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The short answer? Not directly, but yes. Gutters are a means to prevent damage to your home, and though they do not directly add value to it, you will need them anyway to get the most value from your home. Learn how to use them most effectively for your real estate investments.
Stick with the Standard Gutter Materials
Gutters’ worth is in their performance, so it is crucial to stick with the materials known to assist them with that. This will allow your gutters to do their best to increase your home’s value.
1. Aluminum
Aluminum gutters are a decent DYI option as they are fairly easy to install and a cost-effective option for gutters. They can also be painted to match a particular aesthetic, but while the paint holds long, the material is relatively weak to dents from objects like branches. Even with the possibility of dents, aluminum gutters can last 20-30 years.
2. Copper and Zinc
Largely considered the best materials for gutters, copper and zinc are durable metals that can handle outdoor conditions well, though copper outperforms zinc on this front, as it can handle salty air and certain types of roofing better than zinc can. However, either option, if installed properly, should last many decades: 80 years for zinc and 100 years for copper. The total costs to install these gutters reflect this, and installation requires a professional.
3. Galvanized Steel
An upgrade in gutter durability from aluminum, galvanized steel gutters last a similar amount of time, but they are more likely to require professional installation than aluminum gutters. It comes with a lower installation cost than copper or zinc, though it doesn’t last nearly as long.
4. Vinyl
Like aluminum gutters, vinyl gutters are inexpensive, durable, and easy to install. However, they are also heavy enough to damage your roof. Vinyl gutters can last 10-20 years, but their coloration might not.
Match Your Gutter System to Your Home
Different properties may have different drainage needs. Because meeting these needs is what makes a gutter system essential, you should tailor your gutter system to suit your property. It is more the suitability of your home’s drainage system to your home’s needs that adds value to your property than the gutters themselves.
Internal or External Gutters?
In most cases, you want external gutters. Internal ones are inferior and are only recommended when it is not possible to install external gutters. Internal gutters provide a drainage option for building designs that prevent other gutters from being installed are most often found with flat roofs, but water can become trapped inside them when they break. The water in turn can damage your building, grow mold and mildew, and present safety hazards to whoever repairs your gutters.
Seamed or Seamless Gutters?
Gutter systems can be seamed, meaning they comprise multiple pieces, or seamless, meaning the system is a single piece. Which one is better depends on your project’s needs. For seamed gutters, it makes DYI installation possible, allows for damaged parts to be replaced rather than having to replace the entire system, has more options available for the gutter materials, and, if using one of the cheaper material options, is likely to cost less than getting a seamless gutter installed. Seamless gutters are generally better at doing their job and preventing leaks. Still, as they have to be custom-fitted to your house, they generally cost more and require professional installation. Also, they generally only come in aluminum.
Gutter Shape
If you have a historic home, there’s a possibility that local ordinances will require you to install a particular shape of gutter to maintain the aesthetics of your area. Otherwise, you can choose between box-style, custom fascia, half-round, or K-style gutters.Historically, half-round gutters were used to direct water from the roof away from the foundation and sensitive portions of the landscaping, but they have largely been replaced by custom fascia and K-style gutters. Though half-round gutters can drain water, they don’t typically have the drainage capacity of other types of gutters. What they have going for them is that they are easier to clean and are the most common shape in which to find copper and zinc gutters.
Custom fascia and K-style gutters are deeper and more durable in shape than half-round gutters. The difference between these two styles is less than between the other styles, with custom fascia gutters generally being seamless gutters that are narrower than the K-style gutters and have more of a contemporary look than the other styles.
Box-style gutters are high-capacity gutters typically found on commercial or multi-residential buildings. They are very durable, but generally, installing these as new gutters on an existing building is not accessible, as these need to be installed under your shingles.
Good Gutters Will Attract Buyers but Don't Necessarily Add Value
Buyers expect gutters to come with the home, so they are not the sort of bells and whistles that will add value. However, as a way to ensure some measure of protection on the buyers’ investment, buyers who notice that the gutters are in good shape are more likely to buy your property than buyers who notice that the gutters are in poor shape.
Additionally, because gutters are an exterior feature, they are one of the first opportunities to create an overall impression of your house for potential buyers. If your gutters are well-maintained, they can contribute to a first impression that your house as a whole is well-maintained. Depending on which gutters you have chosen for your house, they also add to the overall aesthetic that constitutes ‘curb appeal’ for your exterior.
No Gutters (or Gutters in Poor Condition) Will Detract Value From Your House
On the other hand, if buyers notice a problem with your house’s gutters, it serves as a turn-off from buying your property. As no one wants to deal with structural damages that come from not having gutters, potential buyers won’t be willing to pay as much for your property, and this is something that appraisers will notice as well. Expect a lack of gutters to decrease the final value of your home.
Protecting Against Ice Damming and Foundation Erosion
Overall, gutters are more described as a feature that will protect your home’s value than a feature that will add to your home’s value. They are a protection for the building against the elements. They protect your roof from water damage by assisting with drainage, and they protect your foundation, your basement, your house’s trim, and other sensitive areas by directing water elsewhere. This can prevent you from having to spend large amounts of money on repairs to your house.
It becomes especially important to have good gutters when it’s wet and frozen: Snow and ice accumulate on roofs, forming ice dams that can cause damage to your property as they melt. It is easy for melting snow and ice to freeze again inside your gutters, and though this decreases the efficiency of any gutter system, the problem compounds when you have bad gutters to begin with. To prevent water from ending up in problematic areas, it is important to have gutters that can handle the volumes of precipitation that winter sends down their chutes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Look for water spilling over the edges of the gutters during rainfall, plants growing in the gutters, sagging or pulling away from the house, or evidence of water damage around your home’s foundation or siding. If you see any of these signs, it’s likely your gutters have some buildup. Blocked gutters can cause significant damage, so it’s important to address this issue quickly. If you’re not comfortable inspecting or cleaning your gutters, consider contacting a professional for gutter installation and maintenance.
