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mushroom on the roof


Image by hans s
on the roof of this farmhouse you can find small mushrooms

Bruges : Roofs – Toits


Image by Pantchoa
Vue des toits depuis l’hôtel
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Roofs seen from hotel
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Vista de los techos desde el hotel

roofs of isfahan, iran october 2007


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to the roofs – where else to go in a city of domes?

Radius Baggage Doors

Rain Gutters with Spouts

Rear Electric

Price: $ 45,900

Location

28752 Marion, USA

A good rain gutter system is essential to protecting your home from water damage. A rusted, leaky rain gutter is can do as much damage as a leaky roof.

But choosing a rain gutter system can be confusing. Gutters come in a variety of types, styles and materials. They can range from cheap vinyl gutters costing about per foot, all the way up to ornamental copper gutters costing as much as per foot.

Which type is right for you? Sectional vs. Seamless Gutters

Your first decision is whether to buy sectional or seamless gutters. Unless you are on a very tight budget, this should be an easy decision.

Sectional gutters are sold in pieces through home improvement retailers like Lowe’s The Home Depot. Sections are glued or snapped together to form the length of gutter you need. These gutters are inexpensive, but are notorious for developing leaks at the joints over time.

Seamless gutters consist of a single gutter that is custom-sized to fit your roof. Since they are custom-made, they’re more expensive, but they are far less likely to have leaks down the road. As a result seamless gutters have become the most popular option for new homes.

Seamless gutters are usually created on-site at your home by a contractor with a gutter machine. This is easier than transporting big gutter sections in a truck.

Choice of Material

You can chose rain gutters made from a variety of materials. Which one is right for you?

Vinyl is the least expensive material, costing about per linear foot. But vinyl has a low durability. It can become brittle and break in cold climates, and exposure strong sunlight will cause the vinyl to break down over time.

Aluminum is the most popular material for gutters. It is inexpensive, lightweight, and rust-proof, plus it is available in many colors. Aluminum costs about per linear foot.

Galvanized steel is strong, durable and should resist rust for 20 years or more. The strength of the material makes it a good choice for homes exposed to extreme precipitation. It costs – per linear foot.

Copper is the most expensive gutter material, costing – per linear foot. It is strong and rust-proof. Copper will also acquire a greenish patina as it ages, making it a popular choice for period homes. If you prefer the shiny look of new copper, you can buy treated copper that stays as bright as a new penny.

Be aware, though, that copper gutters can be tricky to install, since it can discolor if it comes in contact with oils from your skin or work gloves.

K-Style vs. Half Round Gutters

Gutters come in either a trough shape known as a K-style, or in a U-shape known as a half round gutter.

K-style gutters are more modern and represent the majority of rain gutters found today. Half round gutters have a more traditional look, especially when made of copper. Half round gutters are a popular choice for people wanting a historical look.

Both styles will provide good drainage for your home, so the choice is mostly aesthetic.

Gutter Downspouts

In addition to the gutters themselves, you’ll need downspouts to carry the runoff and drain it safely away from your home.

Rectangular downspouts are typically 2×3 inches or 3×4 inches wide, while circular downspouts are typically 3-4 inches in diameter.

You may also need a splash block to catch splatter coming out of the downspout.

Sizing Your Gutters

Your rain gutters handle a lot of water. Consider this: one inch of rain falling on a 1000 square feet of roof amounts to 550 gallons of water flowing off your house. So how big do your gutters need to be?

Calculating the exact drainage of your gutter system is beyond the scope of this article, but a few rules of thumb can steer you to the right choice.

Your gutters should be sized based on the maximum rainfall you can expect, not the average rainfall. That means a house in Dallas, Texas, which can experience strong micro-burst storms, actually needs a bigger gutter system than one in Seattle, Washington, where the rain is more frequent but less intense.

If your home has a steeply-pitched roof, it will collect more water as the wind blows rain onto your roof. A roof with a 45-degree pitch will collect about thirty percent more rain than a flat roof.

Gutters can range anywhere from 4 inches to 8 inches wide, but 5 and 6 inch gutters are the most common.

If your home needs to handle intense storms, you can either install wider gutters or install more or wider downspouts to drain water away more quickly.

Gutter Screens

In addition to gutters and downspouts, it is a good idea to include sort kind of screen in your gutter system. Gutter screens help to keep out leaves, seeds and nuts that can clog your gutters.

