Three (Possibly the Best) Alternatives to Gutters

Water is the enemy of all homes: just over one-fifth of insurance claims involve water damage, and not just from a broken pipe or leaking toilet. Almost any aspect of your living space can be ruined by a rainstorm, which is why we have sophisticated roofing systems to keep all that water out.

But keeping water off your head with a strong roof is only half the battle: you also need to keep water from running off your roof and pooling around your home’s foundation . Most people achieve this with gutters—metal channels that run along the edge of the roof and funnel rainwater into a downspout that directs it away from your home. But there are some disadvantages to traditional gutters, and there may be better alternatives that you might want to consider.

Disadvantages of Traditional Gutters

Metal gutters are relatively cheap, easy to install, and work reasonably well in most conditions. But if you have gutters, you already know that they can be a real pain in the ass.

• Significant cleaning and maintenance. Gutters tend to fill with dirt and debris—it’s not uncommon to find abandoned gutters where weeds are thriving. Cleaning gutters is a relatively dangerous and difficult task, and filtration systems can be expensive (the average price for a 200-foot LeafFilter system is about $4,500 —though you have a few DIY options ). But a clogged gutter won’t do its job, leaving your home vulnerable to flooding.

• Visual appeal. Honestly, gutters are ugly, especially after a few years when they start to rust and collect dirt, and nothing you can do (other than repaint them; see above, about maintenance) will hide the fact that you have cheap metal pipes. nailed to your house.

The Best Alternative to Metal Gutters

If you don’t like the look of your gutters, don’t want to deal with the maintenance, or just want a different way to handle your rainwater, rejoice: there are options.

Rain chains

Rain chains have a long history and work very well. Attached to the areas where your roofing system channels rainwater, they rely on the surface tension of water to direct the water along a chain to a safe location away from your home (or to a collection point such as a barrel).

You can buy a rain chain quite cheaply or make your own from whatever metal you have lying around. One of the main advantages of a rain chain over gutters is visual appeal: rain chains can be very decorative and create a calm, zen atmosphere around your home, especially if you know that water is being carried away from your home.

Hidden gutters

Concealed gutters are gutters that are integrated into the roof system so that water is directed into the interior of the roof into a downspout. They function very similarly to traditional gutters, but their hidden nature improves the aesthetics of your rain drainage system. They are sometimes called box gutters, but this can be confusing since the term also refers to an older style of gutters that are commonly found on historic homes and are rarely used today.

They are typically more expensive than traditional gutters, and box gutters offer a sleek appearance that they otherwise lack. Just like aluminum gutters attached to the outside of your roof, they can become clogged with dirt and debris and are much more difficult to clean since they are located inside the roof. For the same reason, they are more difficult to repair.

Ground level solutions

If you don’t want to clutter your roofline with gutters, rain chains or anything else, you can opt for just drip and some at-grade solutions to direct water away from your home. Almost all modern roofs already have a flashing, a piece of metal that directs water away from the roof lining. This is really only a viable option if your area doesn’t get a lot of rain ; Most homes will need some kind of roofline drainage solution in addition to ground level solutions such as one of these:

• French drains: These are essentially gutters in the ground. To install a French drain, you dig a trench, install a perforated pipe, and then fill it with gravel. Water falling from the roof flows into a pipe that carries it away from the house. French drains are very effective, but they can be very expensive to install, with expensive systems costing anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 or more.

• Drip paths: Drip paths are a combination of a trench and other materials (pavers are usually used, but you can make drip paths from metal or concrete, for example). Stone, metal or concrete is installed at an angle so that water dripping from the roof is directed away from the house. Installing drip tracks can be cheap (and almost anyone can DIY them), but getting the angle right can be tricky, so it’s best to rely on the experts unless you want to wake up to a flooded basement.

• Landscaping: Labor-intensive and not exactly cheap (typical cost is around $1,600 ), grading your outdoor space so that water dripping from the roof drains naturally away from the house is another alternative to an extensive gutter system. All this means is that a slight slope is created, tilting the ground away from your foundation to allow gravity to do its work.

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