How do you gutter a house?
1. Plan the layout
Walk the house and decide where each downspout will drop: away from walkways and doors, toward ground that slopes away, and where extensions or underground drains can carry water off. Plan roughly one downspout per 30 to 40 feet of gutter, and on long runs slope from the middle toward downspouts at each end.
2. Check the fascia and roof edge
The fascia must be solid enough to hold screws. Drip edge or gutter apron along the eave should overhang into where the gutter will sit, so water cannot run behind it.
3. Snap the slope line
Mark the high point at one end and a line falling toward the outlet, commonly about a quarter inch per 10 feet. Too little slope leaves standing water; too much looks crooked from the street.
4. Form and prepare each run
With seamless gutters, a machine rolls each run from a coil at the exact length needed. End caps are crimped and sealed, outlets are cut for downspouts, and corners are joined with miters sealed inside.
5. Hang the gutters
Hidden hangers clip into the front lip and are screwed through the back of the gutter into the fascia, roughly every 2 feet, following the slope line.
6. Attach downspouts and discharge
Downspouts connect at the outlets, route along the wall with elbows and straps, and end in extensions, splash blocks or underground drain connections that release water well away from the house.
7. Test
Run a hose at the high end of each run and watch the water reach every outlet. More on sizing in gutter sizing and seamless gutters and the roof edge in drip edge explained.