Your gutters are the unsung heroes of your home. Sure, your gutters may not be as big and impressive as your roof, and they may not be as flashy as your insulation or as pretty as your siding–but they are just as important as every other part of your home that keeps you safe and protected from the outside elements. Your gutters have the big, big job of draining all water from your roof and away from your home. If your gutters didn’t exist, your roof would bend under water weight, and your siding would rot, and your home would flood. It’s a good thing you have gutters, right?
Actually, poorly installed gutters often result in so much damage, you may question whether you have gutters. Poorly installed gutters can cause a world of hurt beyond drainage complications. Installing gutters right the first time can save you a great deal of money, time, and damage, down the road.
Properly installed gutters are a beautiful thing. They’re seamless, and aligned perfectly on every sloped edge of your roof. Every part is securely fastened, especially the downspouts which trail down the exterior of your home, discarding water away from the foundation. Properly installed gutters do not leak, and they do not collect standing water. Improperly installed gutters, however, result in a horrible domino-effect of damage–like a Rube Goldberg machine from hell.
Imagine, for a moment, that it is raining and your gutters have been improperly installed. Those poorly installed gutters are going to leak. The rainwater should shoot from your roof, through the downspouts, and be drained three-feet away from your foundation. Instead, with those poorly installed gutters, your seams are weak and gaping: all that rain water is gushing over your siding and pooling at your foundation. Now, your siding is being excessively exposed to water damage. When siding suffers from water damage the results can be disastrous: wood rot can cause total siding replacement, the infiltration of mold and mildew into your home will make your family sick, your weakened insulation will cause your energy bills to rise. But your siding is not alone in this vulnerability: your roof and foundation is equally susceptible to water damage that will cost you a great deal to have fixed. Water-logged foundations lead to flooding and bacteria. Water-logged roofs leak, causing your ceilings to leak, causing water damage to spread throughout your home. Poorly installed gutters means water everywhere else.
Poorly installed gutters are usually not affixed properly, either. Loose gutters rust easily, and pull away from the roof in wind and rain causing undue strain on your roof, often causing damage and inviting rot. Improperly installed gutters are usually found clogged with gunk and leaves, which also contributes to poor drainage.
It is crucial that your home’s gutters are installed right the first time. When you suffer a bad gutter installation your whole home (and family) suffers. The damages that can occur due to a poor gutter installation can be expensive and detrimental, resulting in issues you may have to manage for a long time after.