After discussing the basic portion of your roof, let's take a little more time to secure some other integrations of your roof like rain gutters and drainage. With the passage of time, natural depreciation of your gutters is inevitable. It is obvious that you need to replace them at some point.
Though, gutters look as if it's a smaller component and should be taken less care of but a home without proper functioning gutter may invite some serious consequences like replacing the whole roof.
Kept aside the irritation and noise produced by pouring rain, without proper gutter and drainage you face problems like leakage of Basement, rotting roof, and moldy attics. If your rain gutter isn't functioning properly then you surely need a new one.
Here we have tried to accommodate all that you need to know about getting a new gutter, installation of gutters, their types and components that can be used to protect them.
Let’s discuss everything you need to know about replacing, installing and securing your rain gutters. We have tried to collect all the necessary information that you need to know before replacing your rain gutters, a variation of price according to the material used and the cost of Labor for replacing your rain gutters.
Gutter prices and its variations
The cost of gutter materials depends heavily on the type of gutter that you desire to install. Here are some of the major choices of gutters which are available in the market are as follows:
Vinyl gutters
The most inexpensive rain gutters that you can install in your home is Vinyl gutter. It costs as somewhere around $4 per foot. Even the nicest vinyl gutters are rarely more than $8. The best part of this gutter system is; it doesn’t rust, decay, easy to install and needs fewer tools.
Aluminum is slightly more expensive and its price ranges from $6 per foot to $12 at most.
Steel gutters
Stainless steel gutters are much better in quality and are super durable as well. These gutters are strong and can sustain the heavier weight of water whenever the passage of water in the gutter is interrupted.
It costs somewhere around $11 and reaches up to $33 per foot.
Copper Gutters
Copper Gutter is the most expensive gutter available in the market. It is undoubtedly stylish and is most durable too. These gutters cost around $40 to $100 per foot.
Wood gutters are suggested not to be used as they are heavy and are comparatively less durable compared to all the available options.
Well, the gutter installation totally depends on the size of your roof and the material you desire to use in it.
Gutter installation may cost you roughly around $1100 to $2400 and if you consider getting a handyman for installing the price may slightly go up.
What else do we need to buy along with gutters?
When you purchase new gutter, we suggest you buy downspout extensions. It costs around $5 to $15 if you opt for Vinyl or aluminum while steel and copper downspout cost’s you around $60 to $90.
The importance of downspout extensions is to provide an outlet to the water collected from your roof towards your home’s drainage system. Prevents water to enter the foundation of your home and helps your home to stay strong for a longer duration of time.
Splash blocks or drains
Splash blocks and drains help to direct water away from the foundation and prevent damage. They cost between $5 and $10.
Flashing
The thin layer of flashing will always protect the interior of the roof from leakage and moisture. It helps you secure your roofs in rare corners and also helps water to slide away from roofs. It costs around $10 to purchase and install as a DIY project.
Gutter Hangers
Gutter hangers is also a rain draining accessory which will help to drain your rain water away and protects your rain gutters to last longer.
It provides extra strength and helps hold it up, especially when the weather condition is extreme due to wind or storm. It costs around $2 but does a million dollar worth work.
Labor Costs
As installing gutter is not a super heavy job you can do it yourself but getting a professional handyman is always advised as it is a sensitive process. It will take around seven hours for a professional Handyman to install a rain gutter system onto your roof which will save you a lot of time.
A full 50 feet installation will cost around $600 for an experienced contractor.
Protecting Gutters
As Gutters are an important part of your roof they should be taken care of and should be observed properly while you are cleaning your roof. Here are a few accessories that will help you protect as well as clean your rain gutters.
You are suggested to install these gutter protecting accessories in order to make your gutter’s life a little longer.
Gutter Guard
Gutter Guard filter leaves and other particles from entering the gutter. It has a small hole which works as a filter and resists anything other than water to get into the gutter. Gutter Guard can’t be seen from outside as it is installed inside the gutter.
These guards rest on the top of the gutter hangers and are installed overlapping nearly a half inches of the gutter and are screwed to the front lips of the gutter.
Gutter Filters
It is a spongy filter which is installed inside the gutter and helps prevent leaves and debris from getting inside the gutter.
So, proper installation of these things will surely make your gutter last longer which indirectly means longevity of your roof's life. These things even help to manage your rainwater and use it for gardening purposes.