These items have a variety of names, including gutter screens, gutter guards, and even gutter helmets. Each name describes a different approach to keeping leaves out, while ensuring a good flow of water into the gutter.

Gutter screens aren’t foolproof. Even the best systems will sometimes allow a few pine needles or small seeds to get into your gutters. But the alternative is cleaning your gutters twice a year, which can be a nasty job.

Sock Woodruff is founder and partner of GutterSupply.com, the leading manufacturer and distributor of Gutter, Rain Gutters, and related tools and equipment.

More Gutters Articles

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at The Drinkin Bone

Lemoyne, United States

Is your house equipped with rain gutters made of copper? If so, congratulations—in many ways, copper may be the ultimate material for rain gutters. It is stronger than aluminum, has a beautiful finish when new, withstands the effects of weather well, does not deteriorate under the attack of UV rays from the sun, and gradually develops a beautiful green or gray patina over a period of years. In addition, copper rain gutters can last for 75 to 100 years or more.

Even though you might have beautiful copper rain troughs adorning your house, by itself copper does nothing to avert the major bane of all rain gutter owners: cleaning out the gutters. The wind and rain carry all kinds of stuff into rain gutters. Every spring there are tree blossoms, to be followed in the fall by leaves, nuts, and seeds, sometimes accompanied by twigs, dirt, and bird nests. This collection of things may attract various kinds of insects. The debris may then block the gutters and downspouts, resulting in water overflowing the gutters, dripping down the walls, and eroding your yard. If you are really unlucky, the water may find its way into your basement.

To avoid these problems you probably need to clean out the rain gutters several times a year—unless you install a gutter protection system to keep all that debris out of your rain gutters in the first place. There are many different kinds of gutter protection systems available today including gutter guards, gutter covers, gutter screens, and gutter filters. All of them are intended to let the water drain into the rain gutter while keeping the debris out. Adding gutter protection will eliminate the need for cleaning out the gutters up to four times a year and avoid the other kinds of damage that might occur. In selecting a gutter protection system, most people will choose a product made of the same material as the rain gutters. The usual materials are galvanized steel, aluminum, and copper. Because the majority of home gutter systems are not made from copper, some of the gutter protection systems are not available in copper, but there is still a wide selection from which to choose.

GutterSupply.com illustrates 15 different types and styles of gutter protection systems. Pictures of the different types and styles are provided. Clicking on any product name or photo will give you information that is more detailed. Six of these products are available in copper. If you favor a screen-type unit, there are three different products from which to choose. If you have half-round gutters, the Half-Round Hinged Gutter Screen is available to fit 5-inch or 6-inch gutters. The screens come in 3-foot sections. The individual sections are easily fastened to the gutter with stainless steel clips, resulting in low installation labor cost. A gutter screen will prevent all except rather fine material from passing into the rain gutter. However, some small bits of material may get stuck in the screen openings. Occasional cleaning may still be required, but at very infrequent intervals. If your gutters are of the K-style design, your choice is either a K-Style Hinged Gutter Screen or K-Style Drop-In Gutter Screen. These units also come in 3-foot sections. Both types are available to fit either 5-inch or 6-inch K-style gutters. There is also a style of gutter cover in copper material. This is the Gutter Shingle Gutter Cover. This style is installed underneath the bottom course of shingles on the roof. The covers are 3 feet in length.

Two styles of gutter guards are available from most companies. These include the Leaf Out Gutter Guard and the GuttaGard brand. The Leaf Out Gutter Guard comes in 4-foot lengths and is available to fit either 5-inch or 6-inch gutters. The GuttaGard brand also comes in 4-foot sections and is currently available only in a 6-inch gutter size.

Although not constructed of copper, another option for use with copper rain gutters is the GutterFill Gutter Filter. This is open cell foam shaped to fit the inside of the rain gutter and is available for both half-round and K-style rain gutters. The top of the foam material is level with the top of the gutter and is not visible from the ground. The foam is particularly effective in preventing virtually all foreign material from entering the rain gutter. The leaves and other debris will come to rest on top of the foam and be washed off by rain or blown off by wind. The manufacturer really believes in its product. The filter comes with a 20 year No-Clog Guarantee.

Sock Woodruff is founder and partner of GutterSupply.com, the leading manufacturer and distributor of gutter supplies, gutter machines, gutter covers, and related tools and equipment.

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Roofing Guide – Attic Ventilation

at New Jersey Performing Arts Center
36 Park Place
Newark, United States