What Type of Gutters Should I Use for a Historic Home?
We all know or should know that gutters are a necessary feature on a house.
Gutters divert water away from the house to prevent damage to your home and foundation.
While many houses may not have originally had gutters, they are still recommended to protect your home from the inevitable water damage that can occur.
Your house may not have its original gutters but you will see options here that will be correct for your house and not ruin the look of your house like so many K-style gutters do. Please try to understand the impact the wrong gutters can have on curb appeal.
Built in gutters and downspouts date back to Roman times.
K-Style Gutters & Color
Let me begin with the most common type of gutter which you see on just about every house today.
K-style gutters originally made of wood and now made in aluminum became popular in the 1950’s. This is the type of gutter that should be used for any house built from about 1950 on.
If your house is a Georgian or Adams, Colonial Revival, or Greek Revival, the K-style gutter may be acceptable for your house but that is a huge maybe. Gutters on these style buildings were meant to be hidden. In many cases however a Built-in or Box gutter may be what your house originally had and what it should have now.
The K-style gutter is an adaptation from a design based on the Classical Orders of Design. There is more information on this later.
K-Style gutters for houses built after 1950.
K-style gutters must be painted to match the trim color of the house NOT the roof, and the downspouts the house color it rests against. If the trim is white, the white gutter that you buy will most likely be a grayer brighter white so it should still be painted so it blends in seamlessly. NEVER do you want K-style gutters to stand out or be noticed. The gutters must appear like they are part of the architecture no matter what style home you are using these gutters on. K-style gutters also come in copper.
Copper looks great but the color will defeat the look that your house should have because it will not disappear with the trim. Don’t waste your money on it.
Before we move on, watch this video to get a better understanding of how good gutter design mutated into something wrong and unappealing.
Half-Round Gutters
Half-Round gutters date back to the later 1800’s. They are acceptable for older buildings that pre-date these gutters or may never have originally had gutters but added them later. Half-round gutters are good for homes that just need rain water protection.
Half-round gutters are attached gutters meaning they are meant to be a separate feature and NOT blend in as part of the architecture as the K-style gutters. They can of course be painted to blend in better if you prefer. Half-round gutters are an attractive feature on a house.
Copper half-round gutters can look really nice. After about two years however the copper will dull down to a brown color. Because of this I recommend installing brown aluminum half-round gutters. People will think they are copper. They are very inexpensive and provide the same look as tarnished copper. Copper will first turn brown but will not change to a green patina for about 30 years or more.
Half-round copper gutters and downspout.
Copper gutters look great but cover up the trim under the roof making the roof look heavy and the house look weak and unable to support the roof.
Gutters are painted the trim color and downspouts the body color.
(gutters in the images above are not half-round but are shown as an example of color)
There is a dilemma however. The trim on a building performs a very important visual function. It outlines a building and provides a sense of structure. The eaves of the house should appear strong to support the roof above. If the trim/eaves is reduced in size it can appear weak. For example if the trim on a house is white and a brown or copper gutter is covering it, the trim will appear thinner and weaker. On some houses it may appear as if there is no trim at all at the top of the house.
One option is to paint the half-round gutter to match the trim. Unfortunately now you will not appreciate the beauty of the half-round gutter since it is basically painted out of the picture and a half-round gutter is something to be seen.
If and only if you paint your half-round gutters to match the trim color, you then must paint the round downspout to match the color of the house it rests against.
NO Black Gutters
Click to enlarge. You really need to compare and see how heavy they make the roof look.
Black gutters are all the rage today and do make a nice sharp appearance of course – that is the salespoint! But look for yourself. The gutters are all part of the trim. The black color subtracts from and reduces the size of the trim weakening the look and feel of support for the roof.
Please do not be distracted by those crazy chairs. This is a private home not a doctors office with an outdoor waiting room.
Black gutters and downspouts. Back gutters make the roof look heavy.
White gutters match the trim. Downspouts the body color.
Half of the gutter is painted white and half black. Notice the strength the white gutter provides.
Black gutters and downspouts are the popular style now. People love the nice sheik look but don’t notice the harm this look creates. Gutter salespeople are pushing this trend for it makes boring gutters seem more exciting. This trend seems to be embraced by parvenu (those having new money but lack the necessary refinement. The definition of parvenu on Wikipedia references Molly Brown survivor of the Titanic – who went from rags to riches over night. (See the movie “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”starring Debbie Reynolds”.
