Did you know that Virginia Beach gets an average of 47” of rain per year? That’s 9” more than the national average.
Add to that the dampness and moisture issues that are common across all the cities of Hampton Roads due to low lying areas that have been developed, and wet weather can become a real problem for your home.
Because of this, most homes built in the Tidewater region should have gutters. Without gutters, rain sheets off of your roof straight onto the ground around your home’s foundation. This in turn can cause structural issues such as causing your foundation to sink or shift. It can also cause moisture damage to the foundation and crawl space of your house such as mold, mildew, and termites.
If you’re having these types of issues at your home, you may be looking into whether installing or replacing your gutters is the right thing to do or whether rain diverters can take care of the problem instead. The answer isn’t as cut and dry as you might think.
When Gutters Are Necessary
Gutters are really your home’s best first line of defense against water damage. We can’t recommend that anyone in Hampton Roads bypass this feature on their home. Some people avoid gutters because they don’t want to do the upkeep of cleaning and clearing them regularly. The problem with that logic is that the damage caused by sheeting water that isn’t managed with a gutter system will be much more severe and costly than putting a leaf guard on your gutter or paying a professional to clean them once a year. While gutters aren’t necessary in all parts of the country, we do believe that they are necessary for a healthy home in our region.
When Diverters are Necessary
Not every part of your home’s roofline may be compatible with a gutter system. It can be tricky to install gutters on areas such as a porticoed entryway or dormers. In these cases, a diverter may be used instead. Diverters essentially direct rainwater away from certain areas so that water isn’t sheeting off the roofline and onto the ground. They keep the water flowing and, ideally, redirect the water to a proper drainage site – a connected downspout or another area of the roofline that does have gutters. In this instance, rain diverters can be beneficial and sometimes necessary.
We would be remiss in not mentioning, however, that rain diverters can sometimes cause water to back up underneath shingles in the case of really heavy rain and downpours – something that isn’t uncommon in our area. It’s critical to monitor the area of your roof where diverters are being used to check for any signs of water damage or a failing structure, especially after a particularly heavy rain or storm. That being said, the reality is that both diverters and gutters require a certain amount of maintenance and monitoring.
Always Use a Professional Roofing Company
If you’re considering replacing or installing gutters or rain diverters on your home’s roof, talk to a licensed and experienced roofing contractor with knowledge of your specific area. If you live in the Hampton Roads region, Andrews Roofing would be happy to provide a quote for a replacement and installation of our Rapid Rain Gutter System™. This product uses technology that provides a large capacity system without being bulky or unsightly on your home. It’s available in a wide range of scratch resistant, designer colors to match your home’s style, and it comes with a limited lifetime guarantee. Contact us today to learn more.