gutters & leaf
guard systems

Do you know what gutters are for?  Besides getting clogged up and needing to be cleaned out, that is. The basic function of a gutter is to capture and redirect water. They’re effective at capturing large volumes of water, channeling it through a downspout, and redirecting it away from your house. They also help you keep from having to pass through a waterfall cascading off the roof if you go in or out of your home during a heavy rain.

Residential gutter systems typically are long, aluminum channels just below the roofline of a house that capture rainwater and use downspouts to direct the water away from your house.  It protects your roof, landscaping, and foundation.

Benefits of Gutters

• Roofs–Gutters benefit your roof because water doesn’t collect and build up on the edges, which can lead to degradation and problems.
• Landscaping–Gutters divert water that can ruin landscaping, flowerbeds, and ground coverings.
• Walkways–Gutters reduce the potential that dangerous pools of water forming on walkways and porch, causing people to slip and fall.
• Foundation–Gutters protect your home’s foundation from the expensive damage that water can cause. Most foundations are concrete. Concrete is porous and water can fill the pores, seep into the concrete and break it down, causing the foundation to crack and shift. Over time this can cause a house to become unsettled and, eventually, structurally unsound.

Why Redirecting Water is Important

Redirecting rainwater reduces ground erosion around your house, which decreases the risk of basement flooding and foundation damage.

A good gutter system is essential when your home is at the bottom of a slope, even on one side. Water slides down the slope and tends to pool along your foundation.

If the soil around your house is dense and absorbent, like red clay, water can cause the ground around the house to swell, which can exert pressure against foundation walls. Over time, it can causes cracks and water seepage and disintegration can begin. Undiscovered, or ignored, this disintegration can result in the need major foundation work.

Water that pools or stands around the exterior of a home can soften the soil beneath the foundation and, over time, even cause the house to gradually sink. Pipes can break and the value of the home can decrease significantly.

Gutters and downspouts, if properly and carefully installed, are the most effective way to keep water from damaging your home’s foundation.