Standing Seam Metal Roofs and Half-Round Gutters
Standing Seam metal roofs are becoming very popular. I will post an article on this very soon. When purchasing a standing seam roof, the salesperson will recommend a matching half-round gutter. DO NOT DO THIS. A gutter must not match the roof. If the gutter matches the roof, it will appear that the roof is ending lower than it should. The roof will appear too heavy and will cover the trim that must be visible under the roof.
This is correct. The gutters match the trim and the roof appears contained. This photo was edited.
Gutters matching the standing seam roof make the roof appear too heavy. The gutters at the top of the roof were left white which looks better.
I have a lot of issues with the design of this metal roof which I explain in more detail in my Porch Roof article but here I need to show the importance of color. The trim is a good size and is not hidden too much by the gutters but the gutters and the nice dark boarder the gutter makes can look appealing in a way. However the roof and the gutters appear as one and they seem to take over. The roof and the gutters should EACH appear secondary. The trim has hierarchy.
Gutters and Underground Drainage on Historic Buildings
When I worked at the New Jersey Historic Trust, grant funded projects for buildings without any record of any type of gutter would sometimes require the installation of galvanized gutters to protect the building. Downspouts would drain into pipes under ground. Since the ground would need to be disturbed to install the drains, this triggered the need for an archaeologist to do testing before any digging was permitted.
Half Round Gutters on Craftsman Style homes
This Bungalow does not have gutters covering the rafter tails. The rafter tails are a character defining feature of Craftsman style homes. Yankee gutters are the only option for this house so not to hide the rafter tails.
It is possible that gutters were omitted so not to interfere with the exterior design. A character defining feature on Craftsman style homes are rafter tails. If the rafter tails have not been chopped off to install vinyl siding, they are usually covered up and hidden behind gutters. This looks awful! I am quite sure that this house had Yankee gutters so not to ruin the character of the Craftsman style.
Half-round gutters are slightly more shallow than K-style gutters but see if it is possible to attach the gutter as high up to the roof as possible. This may or may not work.
Notice how beautiful this house looks without the rafter tails hidden.
Half-round gutters are a bit more shallow than K-style gutters.
Fancy Gutters
Copper gutters are meant to be seen. Usually Tudor homes have fancy conductor boxes.
When gutter shopping be careful not to go overboard by choosing something too fancy or not appropriate for your style house.
While a Victorian Queen Anne may be very ornate, a copper conductor box would not belong.
Conductor boxes have a very practical use also. Because the top of the conductor box is vented, the downspout can handle a large amount of water and quickly flushes it away preventing gutter overflow.
Tudor style home with fancy conductor box and half-round gutters.
Yankee Gutters
Yankee gutters go back to the 18th century. These gutters are built on the plane of the roof.
Yankee gutters are also referred to as Philadelphia gutters, Pole gutters, Flush gutters, and Standing gutters.
Yankee gutters can be very simple or ornate.
Yankee gutters are built on the plane of the roof.
A metal Yankee gutter that would frequently be painted red or with a rust inhibitor on a slate roof allows the rafter tails to be seen on this circa 1915 home. Rafter tails are a character defining feature. People who saw them off should be cursed with runners in their stockings!
This Yankee gutter seems to be covered in aluminum making it look very boxy and unappealing.
This is a very basic Yankee gutter on a 1920’s house. If the aluminum on the fascia was removed you should find some nice molding. It would NEVER be plain like you see it.
These gutters would be lined with copper or a membrane.
Yankee gutter at base of roof close to fascia appears fancier.
Some new copper gutters. So nice but this shine will last 2 years tops. Copper is expensive so you may want to use brown aluminum to look like old copper. If you like the green patina you will need to wait about 25 years.
Yankee gutter on my house. Gutters are lined with copper. They can be painted the trim color or window sash color.
With a Yankee Gutter, the downspout goes through the soffit. Don’t get fooled by the tan painted trim at the top. That is wood trim and not a gutter although the shape of the trim is similar.
Unfortunately the Yankee gutters have been removed. This is what a roof looks like after removal. Notice the gutter would be located right below the 2nd row of square slates from the bottom.
