strategery

I have an 800 square foot house. The roof has some cosmetic issues but it still serves its purpose and probably has another 5 years before it NEEDS replaced. I would ideally like to replace the roof and the gutters at the same time, but I don't think I can afford that right now. I do need to replace these gutters however because they are raggedy looking and I don't think they function that well anymore (despite refastening them, cleaning them twice a year).

I don't have a big house, but I do have shorter overhangs. Do I still only need 5" inch gutters? I have asked contractors and they usually say to go with the 6" if I can afford it. I'm not sure how much of a difference in price I'm looking at. Anyone know how much more ballpark I'm looking at to upgrade from 5 to 6" gutters? And do you even think it's necessary?

Also, I feel there's a lot of push towards gutter toppers/guards whatever you want to call them. How effective are they? If they allowed me to only have to clean my gutters once every 2 years instead of twice a year I would consider them worth it. But if they decrease the amount of rain collected vs not having them then they're not worth anything to me.

Thoughts?

oldognewtrick

Theres not that much difference in pricing between 5 - 6" gutters. With 5" gutters 2X3" down pies are used. With 6", 3X4" are used. 6" work a lot better than 5. Save your money and get the 6"

strategery

I have shorter overhangs. Is it possible to have them extended out a little bit to capture more of the rain?

nealtw

You would want to do it when you are replacing the roof. Most times you have to remove the sheeting to just above the wall so you can add to the rafter.The peices want to be about 6 ft long with nice fitting birds mouth cut to sit on the wall.

AlwaysOneMoreProject

My opinion is yes. You can sister 2x4's to the rafters or trusses and cantilever (extend beyond the wall) the 2x4 to the length you desire. Opening the space between the rafters, whether it be enclosed by a soffit or just a piece of lumber between them, is easy.

The only limitation that I would expect is the load capacity of the 2x4's, which will limit the length of the overhang.

strategery

I bought some new seamless gutters with gutter toppers. Had first rain since installing them and they're working beautifully.

I got 3 bids. Interestingly, the contractor with the best reputation ending up doing the job for a couple hundred less than the others. I'm very happy with them and wish I had done it sooner.

asbestos

I'm from the Pacific Northwest and we get a lot of rain here. Not hard rain but steady rain. Every house I have worked on that did not have overhangs had issues. So I am a huge fan of big overhang. If it's worth it in your case would depend on how much rain gets on the siding when it rains. If the side of the house always gets wet then go with the bigger overhangs. probably when you do the roof.

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Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts

strategery

I didn't really notice the siding getting wet from the rain just the dirt around the foundation. I've had a few big rainstorms already since getting the new gutters and it's keeping the dirt around the foundation much more dry. I'm pretty happy with the new gutters and hopefully when it's time to re-roof (2-3 years or so) it won't be necessary to extend the overhangs.