*
b Dispense With Rain Gutters?
I’m about to finish a new two story house in the country.
The owner says he knows a friend, a general contractor in Virginia, who no longer installs rain gutters.
Instead, this contractor digs a trench about 18″ wide directly under the roof edge, completely around the perimeter of the house. The trench is abut 18″ deep too, I think he said. And the trench is filled up with “chat” or small limestone, or small rocks of any kind which don’t dissolve in rainwater.
He says this does away with leaves and pine needles filling up the gutters. Says it eliminates a little fire hazard since there aren’t any gutters to collect leaves, etc. Gutters don’t get blocked up since there ain’t any.
Now of course, my owner wants me to install this system.
I confess I’ve never seen this system in operation.
Does anyone out there have experience with it? I’d appreciate your comments and advice.
What are the drawbacks to such a system?
If I’m gonna do it I want to do it before the power is hooked up to the house; don’t want one of my men electrocuted digging around the base of the house.
It does sound kinda nice in that no gutters would improve the appearance of the roofline, in my opinion. But if this were such a proven thing, I would expect to have seen it all around the country and I haven’t. Or maybe it’s out there and I just haven’t noticed it.
Thaks for any guidance
William
Replies
*
Well, we're doing it in Maine! I've used 24"-30" of crushed stone, 4"-6" deep around the building footprint to provide protection from rainwater dripping from the eaves; just be sure that you know where that water is going to go (before and after it hits the ground). You should probably add filter fabric at the bottom of the crushed stone. Also, a properly installed drip strip and ice and water shield is crucial. This eliminates the need for gutters and keeps the splashing of dirt onto your siding to a minimum.
*william, i have installed this system on several large houses in wisconsin after hail dammage had ruined the roofs and gutters twice. i ended up diggin 36" deep and 4' wide. then we dug trenches 15'out from the house to a 8'deep drain pit filled with 3"rock. this worked great. make sure that you use ice shield and make all your seams on your facia are water tight or you will have a water problem. doesnt hurt to use a larger drip edge.
*
Good Morning,
I need to pass on any tips and techniques for the proper flashing of a metal roof. This is for a friend who is interested in using metal on his house. This is a reroof. Vent stacks, chimney, exhaust, valley, and porch roof to brick wall. House in NW Ohio. Looking for the answers or a point in the right direction.
Thank you.
*Calvin, there was a pretty decent article on metal roofs in the latest issue of JLC.Chuck
*We've also had several discussions here about flashing skykights and chimneys. . .check the archives.Basically, stock flashings are available for vent stacks, and square openings (sidewall & endwall detail) combinations of these will give good results if meticulous attention is paid to all details!!!-pm
*Thanks Chuck and thank you Patrick. Passed on the archival info that I could find.Am hoping to get that kernel of information that would keep him from "man, if I only had done that".Gracias.
*calvin,ABC Supply Co. 800-366=2227 has chimney flashing kits, stepcone boots and other helpfull pieces.KK
*My advice:1. Hope there's no valleys.2. Sometimes you have to get creative3. corollary to #2, get really good with snips, as in scribing and coping4. Gloves5. Wind sucks6. Heat sucks too.
*Best advise of all was omitted: Read the roof manufacturer's instructions. It has always amazed me what kind of detail will or will not satisfy the manufacturer's warranty requirements.Sometimes even saves a lot of work too!
*7. Gravity, too.
*That's the reason I stay away from 'em Rich.And thanks Fred for seconding that emotion.
*The best advice I ever got was to use regular premade vent flashings and paint them to match the roof.I had also been told to move my stacks up so that they were very near the ridge, more protected, less water going over, etc.I threw them both out and eliminated every protrusion through the roof - including chimney, flue and vent stack (never had one)Now I have a nice inviolate roof with no liabilities.My advice - go look at lots of them. Take your binoculars so you can see up on top. I used a commercial roof on my house, so I had to go to commercial buildings. I never saw a eave detail for the hips that I liked so I made my own by experimenting with scraps.One last word of advice - never scrimp on the caulk. Wind pushes rain up the metal!!-Rob
*b Dispense With Rain Gutters?I'm about to finish a new two story house in the country.The owner says he knows a friend, a general contractor in Virginia, who no longer installs rain gutters.Instead, this contractor digs a trench about 18" wide directly under the roof edge, completely around the perimeter of the house. The trench is abut 18" deep too, I think he said. And the trench is filled up with "chat" or small limestone, or small rocks of any kind which don't dissolve in rainwater.He says this does away with leaves and pine needles filling up the gutters. Says it eliminates a little fire hazard since there aren't any gutters to collect leaves, etc. Gutters don't get blocked up since there ain't any.Now of course, my owner wants me to install this system.I confess I've never seen this system in operation.Does anyone out there have experience with it? I'd appreciate your comments and advice.What are the drawbacks to such a system? If I'm gonna do it I want to do it before the power is hooked up to the house; don't want one of my men electrocuted digging around the base of the house.It does sound kinda nice in that no gutters would improve the appearance of the roofline, in my opinion. But if this were such a proven thing, I would expect to have seen it all around the country and I haven't. Or maybe it's out there and I just haven't noticed it.Thaks for any guidanceWilliam