Does a Porch Need Guttering?
January 28, 2021
One of the things that people appreciate most about rain gutters is that they don't ruin a house's esthetic appeal. With the help of a professional rain gutter installation service, homeowners can protect their foundations during rainstorms without neglecting the intricacies of their home. If you're thinking about installing a new rain guttering system, porches are among the structural elements that might give you pause before making up your mind about it.
What Is a Porch?
Porches are both a flattering sight and the preferred spot for many people to spend their leisure time. They are open spaces usually attached to the house's front, but they can also be built into the sides and/or the back. A porch is sheltered by a low roof and is sometimes enclosed by columns or screens, so it serves as the ideal outdoor space for people to unwind and relax.
Some practical advantages offered by porches:
- They are shaded open spaces, allowing people to avoid direct contact with the sun while lounging outdoors.
- They are the outdoor counterpart to living rooms, and this can be very useful when organizing social gatherings.
- They are a pleasant sight and offer many options in terms or customization, so they play a big part in a house's visual appeal.
- They expand the living area beyond the house's front door.
- If the porch's roof has a fascia board, in allows for different decorative options while regulating the temperature of the structure.
Because they can technically take other parts of the house, porches are usually mistaken for verandas and vice versa. While both structures tend to serve similar purposes, verandas run around the outside of a house in one structure that seamlessly surrounds the structure on all its sides.
Do I Need Rain Gutters if I Have a Porch?
In most cases, having a porch doesn't make much of a difference when it comes to the need of getting rain gutters. When it rains, the water slides from the porch's shelter and lands on the soil and land surrounding your home, not unlike what happens after the water falls from a gutter-less roof.
The water falling from your porch might land far enough from your sidings to avoid leaks, but it will still pool around your home's foundations. More importantly, if your porch is connected to a basement or a crawl space from below, your foundations will be more susceptible to damage and flooding.
A rain guttering system will protect your home without altering the visual appeal provided by your porch. Since the porch precedes the house's front door, having a rain gutter channeling the water around the sides will also make the area more accessible if you want to come and go outside during the rainy season. If you happen to have a screened porch, your gutters can connect to the downspout on the side of the porch's door, but your rain gutter installer can always help you find a more inconspicuous location.
Installation Process
While many people try the DIY approach, it's always more effective to hire a professional installation service to help you set up your gutters. In general terms, the installation process is the same whether you're attaching your gutters to your roof of to the porch, but some steps might change according to the roof's design. In general terms, it goes as follows:
- The roof's area and pitch are measured. Then, the installer can mark the fascia's highest and lower points to determine the gutter's placement. The initial measurement process will also define the best location for the downspouts depending on where you want to redirect the water.
- After identifying the best size for your rain guttering system, the pieces are assembled. Rain gutter installers usually have the right equipment to manufacture the rain gutters on the spot.
- The gutters are lifted and screwed into the roof's edge, ensuring that the gap left between the gutter and the fascia leads the rainwater straight to the guttering system.
- Once the gutters have been mounted, a hole of about ¼-inch of diameter is drilled into the area where downspouts are supposed be fixed. The downspouts are secured using pop rivets or screws.
Get a safe, durable rain guttering system by the hand of a reliable installation service. Rain Gutters Solution is a licensed company with more than two decades of experience serving homes and businesses all around the South of Florida. To learn more about our services and schedule an appointment, call
(305) 270-7779 or fill out the
contact form. We'll be happy to provide the best rain gutters for your home.
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