
It eventually became subject to eviction, but online protests led by a spokesperson with tenure for the branch came to the cat’s rescue.
Spectra Gutters
Spectra are K-Style Low Gloss White Aluminum Gutter that cost $21.23
This K-style aluminum gutter is made from high-quality aluminum with a baked-on enamel finish. It comes in other colors including “forest green,” “musket brown,” and bronze.
Spectra gutters are ideal for replacement or repairs and can be used as an add-on to a current rain gutter system.
It’s 6 inches in width by 4.75 inches in height, and 8 feet long.
What Are the Different Gutter Styles?
Rain gutters can either be seamed (sectional) or seamless, precisely shaped, and made using a specific material. Popular styles include k-style, half-round, box style, and fascia.
In terms of materials, they can be constructed from vinyl, aluminum, or steel.
What Is the Difference Between Regular Gutters And Seamless Gutters?
Seamed gutters are made in sections that are sealed or soldered together to create a seam at each connection.
They are easier to install, and when damaged, only the section affected needs replacing, as opposed to the entire system.
However, the seams make them prone to leaks and other damage depending on the material used.
Seamless gutters are not built-in sectioned pieces, they are continuous lengths.
They are created on-site from sheets of the chosen material and are much stronger than seamed gutters and less likely to leak or clog due to minimal seams. Note that the seams are at the corner joints and downspouts only.
Seamless gutters are slightly more expensive but require less maintenance and last longer than seamed gutters.
Pro Tip: If you decide to install your gutters yourself, it’s much easier to assemble and join the system on the ground.
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Gutter Shapes
The different shapes of rain gutters are not only designed to blend in with your roofline, or bring out your home’s exterior, but also for function.
For example, if you live in an area with persistent rain, the shape of the gutter impacts upon the efficiency of dealing with the excess water.
Let’s look at the differences between four of the most popular types of guttering:
K-Style Gutters
K-style gutters are not shaped like the letter “K.” They have a flat bottom and back with a decorative front side. The curve or ogee shape resembles crown molding and offers an elegant touch to your roofline.
K-style gutters are the most widely used style in America. Their design allows them to hold more rainwater compared to other gutter styles, making them the best choice to handle heavy rainfall.
Like all types of rain gutters, the k-style is available in different diameter sizes. The most common are five and six-inch models, though seven and eight-inch and customized options are available.
Half-Round Style Gutters
Half-round gutters look like a tube cut in half. Their symmetrical U-shape design would complement an older or historic home.
They also look good on modern homes that are less angular than a standard home. They are slightly harder to install than the K-style since they don’t have a flat side.
The inside of this style is smoother than the inside of the k-style. This increases its sturdiness and prevents corrosion over time. This characteristic makes them easier to clean.
Half-round gutters are better suited to homes in locations with significant rainfall and snow. And for homes with heavily textured materials like slate, shake, and tile on the exterior.
Fascia Style Gutters
The distinctive visual element of a fascia rain gutter offers curb appeal to homes. Its sleek architectural design has a clean and polished look.
This style of gutter is typically seen where a fascia is not installed along the roof edge.
They are installed directly onto the framing, so the smooth side of the gutter conceals the edge of the roof’s rafter tails. To prevent water from pouring over the side and causing damage.
The fascia style is larger than the k-style or half-round. Therefore, more proficient at handling a sudden onset of water, and successfully diverting it away from your property.
Did you know? the material used to make rain gutters affects its functionality? Surprisingly, gutters in the past were made from wood.
Once people realized that water lessens the optimal functionality of their gutters, they ditched wood.
Today, rain gutters are mostly made from metallic materials such as zinc, copper, and steel.
Box Style Gutters
This style has more of a square, rectangular, boxy look, hence the name box gutter. They are wider and much deeper than the k-style, and also lack the same hard-to-clean edge, making them less decorative but easier to clean.
Box style gutters are typically seen in commercial and industrial properties but are also used in smaller sized residential homes.
This type is very sturdy and designed to handle large amounts of water runoff.
Did you know? earthworms are often found in roof gutters? However, no one knows exactly how they get there. Of the various theories, some believe that earthworm eggs get stuck to the wings or legs of birds and the worms are flown there. Once safely inside a moist, clogged gutter the earthworms will hatch.
What Material Are Rain Gutters Made Of?
Let’s take a look at some of the features for popular materials used to make rain gutters, along with examples of approximate pricing:
Aluminum Gutters
Aluminum is the most popular material for seamed and seamless rain gutters.
They come in three standard thicknesses of .025-inch, .027-inch, and .032 -inch. The thinnest is likely to bend or dent, and the thickest is perfect for regions with heavy snowfall.
Aluminum gutters won’t rust and are available in many colors or can be painted. With regular maintenance, they last up to 25 years.
Vinyl Gutters
Vinyl gutters is the least expensive choice. It’s lightweight and relatively easy to cut, making it the easiest option for DIY installation.
Vinyl gutters are also available in different colors and can be painted. They won’t corrode or rust.
However, vinyl gutters is the least durable material. It becomes brittle in high heat and can crack when exposed to hard frosts. Vinyl gutters typically last around 20 years and are suitable for smaller homes in mild climates.
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Zinc Gutters
Rain gutters made with zinc are expensive, but resist corrosion, warping and weathering, and are durable. They complement any home with their unique color and eye-catching patina that increases in attractiveness with age.
They are incredibly strong and last twice as long as aluminum. You can expect up to 50 years of usage. These types are popular in Europe and are now gaining popularity in the US as homeowners become more familiar with the gutter’s quality and visual appeal.
Galvanized Steel Gutters
Steel gutters are built to withstand severe weather conditions. They are available in stainless and galvanized steel versions, with differences in resistance to corrosion and rust. The protective coating of galvanized steel gutters is usually destroyed by rust within 20 years.
On the other hand, stainless steel gutters won’t corrode or rust at all so you can expect them to last for several decades. Stainless steel’s capacity to deflect corrosion and rust makes it stronger and twice as expensive as galvanized steel.
Both types are extremely tough and stand up to wind, snow, hail, and heat. The seamed version of steel gutters are soldered and riveted making them less likely to leak.
Copper Gutters
Copper gutters add to the style and beauty of a home. Like zinc, as the copper ages, a patina develops which enhances the gutter’s attractiveness. To the extent, it doesn’t require decorating.
It’s the most challenging metal to work with as it requires additional soldering at the joints.
This type is also extremely durable and resistant to corrosion. There is almost no maintenance required other than removing debris that may fall into them.
Investing in copper gutters will mean you’ll never need to replace them.
Did you know? That a favorite breeding ground for insects and pests is a rain gutter? As the water drains through a gutter, the remaining moisture provides the perfect breeding ground for mold and microorganisms.
The organisms that flourish there can affect your health. Therefore, take the necessary precautions to avoid the growth and nesting of organisms in your gutter.
Rain Gutters Help Avoid Costly Water Damage Repairs
Rain guttering systems have been around in some form or another for thousands of years. As time has gone on, changes to the shapes and materials used to create them has resulted in more efficiency and styles.
You can buy a rain gutter to suit your home, climate, and budget. Investing in a gutter system appropriate for your situation could potentially save you thousands of dollars in water damage renovations.
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For over 20 years Leo has run a successful roofing business in New England, specializing in metal roofing, as well as cool flat roofing technologies. Having replaced and installed hundreds of roofs in New England, Leo has first hand experience with pretty much every residential roofing material and roofing manufacturer available in the US.
