Gutterless Roof
Historic Homes
Our house is 100 year old craftsman bungalow and when we bought it there weren’t any gutters or roof run off control of any sorts. It is worth mentioning that the eaves over hang the house by almost four to five feet which meant that we weren’t experiencing any foundation and basement leaks so structurally there wasn’t a big threat because the water is getting far enough away from the house foundation that we don’t have to worry about it seeping into the foundation and using a sump pump to push it back out. The only problem we encountered was the damage to the cement raised garden bed that had completely shattered from water and ice build up as well as water freezing near doors.
If you are working on an older home you may have guidelines and standards or an HOA to abide By when working on the exterior of the home. We had our approval for the gutters and had many bids for installation and had set appointments for install until I came across the Sustainability and Historic Preservation Executive Summary. In the sustainability guidelines there are alternative methods that are recognized for the renovation tax credit to use when controlling roof run off. You can see details at this web site and here in this PDF.
Modern Homes
Modern homes are built quickly and cheaply on small lots that are lucky to have 5 foot set back around them in either direction so many roof drainage solutions may not be an obvious option for these home owners. We also put gutters on a home built in 1996 because we thought we were doing the right thing at the time. So the problem that exists with modern homes is that the eaves that overhand your home typically only extend 2 feet which isn’t enough clearance away from the foundation of your home to prevent foundation leakage and this is a known building issue.
The problem we were trying to fix on our modern home was the water roof run off damaging to our back deck and having water and ice near our doorways. We learned the hard way about drainage seepage resulting from gutter installation that no gutter companies even mentioned it when we were collecting bids for the work or having the gutters installed. I will never put another set of gutters on a house again!
The Known Damage of Gutters and Modern Homes
- Clogged leafs in gutters require a lot of maintenance
- Ice damage and build up leading to roof damage and leakage
- Gutters hide costly damages that aren’t visible
- Yard erosion
- Foundation leakage
International Residential Code 2000 Commentary Vol 1
“Saturated expansive or collapsible soils can lead to foundation failures because their additional loads are imposed on the foundation wall. To minimize the potential for the soil adjacent to the foundation wall to become saturated due to roof drainage, the code requires that the roof drain 5 feet from the foundation.”
The foundation seepage is such a known problem that there are national building standards that go ignored by most gutter installation companies. What we experienced after the gutters were installed was that there was a higher concentration and high power flow of water run off all being focused into the down spouts. This high velocity water flow is then re routed along the down spout that runs down the side of your house and drains directly at our foundation.
I know most of us have seen those little plastic or cement 2ft gutter splash blocks at the bottom of peoples gutters and I am here to tell you that by themselves they do the job of preventing soil erosion but beyond that they are useless! They do not carry the water far enough away from the home to prevent it from being a damaging threat to your foundation. 
The problem is that if your yard isn’t downward sloped away from your home then the water is going to flow back or sit in this area near your foundation at a higher concentration rate than if you hadn’t put any gutters on at all and most likely cause foundation seepage into your basement or crawl space.
Down spout Extenders
If you have a small yard or a tight space where your downspout is installed then putting in a permanent extender may not be an option. The Zip Hinge can be easily installed but does require the purchase of additional straight downspout to be installed. Once installed the system is completely mobile allowing for easy access to mow and use your yard. Begin with cuttng your gutter extender at a 45 degree angle and connect it to your downspout with the Zip Hinge and 8 screws.
Easy to use with a rain barrel system.
Underground Rain Diverter
Or if you have a more dedicated area you can using underground downspout diverter kit $29.99.
Dry Well
If you have a large enough property you could consider installing a dry well to route all of your roof run off to. This Old House Dry Well installation Tutorial.
French Drains and Improving Grading Slope
You can excavate the area around your house to improve your grade slope and add a ditch that is back filled with sand or gravel that slopes and drains away from the house.
Sustainable Permeable Surfaces
If you own a Nationally Registered Hstoric home then this system qualifies for the sustainability and rehabilitation tax credit!
The best solution and most long lasting is to install permeable surfaces for your driveway and walkways that can easily distribute the run off water without erosion or damaged surfaces.
Cement and asphalt driveways have surface water build up that collect and damage the surface leading to pop marks or cracks that leads to annual maintenance or ultimate deterioration from neglect.
My Gutterless System (For our historic home)
- Use rock on the drip line around the house to stop soil erosion. In the front of our house where the erosion is most apparent we will place a raised rock garden bed aka a gabion wall that allows for water permeability and roof run off while stopping soil erosion. I will have a separate tutorial detailing how the build goes.
2. Use a 3141 rain chain Corner Leader head $90.00 at Yard Outlet or Rain chain in a nut shell
Tip: If this were a modern home I would use rain diverters near the doorways and not install gutters at all. If there were enough room I might consider the install of french drains.
WARNING: when I received my package of the corner leader head it was missing the mounting bolts for installation.
3. Install Rain Diverters on the roof to stop run off near doorways.
References
Roof Drainage Building Code. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwigjOWHp6PXAhXMCuwKHZlFChwQFggwMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncwhomeinspections.com%2Fsystem%2Ffiles%2Fuserfiles%2Fother%2Frences_from_National_Rain_Gutter_Contractors.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2G569IhsnP2qdKrq_o1Z5i
Sustainable Historic Preservation | WBDG Whole Building Design Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2017, from https://www.wbdg.org/design-objectives/historic-preservation/sustainable-historic-preservation