Built In Gutters
Built-in gutters are actually part of the architecture of the house. They are not seen as gutters but part of the cornice.
There are many different styles depending on the style of the house and how opulent the house is.
The actual gutter is not too much different than a K-style gutter but would not normally be recognized as such because of all the other trim around it.
This does not mean that a K-style gutter is a good replacement for a box gutter would appear like trim that would continue from the base of the roof and up along the rake of the gable – appearing like one piece instead of stopping at the base of the gable.
Built-in – Box gutters are meant to be part of the architecture.
Built-in gutters are part of the Classical Orders of Design.
In Classical design, gutters were part of the architecture of a building. Let me try to make this as simple as I can. In Classic architecture the top part of a building is the Entablature. The Cornice is the top part of the Entablature. The Cornice is composed of the Bedmold on the bottom, the Corona in the middle, and the Cymatium on the top. The Cymatium represents the gutter which looks similar to the K-style gutter. The Corona represents the fascia.
The image above is from an article written by Brent Hull posted on This is Carpentry.
Here is the full article with more detailed information https://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2012/11/23/the-magical-entablature/ .
This Italianate house has built-in gutters. (color placement is wrong by the way)
Built-in gutters can be on a simple tin porch roof or an elaborate high style Greek Revival. Built-in gutters date back to the time of the Roman empire and have been used on homes through the 1940’s. The later years were for more high style homes. As usual these beautiful gutters were neglected and then were frequently removed. It is impossible to tell if your house had them because the entire end of the roof would need be reconstructed to remove them. Look at an old photograph and see if the eaves extended farther outward than it does now.
Built-in gutters really enhance the architecture and make the house above average. Notice the decorative conductor box. The copper blends in nicely with the brick.
A Built-in gutter on this 1920’s Colonial Revival is simple yet elegant.
I was really surprised at the number of homes with Built-in – Box gutters. I found 9 out of 10 homes had them on my Main Street. Covering them with aluminum however ruins the look.
A huge problem is that both new modern gutters and old style gutters are rarely maintained as they should be. Contemporary K-style gutters are replaced without any thought and old style box gutters etc. are removed in favor of contemporary gutters. Most times the box gutters just need a good cleaning and an application of ACRYMAX roof coating for your gutters will seal them and extend their life indefinitely. Does your contractor know this? Do you think they really care?
Built in gutters were standard on metal porch roofs . Be sure to read my blog article on this.
Attached Gutters Can Destroy the Architectural Integrity of Your House.
This house has built-in gutters. Rafter tails, a most important feature are therefore visible on this 1920’s Colonial Revival.
The addition of a modern K-style gutter hides the rafter tails. The original box-gutters were covered over as a cheap fix disfiguring the architecture of this beautiful house.
Different styles of architecture have character defining features that let you know what style they are. For Craftsman homes it is the exposed rafter tails under the roof eaves. The above photos show a 1920’s Colonial Revival home with exposed rafter tails. Although a Colonial Revival is not what first comes to mind when discussing rafter tails, there is a style of these homes that have them and it is a nice feature. Attaching half-round or K-style will hide a beautiful character defining feature. The only option is to have Yankee gutters, Built-in gutters, or no gutters.
Are Your Wood Gutters Rotted?
No need to spend a lot of time and money to replace your rotted wood gutters! There are products to harden rotted wood. A sponge like wood can be hardened into rock with a wood petrifier .
Once the wood is hardened, apply a rubberized paint on the interior of the gutter using an Acrymax Elastomeric Coating which is designed for repairing tin roofs. They are sold through Acrymax Technologies and Preservation Products .
Do not use EPDM for it is too heavy for this application.
Duragutter
Duragutter is an architecturally correct gutter that serves a necessary function that is also part of the vocabulary of the exterior trim. The appearance is that most similar to a built-in gutter system.
Classical Details Re-engineered
Duragutter is an exact replica of a traditional wood gutter, yet carries more than twice the volume of water.
On many Colonial and Victorian house styles, the traditional wood gutter is elegantly mitered into the rake molding.
While beautiful, this detail was poorly designed leading to rotten gutters and rakes. The detail has been impossible to replicate with standard aluminum or fiberglass gutters.
The Duragutter OG profile is specifically engineered to restore this detail.
