Most homeowners are under the impression that gutters are one size fits all products and there is not much variety in the materials that you have to choose from. This is not even closed to being correct. There are a wide variety of both gutter material choices and sizes. We will go over some of these in this article. That way if you are thinking about replacing your gutters you will know better what your options are.
A Quick Overview of the Most Popular Gutter Choices
Here are some of the pros and cons of the different style gutter choices that are available in the home improvement marketplace.
Aluminum
This is the most widely used type of gutter material. It is very lightweight and easy for even do it yourself types to install. It is strong enough to support heavy runoff and snow loads. It does need to be painted occasionally but it will not rust.
Vinyl
This material is a great budget-friendly choice that is catching up to aluminum in popularity. It needs very little maintenance to keep it looking good. Color choices are somewhat limited with vinyl and it’s not strong enough to have ladders placed against it.
Steel
If you are worried about heavy snow load or heavy water runoff steel is a great choice. Rust can become an issue over time with steel especially in areas that have high salt content in the air.
Copper
This is the preferred material if you have an older home or commercial building for which you want to maintain its rustic or classic look. It will dull a little over time but it will not rust. This would not be considered a budget-friendly gutter material choice, though. Also, it needs professional installation because the joints must be welded together.
Zinc
This is the preferred type of gutter material for those that really are not on any type of limited budget. Zinc gutters look great, will last forever, and never need maintenance for their looks. Since the seams have to be welded together, these can only be installed by gutter professionals.
What Size Gutters Do You Need for Your Home?
We can get into a long discussion here about such things as annual rainfall, snow load and ice loads to help you figure out what size gutters you need to install on your home. The fact of the matter is there is a much better way to do this. That’s to leave this task to an experienced gutter installation professional. Gutter installation companies such as Evergreen Renovations & Roofing out of Beaverton, Oregon have years of experience hanging the right size gutters properly.
Gutter installation is much more affordable than you would think and is always best left to professionals unless you really know what you are doing. This is for safety reasons as well as proper installation. Take the time out to get a few estimates from some reputable local gutter installation contractors. We think the cost estimates you get back will pleasantly surprise you.
