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I recently removed old sagging gutters from my new old house (1921). They had not been cleaned for quite some time; the subsequent leaf and dirt collection from overhanging trees had clogged the gutters and rotted out most of the eave wood and some bead board soffit.
I like the look of the house without the gutters and have fairly good positive drainage away from the house. I will be installing a brick edge under the drip line to control erosion and deflect splash water away from the house. The crawlspace / partial basement does not seem to collect water on rainy days.
My concern is that I have recently heard horror stories about foundations and footings being damaged by the pounding of roof water to the ground and am worried that the long term effects of no gutters will be detremental to the situation at my foundations.
Any experiences or advice.
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This question depends on soil conditions in your area. In places with expansive clay soils gutters are cheap insurance. We do not build any structure with out gutters. Why risk undercutting the footing or saturating the soil until it expands and breaks the foundation.
*Until someone comes up with a self-cleaning gutter, what is the point in having them?? Any damage caused to foundations/footings (and I've never heard of any) is going to occur anyways with gutters, 'cause to coin a phrase: "I never met a gutter that wasn't clogged" The presence of these dreadful contraptions only garranties rotted fascia/soffit areas.Henri
*I guess it's true: Ask ten contractors a questin and you will get eleven opinions.
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here's # 12. 10 yrs with no gutters. no visible problem. with planned exceptional waterproofing and drainage and a hill side house we have experienced no problem as of yet except of course the moisture that stays around house till the stone dries out. in the woods it seemed the way to go. best of luck to ya.
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Here's opinion #12. Even without the metal gutters at the eaves you still have gutters, now at the ground level. The responsibility for managing rainwater and keeping it out of the crawl space is the same in either case. With or without gutters you need to know where the water is supposed to go and then use what you've got to get it there. Sloped site, clay soils, bushes, a/c compressors, patios, porches, decks--can all challenge a "grade gutter" design.
Without gutters, especially on a two-story house or with short overhangs, you can expect a paint or stain finish to go bad sooner. This is especially true in the splash zone just above grade.
Keep inspecting the crawl space.
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Henri,
What's the point of buying a house if you don't plan on maintaining it? If you know that gutters clog, then why even risk a damaged foundation by not cleaning them out.
Water is very powerful, that is why it is called the "universal solvent". Eventually it will find a way into your house if you don't maintain it properly with gutters, or an underground drainage systems. All it takes is time.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think gutters are the greatest thing since sliced bread, they are just a cheaper alternative than doing an underground system.
*It totally depends on the conditions of your property -- frequency and quantity of rainfall, height of the eaves, wind, trees, soil, humidity, etc. Erosion and backsplash are big problems of being gutterless. Two ways of dealing with them are extended eaves and thick bushes or hardscape. If you get a lot of rain, it's going to form little rivers where it likes to run, so instead of shoveling out the gutters twice a year you'll be wasting your time grading.I don't like gutters at all, and removed a couple of annoying short sections from our porch roof. The water, however, drains to a well-graded asphalt driveway and the elevated foundation is rot-proof stone. Still, it does grow green stuff a bit. Gutter water is dumped into buried PVC drain lines and promptly escorted off the property.Do not do not do not underestimate the damage that water can do to your house -- it is probably the number one enemy, followed by fire and termites. Subterranean water in my immediate neighborhood has been responsible not just for the nuisance of flooded basements, but cracked foundations, uneven settling, wayward chimneys, etc.A couple things that helped me -- and I get tons of leaf litter -- have been oversize gutters and gutter covers -- not wire mesh but a vinyl product called Waterfall.Lots of posts here on gutters. The #1 problem with gutters, once you concede that most houses need them -- it lack of owner maintenance. There are plenty around here with seedlings sprouting up in the fine mulch....
*So, Andrew:You really think these Waterfall things are the ticket hu? This is the first I've herd of them. I've been looking for some kind of gutter cover for my own house that doesn't cost an arm & a leg. By looking at the picture, I'd wonder if pine needles might collect in those folds? Where are they available?
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I guess if gutters were kept scrupulously clean they would do what they're intended, but realistically, who does that. Where I live in New England you would have to clean the gutters and downspouts out every two weeks in spring and fall. Nobody does that, and most people ignore anything higher than 10 feet off the ground. Maybe it's different in Southern California, where it never rains, and they only have palm trees to worry about, but I think it's a mistake to include something in the design of a house that's sure to be neglected by 95% of homeowners. As to foundation and drainage, I think most problems relating to that are best addressed by proper grading. Water run off from adjacent properties is the overwhelming culprit in most cases, not water off of roofs. But allowing water from any source to puddle around the foundation is a No-No.
Henri
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On Waterfall, an 8' "contractor size" piece was $12 from the lumberyard. I left one up at the upper end of a gutter for about six months and it worked fine -- the only problem as that it slowed the water velocity so very fine stuff didn't get washed out. i think I'll have to clean them occasionally, but on my schedule and not during a downpour that clogs the downspount and has water shooting everywhere.
Pine needles -- I don't know. I get oak/maple leaves, acorns, twigs, chunks of pollens ... few needles. Do what I did, get a piece and try it. There are more extreme solutions, like Gutter Helmet -- which costs a (&%^(* fortune but is guaranteed -- if it clogs, they'll come out and fix it. Visit B4UBuild.com for a looong list of alternatives.
Gutters should be cleaned but I favor a cover solution ... the cost of injuries from falling can be staggering. And where you can away without them, do so.
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I recently removed old sagging gutters from my new old house (1921). They had not been cleaned for quite some time; the subsequent leaf and dirt collection from overhanging trees had clogged the gutters and rotted out most of the eave wood and some bead board soffit.
I like the look of the house without the gutters and have fairly good positive drainage away from the house. I will be installing a brick edge under the drip line to control erosion and deflect splash water away from the house. The crawlspace / partial basement does not seem to collect water on rainy days.
My concern is that I have recently heard horror stories about foundations and footings being damaged by the pounding of roof water to the ground and am worried that the long term effects of no gutters will be detremental to the situation at my foundations.
Any experiences or advice.