Links to More Information on Gutters
Half-Round Metal Gutters – Old House Journal 1992 by John Leeke
Scroll to page 35.
Box Gutters – How to bring built-in roof drainage back to life – Old House Journal 1996 by Josh Garskof
Scroll to page 30.
Scroll to page 62
I had a very difficult time finding these gutters for my house. After traveling 2 hours for gutters I found that there is a company – Berger Building Products, 800-523-8852 that carries various types of half-round gutters etc. They are a distributor and will deliver to Home Depot and other big box stores. Here is their website.
There is a lot more information on the internet about the type of gutters discussed here. I hope this information has helped you since it took me 12 hours to compose this!
I’ve gone back and forth about gutters, so I was glad to see your article. But just to check, my house is a 1946 Cape style so would I use K style or half round? It’s a pretty unassuming house. Thank you!
Probably either would be fine for your house.
Did they have gutters before 1850 and if so, what would they have been made of for a histrionics home in NJ. Tks
Yes they did. It depends on the type of gutter and the type of architecture as outlined in the above article.
We will be residing. Is it easy enough to build box gutters back in? Thank you. Our house is 1840s.
That I cannot help you with – sorry. Please can anyone provide some insight?
I’m not sure how easy it is to build them back in but I came across this article a while ago. It explains the most common reasons why box gutters leak. Worth reading before taking action!
This is great Dave. I will add it to my article. Thanks!
What is your opinion of 6” half round gutter, with leaders matching white, down from roof along end porch columns, emptying away from house
Is there a way to hang gutters on a 1918 craftsman bungalow that won’t cover the rafter tails?
It is really not easy to do. You can try mounting them up high but the gutters are angled so they will have to cover the good part. Not the answer you want nor the answer I would like to give you.
I recently purchased a house that appears to have, at one time, a slate roof and yankee gutters. In the last 2 decades, some of the old yankee gutters were removed. The slate was left, and they overlaid asphalt shingles on top of the slate.
The house has all kinds of leaks. Is it possible that the removal of the yankee gutters is interfering with the ability to shed water appropriately? What sort of gutter would recommend? The entire roof is coming off and being redone.
Chances are the life of your roof has come to an end. Add some new yankee gutters to your new roof.
We want to outfit our 1911 American Foursquare with gutters. What would be appropriate?
Half round would be correct.
I will be going with half round to replace the k-style gutters on my brownstone 1913 American Foursquare…my valleys are 10 year old copper, and trim is painted Tinners Red (not sure how appropriate that is)…trying to decide color (probably brown, like the article suggests for copper look) but what about size?
The Red sounds great. I would go with the Royal Brown aluminum that the gutters come in. They will look like copper and the subtle contrast between the red and the brown gutter will look wonderful. As for size it depends on how much roof you have. See what your gutter guy recommends. Good luck!
Thank you for this very informative article! We have a 1930’s Tudor and are currently considering copper gutters. Despite loving the aesthetics of the half round, I’m really torn about the functionality, knowing already how much of a constant battle water flow is around our house, situated on a hill in the rainy Deep South. Would it just be awful to put K copper gutters on? K copper still seems better than regular aluminum right? Or maybe compromise and put half round in the front and K in the back? The back does seem to have a higher burden of water flow. I’m wondering if our “old house” is still new enough to tolerate the K?
I did a quick search and found the following:
The inside of a half-round gutter is smoother than the inside of a K-style gutter. This improves the gutters’ durability and prevents the metal from corroding over time. The smooth surface doesn’t have as many creases for water to collect in. The smooth insides of half-round gutters are also more effective at washing debris out of the gutters. Half-round gutters are better in locations where significant winter precipitation is likely.
I would look into this further for the half round gutter seems better. K gutters were used in the 1950’s.
We have an 1840s Italianate house and will be replacing the wooden built in gutters. We will not be replacing it with wooden ones. What gutters would you suggest?
As you read in the article, they should be restored. Do not change your house to look like something different.
What amazing information on gutters. When we purchased our 1915 cedar shingle home we had no idea we had box gutters. We are having issues with them now and local roofers are telling us they need to be torn out, literally cut out. I contacted the company you list – Exterior Pro Roofing – to see if they can recommend someone in my area for repair. Any other suggestions? Thanks so much!
