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Finding the right local gutter installer can take a lot of time and leave you wondering if you got the best price. We are here to help you narrow down the best options from reliable companies that want to get you the results you need. Get in touch with your local team today by filling out your zip above and telling us about your project.
Why Are Gutters Important?
Rain gutters are an essential protective device for your home. Their primary purpose is to direct the flow of rainwater away from vital and vulnerable areas of the house, preventing water damage.
As rainwater falls onto your roof, it will be pulled by gravity and attempt to pool everywhere it shouldn’t. Without gutters, rainwater will try to collect in and around your roof, siding, and at the base of your home. This will lead to rot, flooding, and foundational deterioration.
Pooled water in and around the home also has several secondary but no less problematic effects, namely, attracting pests like mosquitoes, termites, and ticks. Thankfully, gutters help prevent all this by evenly dispersing rainwater into different portions of your property or receptacles and basins for collection.
Types of Gutter Materials
Originally, gutters were made from wood, brick, or stone. Today’s gutters can come in various materials, most composed of metal or vinyl. Each material provides distinct benefits, styles, requirements, and costs.
Aluminum
Aluminum is the standard material for gutters and is the most commonly used across the United States. Aluminum gutters are low-cost, resilient, lightweight, weather-resistant, rust-proof, and paintable. Aluminum can come as a seamed or seamless gutter and is the preferred choice for contractors during installations. The only significant downside to these gutters is their structural weakness. If you choose aluminum, you’ll have to be especially careful when cleaning or accessing your roof, as ladders are known to leave large dents when impacting aluminum gutters.
These gutters are around $4-$8 per linear foot and about $20 per linear foot for an installation. Aluminum gutters, on average, last for about 25 years if properly installed and provided general maintenance.
Copper
Copper is the luxury model of gutters. Stylish, tough, corrosion-resistant, and possessing a unique beauty, copper is one of the best materials you can choose. Copper is highly weather-resistant, shrugging off the highest temperatures from the Arizona desert to the freezing winters of the Northeast. It’s also dense and durable, not denting easily, and can last for up to 100 years. However, one of the main draws of copper gutters is its color – baseline copper is already beautiful, but as it ages, it gains a beautiful green, weathered patina. This weathered appearance adds an old world look to your house and can significantly increase its curb appeal. These gutters are most commonly seen in high-end homes and are not suitable for DIY installations and should be installed by a professional. The only main downside to these gutters is their high costs, averaging between $25-$30 per linear foot for professional installation.
Steel
More durable than aluminum gutters and even more weather-resistant, steel gutters can be an appealing choice. Steel is a formidable material that won’t dent or bend during cleaning or installation and is far more resistant to all other manners of damage. While most steel gutters are galvanized, called galvalume gutters, and will resist rust, you can still expect to see some oxidization within about 15 years. This rusting can be mitigated with good maintenance and proper cleaning, increasing the life span of the gutters. Steel gutters are an excellent choice for many homeowners because they’re comparatively low cost, sitting at around $4-$12 per linear foot, and are much harder than aluminum gutters. Stainless steel gutters are practically indestructible but will cost twice as much, if not more. In either case, these gutters are heavy and should be installed professionally.
Vinyl
Vinyl is the most cost-effective choice on this list and the best gutter for DIY-minded homeowners and home improvement enthusiasts. Vinyl gutters are lightweight, low cost, easy to install, cuttable, corrosion-proof, non-rusting, and paintable. These gutters have downsides, the two most significant being they’re not durable or weather-resistant. In frigid climates, vinyl gutters will crack and break. Much like aluminum, if impacted by a ladder, it can dent or, even worse, crack and shatter. If properly installed and handled well, vinyl gutters can last up to 20 years. In worst-case scenarios, homeowners can easily replace broken or damaged sections. These gutters only cost around $1 per linear foot and can cost up to $5 per linear foot to have professionally installed.
Zinc
Next to steel gutters, zinc is a heavy-duty option for homeowners. Durable, rust-resistant, weather-resistant, and long-lasting, these gutters are an investment. Zinc combines the best elements of steel and aluminum. It is just as corrosion-resistant as aluminum with the hardy, near indestructibility of steel. Properly installed zinc gutters can last well over 50 years and develop a beautiful, rustic patina as they age. Homeowners should avoid zinc if they live in an area with salt-ridden air, such as along the coast – this is because zinc is easily stained by salty air or acidic runoff from cedar shingles. These gutters are also heavy, not installable DIY style, and require a professional. On average, zinc gutters cost around $25 per linear foot for a professional installation.
Styles of Gutters
Alongside your gutter’s material, you’ll need to decide on your gutter style, and like materials, there are plenty of options. When choosing a type, carefully consider the unique look and feel you want your home to have, along with the conditions your gutters will face.
“K” Style Gutters
K-style gutters, also known as “ogee” gutters, are the most common type of gutter seen here in the U.S. These gutters are shaped like a trough, with one edge flat and the other possessing a unique shape that resembles crown molding. The flat edge makes them easy to install on the fascia boards of your house, making them an excellent choice for DIY installations. Further to that point, they’re the cheapest option on this list, and most store-bought aluminum or vinyl gutters come in this style. Many homeowners will adjust the color of these gutters to complement their homes, using them as potent accent pieces.
Half-Round Gutters
As their name would suggest, half-round gutters look like a pipe or tube that has been sliced clean in half. These gutters have several benefits over more traditional styles, the biggest being that they’re easy to clean and less likely to clog.
These gutters are not DIY-friendly as they’re challenging to install. They need a system of brackets to keep the roof from sagging. These gutters are also much heavier and bulkier than other styles, making them more susceptible to pulling loose. Also, due to their low sides and more shallow troughs, they cannot funnel massive downpours as well as other styles. On the other hand, in the right conditions, these gutters can look fabulous on a home and are a popular choice when paired with copper as a material.
Box Style Gutters
On the other side of the spectrum, we find box style gutters. These are more industrial, less traditional-styled gutters meant for large homes or commercial buildings. These gutters can handle massive amounts of debris and runoff. They’re also the most durable style of gutters on this list. Unfortunately, what they make up for in function, these gutters sadly lack in form. Many homeowners find these gutters unappealing with a flat design. They also cannot be installed traditionally, needing to be installed into the eaves of the building during its construction.