residential gutters – Andrews Roofing

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.

Gutters do much more than create a nice, neat visual frame for your home’s roof.

Gutters play an important role in diverting water away from your home. Why does this matter? Because when gutters are not in place, and those typical southeastern Virginia pop-up storms happen, rain is sheeting off your roof and directly down to your home’s foundation. Of course, moisture and foundations are not a great combination. Over time, moisture pooling around your home’s foundation can cause serious issues. For homes built on a slab, the constant flux of moisture then dryness causes the concrete to expand and compress, which over time can cause cracks and shifting. That in turn can lead to plumbing issues, wall cracks, bowed floors and more. For homes with a crawl space, that area may become damp if not properly ventilated, which invites mold, rot and termites. For the rare homes in the Tidewater region with basements, not having gutters can cause flooding and moisture damage there as well.

Perhaps if you lived in a dry, arid environment where rain only happened occasionally, foregoing gutters may be OK. But in the cities of Hampton Roads, the rainfall average is just over 47 inches – that’s almost 10 inches over the national average. Homes in this area without functional gutters are bound to have costly issues over time.

However, just having gutters in place doesn’t automatically mean you’ve avoided this issue. If your gutters are not functioning properly, you could wind up in the same boat. Gutters can stop functioning because of dents, structural damage, and of course – clogs. In this region, gutters should be cleaned out at least twice a year – the spring and fall. But it’s also good practice to check on them and do any necessary cleaning after any big storm systems that may have caused additional debris to land in them.

It’s also important to remember that not all gutter systems are created equal. While it’s better to have some sort of gutter than none at all, if you’re building a home or replacing your gutter system, it may be time to look into a high-quality brand that can stand up to the storms and heavy rain in Coastal Virginia. Rapid Rain™ Gutter Systems is a new product that functions unlike any other previous gutter product. That’s because it provides a higher capacity, but without the bulky look. It’s designed with architectural styling in mind and is available in a wide variety of colors.

The Rapid Rain™ system is made from 18.5% heavier metal than standard gutters, and is therefore erected with heavy duty hangers for stability and durability. It is coated with a patented ScratchGuard™ paint finish, and is backed by a lifetime warranty. It has also received the Good Housekeeping® Seal of approval.

For homeowners who prefer not to climb up on a ladder to clean their gutters every year, the RapidRain™ system can also be fitted with a patented MicroGuard. This cover has over 48 perforations per square inch so that it keeps out even the smallest debris, while still allowing water to flow through at a high volume. MicroGuard is also virtually invisible from the curb, so the entire system helps beautify your home inside and out.

If you’re considering installing or replacing your gutters, contact Andrews Roofing. Our team of licensed and insured professionals will install your gutter system, and we stand behind it with our workmanship guarantee. We have a long-standing reputation in the Hampton Roads region for quality work and customer service. Don’t let rain destroy your house from the ground up – contact us today.

Tag: residential gutters

Are Rain Diverters or Gutters Right for Your House?

Are Gutters Necessary for Your Home?

Contact Us