Most roofers would have no understanding of built-in gutters. You will need to do a lot of shopping around and also try contractors and possible a historic preservation architect for a referral. I recommend checking my resource page for a listing of historic contractors in your area. https://www.oldhouseguy.com/wood-window-restoration-companies-carpenters/
I have a saltbox home with no gutters in the front. My father in law wanted everything to match the way it was done decades ago. So he had bricks laid pointed toward each other with stones between them. They slanted slightly toward the right side of the house and the water was supposed to drain down that way. However, it’s not enough and in recent years The basement has had flooding during severe storms.
What do you recommend for gutters that would do the job and not ruin the look of my saltbox home?
sorry but I would need to see a photo. Please use the contact us form on my website.
I have a 1919 Craftsman house with no rain gutters. It is terrible when the rain comes down on the stairs for the front porch. There is no way to escape the downpour. You wrote that there are no rain gutters designed for a Craftsman house. Any suggestions?
You really don’t want to hide those rafter tails. I would probably opt for yankee gutters or half round if you can mount them high so not to hide the rafter tails.
Do dormers really need gutters? They look awfully clunky. Ours is a fairly small gabled dormer on the front of our bungalow–definitely less than 1/3 the width of the house. Gutters seem like overkill.
No – you are correct. The water will run off the roof onto the roof below it. No need to go gutter crazy.
Sorry but the repeated assertion that K-Style is 1950s or later is just wrong. O-G or Ogee box gutters appear going back to the 1850s – https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=gri.ark:/13960/t5n90j107&view=1up&seq=386&skin=2021&q1=%22O.%20G.%22 – they were simply much more expensive to form and more like a sheet metal cornice, where half round were cheap and formed with pipe and therefore much more common. Galvanized steel was more common and copper was not; half-round copper is therefore mostly a modern affectation. And I have seen 1920s photos of bungalows with Style K gutters.
The standard letter profiles were in place by 1900, though K style didn’t become common until after 1915. Style I/L was nearly the same (Style “K” may have been skipped initially to avoid confusion with Style “H”, as with I/J) and Style J, with an additional concave curve at the bottom, was initially more common as the fanciest standard profile. Square downspouts were also historically available, again a more expensive option than round. Post-WWII, Style K became more popular as the cost to produce it evidently dropped and it was easier to install on modern buildings with fascia.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc2.ark:/13960/t6zw7ng8r&view=1up&seq=63&skin=2021&q1=%22O.%20G.%22
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x004885076&view=1up&seq=21&skin=2021&q1=gutters
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc2.ark:/13960/t2c91wd87&view=1up&seq=68&skin=2021&q1=gutters
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc2.ark:/13960/t2x41069h&view=1up&seq=19&skin=2021
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435072775638&view=1up&seq=16&skin=2021&q1=gutters
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc2.ark:/13960/t5w72nx0c&view=1up&seq=16&skin=2021&q1=%22style%20k%22
Thank you for this great information !!!
We desparately need a reliable, knowledgeable repair team for our 1926 Dutch Colonial here in Racine Wisconsin.
Why don’t you check the listing of historic contractors?
I am a current student looking into the history of gutters, specifically built-in gutters and how to best assess and preserve them and am having trouble finding great resources concerning built-in gutters. I was curious if you had a list of sources and information on the history of built-in gutters, specifically on American built-in gutters around 1940. Any building catalogues or other information would be extremely helpful. Thanks!
Hi Sam – I would love to help you but unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you. I can refer you to someone that may be able to help you. A historic preservation architect that I have worked with. https://hba-llc.com/ Contact Anabelle. Also contact The Old House Journal. Please keep me posted on your research.
Thank you very much for compiling this! My training was spent restoring old houses in New England and somehow Yankee gutters never came up. Very interesting and great to learn something new. Love your comment about what should be done to people who cut off rafter tails – classic! I’ve built a craftsman style cabin with 4×14 exposed rafters and a very shallow 3/16 pitch roof, so I think I’ll stick with the plan of half rounds. Appreciate the comp pics of painted etc and for the resource referral.
