Home Improvements & Repairs

There are many options to choose from when considering new gutters.

Choose something that suits your climate, the longer it lasts, the less it costs in the long run.

Copper and aluminium are the materials of choice, copper being slightly more expensive. Experts see the non-rust features of aluminium gutters as a benefit. Copper gutters are more expensive than their aluminium counter-parts but they are very sturdy and long lasting.

PVC gutters are less durable as they easily become brittle and cannot carry heavy loads of snow. PVC is also not a very green-friendly choice. The US government called PVC one of the most hazardous materials ever created as it poses a threat to human and environmental health throughout its life cycle. Cancer causing chemicals are released in the production and burning of PVC as well as by-products that can damage the immune and reproductive systems.

Although expensive, replacing your gutters gives you the chance to make use of the water collected from your roof. Consider linking your gutters to a rooftop catchment system that captures rainwater in a cistern or rain barrels and can then be used to water non-edible plantings.

Cleaning your gutters now and then is probably the best environmental option in that it may head off any need for replacement or modification.

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