What are Rain Gutters

The best gutters are 'troughs' or channels that run the horizontal length of your roof eave and catch the rain before it can splash on the ground. They include 'downspouts' or pipes that run down vertically to the ground. Bottom elbows and extensions turn the rain 'away' or horizontally again away from the house. Better systems will allow the rain from the spout to drain into an underground 'storm drain' pipe that runs to the curb or alley.

Recently popular are 'catch barrells' used to hold and conserve water for the landscape plants.

Gutter Materials

Originally built from copper, then economically massed produced from section of 'tin' or steel. Then finally custom made, continously, seamlessly site formed from pre-painted aluminum.

Copper is the heaviest, most expensive, longest lasting and considered to be the most beautiful. Copper is softest and can damage easily.

Steel gutters are for all practical purposes obsolete now days. They are heavy, have to many seams and have to be painted. These are however the strongest against ladders and falling tree limbs. The extra labor required to install them properly isn't cost effective. Steel will rust, as well.

Popular decorative versions of steel gutters are the 'paint grip" gray which is acid washed to look like pewter and left unpainted. Another decorative steel gutter is the 'galvalume' which has a more shiny aluminum coating layered into a core base of steel.

Painted Aluminum has since the 1960's become the most cost effective and popular material for today's guttering. Aluminum can be made seamless by extruding the material according to any length needed for each homeowner . We custom extrude each house individually onsite on the day of installation. The only real seams are found at corners. Aluminum is the lightest material but still not as soft as copper. Aluminum comes pre-painted with a baked on enamel in your choice of 35 colors. Colors can be two-toned, can match your roof, siding and doors or windows.

Recent versions of a more cost effective aluminum priced gutter, that simulates the look of copper, have been manufactured. These painted surfaces should be studied by each homeowner to determine if the finish really does look or will look like true copper. Certainly the price is less.

Why do you need Rain Gutters?

Everyone has tried to go into or out of their home and been soaked during the rain. Have you ever watched your new flowers pratcially float away in a hard Texas storm? Have you noticed the ditch in the grass along your foundation under the eave? Many homes have very unsightly brown stains along the bottoms of brick and stone walls. All these problems can be corrected with a good rain gutter and drainage system.

Rain water causes wood siding, trim, paint and caulk to weather much faster than normal. Decks under eaves will rot and the wood will warp much to soon. Often homes will experience cracking in brick joints, and sheetrock due to accellerated settling. Doors and windows will not open and close normally. Many problems and costs to the homeowner are due to improper drainage systems around the house.

Soil Engineers generally agree that North Texas soils and clays that become overly saturated by rains will expand and actually 'lift a home foundation up' causing great damage. Dry weather spells folliwng the rain will contract the earth and 'foundations can fall'. Foundation repair companies always recommend a well built rain gutter and draining system for your home's perimeter. These usually only cost betewen 1/2% to 2% of a homes value - it is the BEST INVESTMENT you can make!

Gutter Design Standards and Calculations

- One linear foot of 5 inch K-style gutter holds 1.2 gallons of rain water
- One linear foot of 6 inch K-style gutter holds 2.0 gallons of rain water
- One gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds
- A 2 x 3 downspout will drain 600 sq. ft. of a homes roof area*
- A 3 x 4 downspout will drain 1200 sq. ft. of a homes roof area*
- One sq. ft. of roof area, will collect during a one inch rain, .62 gallons of rain water

* Properly installed and assumming no debri restrictions.

Gutter Masters LLC uses the above technical design requirements. But, as experienced installers we understand this engineering will not work on every home. We know how to account for problem conditions unique to each house, situations such as imperfect roof lines, good versus poor locations for spouts, various tree debri, landscaping and ground cover will require us, as professionals to adapt and problem solve the design. We also want to make the final product pleasing to the eye.