Every homeowner should never overlook the fundamental and crucial role played by rain gutters. The impact caused by the lack of gutters may not be visible in the short run. However, the effects of downspouts around your house will start to show in the long run and might end up causing damages that’ll cost you an arm and a leg. Did you know that rain gutters help to prevent soil erosion? Installing gutters means that you’ll be more friendly to the environment.
So, what happens if your house doesn’t have gutters?
Gutters and home beautification
Gutters play a crucial if not an important role in house beautification. They help to stylishly give your home that appeal that says it’s homely. The siding for your roof helps to elevate the structure of your home in so many ways than you can think of. The lack of gutters makes a house look like an empty shell. Think of the modern side roofing panels and how they’d look with matching gutters. All this to beautify your humble abode. Let’s take a look at the various rain gutter designs and how they’d be effective when installed on your house:
- Seamless gutters – These eliminate the risk of leakages and clogging as the gutter is long and continuous.
- K-style gutters – Are mostly preferred by homeowners due to their large capacity to hold water.
- Half-round gutters – They are affordable but require some additional materials during installation. They are popular as well, even though they are prone to clogging.
- Custom made fascia gutters – These are a bit expensive as they are integrated with the fascia boards to provide a sleek and stylish design.
It Jeopardizes The Structural Integrity Of Your House
The main role of installing gutters is to direct rainwater away from any physical structures. Nevertheless, the lack thereof causes damages that will jeopardize the structural integrity of your house. Among these effects include:
- Cracked walls – This happens when water settles against a wall or sinks into the foundation over time. If you aren’t willing to build an entire wall, let alone a house, it’s time to consider installing rain gutters!
- Mold infestation – All that rainwater splashing on your walls will eventually sip in and create a suitable environment for mold to grow and thrive. Molds not only turn the walls green but they also pose serious health risks. To avoid the costly expenses of mold removal or the regular hospital visits from mold mycotoxins, ensure to install gutters around your house.
- Settled foundations – Have you recently noticed the unevenness of your house’s floor? Then the most probable cause for this could be a result of all the rainwater that’s fallen and settled against the house’s walls. This water sinks into the foundation causing it to settle, hence the uneven floor issues.
House Devaluation
You want to sell your house and move to another state, right? However, the offers you are getting are just too low. And do you know the reasons for this? It could be that your house has become a rotten mess especially the outer wooden structures. If you live in a wooden house, you need to understand the reaction wood has when water settles on it for a long time. Don’t wait for the rot to set in and bring down the value of your house. Be sure to replace those fascia boards and install quality gutters pronto. Do this if you want to increase the value of your house.
Pest Infestation
Settled water acts as a haven for a host of organisms and insects such as mosquitoes. This will bring in unwanted birds that feed off of this diet. These pests could also be carriers of deadly infections such as malaria and bird flu. This translates to more hospital visits and other costs related to pest control services. Installing gutters should be a priority when it comes to redirecting the rainwater into reservoirs rather than having it settle into water pools around your house.
Soil Erosion
The rainwater from the roof doesn’t have any particular route to follow off the house, it falls freely. This free fall causes soil erosion that becomes worse each time rain falls. As a result, your carefully mastered landscape becomes disfigured and infertile as the topsoil is carried away. Also, it encourages water to settle towards the house instead of away from it.
All the above reasons can lead to your house having a very short life span. With the right resources and tools, you can install these gutters yourself or alternatively consult a qualified roofing contractor for the job. These reasons outweigh any reason you may have for your abode not having rain gutters. They are readily available at the local hardware and they might even offer free transport, advice, and even help you contact qualified personnel for the job.
