If you’re like most homeowners you don’t pay too much attention to your Gutters until you really have to, or until it’s too late. The problem is that your gutters hang above your head each day as you leave your home, but you don’t pay them a second thought until its pouring rain again.

That’s when you realize that your gutters look and sound like they’re about to collapse, plus there’s water flowing over the sides and against the external walls of your home. It’s vitally important to drain excess rainwater away from your property; otherwise you could have issues with dampness or water damage to your roof and ceiling. It’s time to take your gutters seriously, folks.

There are two basic types of gutters you can install on your home: sectional or seamless. We’re going to take a look at the pros and cons of each in this blog post.

Sectional Gutters

This type of guttering is very popular with DIY fans because they can install it themselves without the need of any specialized equipment—they’re very easy to connect together. Sectional Gutters come – as the name suggests – in small sections, which are then fitted together to form a larger section of gutter. They’re typically manufactured from vinyl, aluminum or steel, although non-steel gutters are a better choice because they won’t rust, rot or need to be repainted.

The major downside of sectional gutters is there is the potential for leaks and points of failure, even if they’re professionally installed. All it takes is for one section to become blocked, and before you know it, at best you’ll have a miniature Niagara Falls outside your home. Worse—you’ll have entire sections of guttering collapsing under the weight of gallons of trapped rainwater.

Seamless Gutters

You might also hear people talking about “sheet metal,” “continuous,” or “soldered” gutters but they’re just other names for Seamless Gutters. These types of gutters have no potential for leaks, or points of failure, because they’re manufacturers from a single coil of aluminum, which has been treated and coated to prevent rot and erosion. The equipment required to manufacture gutters of this type costs in excess of $20,000, so they’re not something a fan of DIY can attempt on their own.

The obvious benefit here is the gutters are a single, seamless piece so it’s less likely to leak or fall apart, and they’re also much easier to install. Another important consideration is that seamless gutters cost roughly the same to have fitted as high-quality sectional gutters, so you’ll get a far superior product for the exact same financial outlay.

Also, seamless gutters can also increase the overall value of your home, while also reducing the risk of rot, mold and internal dampness on your property.

Which Is Best?

When it comes to home improvements, it’s often a question of how much of a budget exists for those improvements, but fitting gutters based purely on their initial cost isn’t a good idea i.e. you’re trying to save a few bucks wherever you can.

The reason for this is that there is a price difference between both types of gutter, with the sectional type of gutter being much cheaper. However, the long-term performance and durability of seamless gutters means that you’ll save yourself a few bucks by investing in sectional gutters, but you’ll regret doing that for months, or years, to come because seamless gutters are more durable over a lifetime.

Basically it’s going to come down to this: Use sectional gutters unless you have no other choice financially and/or you’re a DIY expert who’s happy with the constant upkeep required to keep them clean and free of any blockages. Otherwise, the smart money is on a seamless gutter system for your home.

If you’re not the DIY type, then make sure you hire an experienced roofing contractor in OKC to do the work. The last thing you want is to pay someone for a poor job and then have to replace your gutter system next year and potentially have water damage.

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