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5-inch gutters are the most common gutter size installed in the United States and, likely, worldwide. 5″ gutters are available in various styles, including K-style, half-round, and fascia profile.
We’re going to go on the record and say it: 5-inch gutters should be outlawed. That’s right. Banned. Illegal. Scrapped. Recycled. Whatever.
We can’t tell you how many times we’ve shown up to homes with improperly functioning 5″ gutters, but it’s most days, including on this home!
If you have a home that is more than 10 or 15 years old, you likely have 5-inch gutters. If you have a home that was recently built and it has 5″ gutters, the builder likely did you a disservice.
There’s no reason to install 5″ gutters anymore. But it happens, everyday! This is a strong statement, but hear us out by reading what we have to say.
While homes have gotten bigger, fancier, and often entail more elaborate roof configurations than homes built decades ago, 5-inch gutters still reign supreme despite being undersized for many applications.
Whether you are building a new home, remodeling or replacing your gutters, it’s time to upgrade to 6-inch gutters.
If you’re building a new home and your architect or builder says that 5″ gutters are acceptable, insist on 6″ gutters.
If a gutter contractor gives you an estimate for new gutters and he or she recommends 5-inch gutters, ask if they have the capability of extruding 6″ gutters. Odds are they don’t, which is why they’re trying to sell you the only gutter they can offer. At that point, contact us to get an estimate for 6-inch gutters.
If you go outside and look at your 5″ gutters, you may see a fair bit of wood, vinyl or aluminum showing behind the gutters. This is especially true on long gutter runs. In some cases, you may see several inches of fascia boards above or below the gutters.
By upsizing to 6-inch gutters, you will see a lot less fascia board. It’ll make your house pop and look more attractive than undersized 5″ gutters.
If you have a smaller home with a very simple roof design, 5-inch gutters may work fine. This means that you have gabled roof with gutters that run across the front and back of your house or you have a hip roof with gutters going all the way around your house. This may be true on simple Cape Cod and ranch-style homes.
Plain and simple, 6″ gutters work better than 5-inch gutters. 6-inch gutters carry 40% more water volume. 6″ gutters look better, and they fix the shortcomings of 5″ gutters.
Some might argue that 6″ gutters are overkill. However, the cost difference between 5- and 6-inch gutters is nominal, so it makes financial sense to upgrade now and enjoy the benefit of improved performance, which will pay dividends over the life of the gutters.
We offer 5″ gutter installations in cases where we’re replacing a section or two of gutters on a home that already has 5″ gutters, and we believe that 5-inch gutters will be adequate for the roof design.
There are also some situations when the homeowner insists on smaller gutters, contrary to our recommendations. However, we find that most homeowners are open to, and thankful that we installed larger gutters.
Most homebuilders continue to install 5″ gutters to save a buck. While there’s not a big price difference between 5- and 6-inch gutters, if a builder is building hundreds of spec homes, the cost difference adds up quickly.
There are certainly astute architects and custom-home builders who understand the advantage of larger gutters, but even then, you’ve got to be aware. If a builder insists on smaller gutters, our advice is to peel that portion of the work away from the builder and find your own gutter installer, who offers 6″ gutters as an option, or insist that your builder do this for you.
Even if it costs you a few dollars more, it’s cheaper to make the change on the front-end than to replace your gutters a second time.
Most suppliers offer up to 30-colors for 5″ gutters and downspouts. However, that is subject to change based on supply chain and labor issues.
Popular colors such as white, brown, clay are typically available, while trendy colors such as black sometimes go on back order. The best thing to do is find a color you like, then have us special order it for you if it’s not currently available.
We use hidden hangers with integrated screws that are 3″ long to attach 5-inch gutters to home’s fascia boards. The advantage of these hangers is that they make it easy for us to hang your gutters and they’re durable. There are many types of hangers on the market, many of which are less expensive and less effective than the hangers we use, as shown here.
Our hidden hangers will keep your gutters securely fastened to your home so they will never sag or pull away from your house again.
There’s a lot of ineptitude in this industry. Sure, folks may work hard, mean well, and all that good stuff, but do they know what they’re doing?
Fortunately for you, we know what we’re doing. When we hang 5-inch gutters, we use levels. It’s the only way to make sure gutters work reliably and predictably. They say everybody gets lucky once in a while. We prefer to get lucky every time!
Yeah, we know you are!
Material quality matters. That’s why we use high-end caulk when we install 5-inch gutters. Mostly from Geocel. It is designed to withstand the elements. In some cases, it’s good for up to 50-years. Cheap caulk breaks down and can leak within a short period of time after applying it.
We use the good stuff because it’s the right thing to do. Why cut corners, and why use inferior caulk?
One of the things that gives us a unique perspective is that we have worked with customers from Michigan to Mississippi and New York to California. While we’re not in those markets everyday, we understand the issues and know what works well in each market. We currently focus our efforts in:
If you’re located in any of these markets, and want to know if we’re near you, please reach out to us for a free, no obligation estimate! If you’re located outside of these markets and have any questions, call, text or email us, and ask, “When will you be near me?”
We’ve worked on every type of home, and we’ve seen just about every problem. Check out photos of our gutter installations to see what we do and how we do it!
Gutter Guards Dayton
400 Linden Ave, Ste 102
Dayton, Ohio 45403
937-660-3646
Gutter Guards Cincinnati
2639 Erie Ave, Ste 8322
Cincinnati, Ohio 45208
513-723-1609
Gutter Guards Columbus
6400 Emerald Pkwy, Ste 3521
Dublin, Ohio 43016
614-356-8164
Gutter Guards Cleveland / Akron
3675 Warrensville Center Rd, Ste 201254
Cleveland, Ohio 44120
440-534-2525
Gutter Guards Indianapolis
6255 Carrollton Ave, Unit 30022
Indianapolis, IN 46230
317-743-0583
Gutter Guards Lexington
1729 Alexandria Dr, Ste 8844
Lexington, KY 40533
859-407-5370
Gutter Guards Louisville
Louisville, KY
502-754-2900
Gutter Guards Nashville
810 Oak Meadow Dr, Ste 681583
Franklin, TN 37068
615-224-8080
Gutter Guards Knoxville
1237 E Weisgarber Rd, Ste 51962
Knoxville, TN 37950
865-622-2141
Gutter Guards Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN
423-428-8283
Gutter Guards Direct has been helping homeowners and businesses solve gutter and water problems with innovative solutions since 1996. Serving Greater Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.