What are the best gutters for your home?

Materials, compared honestly

• Aluminum. Will not rust, is light enough for any fascia, and comes in many baked-on colors. Thicker coil (0.032 inch rather than 0.027) resists dents from ladders and falling branches.
• Galvanized or coated steel. Stronger than aluminum, but scratches and seams eventually rust, especially where wet leaves sit.
• Copper. Lasts for decades and weathers to a patina. It costs several times more and needs copper-compatible fasteners and solder.
• Vinyl. Sold in snap-together sections for DIY. The joints are leak points, and long sun exposure can make it brittle.

Shape, size and seams

K-style gutters, with a flat back and decorative front, hold more water than half-round gutters of the same width, which is why they dominate Georgia subdivisions. Half-round suits historic homes. Seamless gutters are formed on site from a continuous coil, so the only joints are at corners and downspout outlets; sectional gutters have a seam every 10 feet or so, and every seam is a future drip.

Size follows roof area and pitch. A steep roof sheds water faster, so a large, steep plane draining into one run needs a 6-inch gutter and larger 3 by 4 inch downspouts. Georgia's summer thunderstorms can dump an inch of rain in well under an hour, so undersized gutters show up quickly as waterfalls at inside corners.

The parts people skip

Hidden hangers screwed into solid fascia roughly every 2 feet hold far better than old spike and ferrule hangers. Plan about one downspout for every 30 to 40 feet of gutter, and send the water several feet away from the foundation, since red clay erodes and holds water against footings. More detail is in our guide to gutter sizing and seamless gutters.