I have recently purchased a brick 1935 small Tudor cottage. The plan is to replace the old asphalt shingle roof with Belmont luxury slate shingles and install half round copper gutters. I’m having trouble deciding on the right color for the trim. Black? Dark brown? It’s currently white and that seems like a really bad idea. Also thinking of adding a subtle German schmear treatment to the brick. Not enough to turn it white, but more of a subtle random approach. You’ll still see the original color of the brick. I know in a couple years the gutters will be more of a brown shade, and I don’t want them to completely disappear into the trim. Your opinion would be GREATLY appreciated!
Hi – dark brown would be the best trim color. A Tudor usually has the traditional cream stucco and brown trim with green, black or brown window sashes. Not sure about the brick treatment you mention – especially if it is not reversible. The copper gutters will blend into the trim a little and that is good. You will see a nice subtle difference between the two.
Good afternoon Ken,
Trying to get your opinion on a 1942 structure. The existing copper conductor heads have square inlets / outlets, would this suggest to you that the downspouts were square? If that is the case, were square downspouts ever used with half-round gutters? I think this building had K-style gutters based on the square DS’s, but I wasn’t sure if maybe DS’s have ever been paired with half-round gutters.
Thanks!
Square downspouts are correct for your conductor head. I have not seen square downspouts on half round gutters. I don’t think they would look good combining a square and round shape.
Hi Ken:
First I’d like to thank you for this site. You saved me from doing something I now see was really stupid with my 6 over 6 windows a few years back.
I’ve been trying to figure out what to do about my gutters for a while. I have a 1840 Greek Revival, and it has beautiful cornice molding. There’s also an Italinate extension with even more ornate work.
The building had standard K shape aluminum gutter which was installed in the 80s. But it completely obscured the cornice(s). I took the gutter off, but in places the runoff from the roof seeps into the basement.
Obviously the historically appropriate gutter isn’t aluminum K gutter. What would you suggest as a replacement?
If the best option these days is K gutter I’d rather dig a french drain around the problematic areas, leaving the roof without gutters and diverting the runoff to somewhere away from the building. What do you think of that?
Again, so thankful for all your work here.
Hi Grant – In Classical design, the CYMA is the part of the cornice that is the gutter. The gutter is not meant to be seen as a gutter but a small of many elements that make up a cornice. https://www.classicalproportions.com/cornice-basics.html There are a lot of good videos by Brent Hull on this subject.
What you need to do is to determine what makes up your cornice. Is it a Classical design that includes a gutter-cyma? I would also look into Duragutter For what they have may allow the gutter to not stand out and blend in with what you have on your house. You may also have had built-in gutters that were removed at one time.
Thank you for the thorough information provided. I own and operate and softwash/pressure washing and commercial/residential paint company in central Florida and have completed work on roughly a dozen historical homes here for paint, gutter cleaning, and roof washing. It’s become a niche for us to get more historical work. The information you provided here is valuable to pass along and educate a customer and myself further. It would surprise many people on how many different architectural structures you may find in Florida! Thank you and Merry Christmas.
You mention painting the downspouts to match the siding color. What color should the downspout extensions be? Our siding is butter yellow, and I think it might look odd to have a butter yellow tube extending out from the house 10 feet at the foundation. On the other hand, switching aluminum colors to brown or gray to match the landscaping also seems odd, not to mention they would look out of place in winter. Any thoughts?
Good question. At the top where it connects to the gutter it can be either the trim or body color – see what you think. Downspouts on the house body are the color they rest against. Sometimes you have a downspout that rests on a porch roof. Paint it the roof color. Once the downspout is on the ground and is not hidden by plantings, paint it a dark color like brown to match the mulch or green to match the plants. It doesn’t have to be a perfect color on the ground – you just don’t want it to stand out.
Ken,
Thank you so much for your in depth, first hand recommendation using our coatings. We truly appreciate it, and we look forward to helping you and anyone in need of a high quality coating. Our products are phenomenal for built in gutters as you have documented, but the coatings work well on other applications as well – various roofing substrate, masonry/stucco walls, and more.
Good luck with your next project and let us know when need to recoat!
Thanks,
Eric Bennung
3rd Generation at Acrymax
This is fascinating!! Thank you so much! I just bought a home built in 1937 and I don’t know the style though I think it may be a colonial revival / minimal traditional? It’s an unassuming house in Burbank, CA that was built as a 2 bed 1 bathroom (I’m guessing as part of the Depression) but then I believe in the 50s they added on a garage and studio above the garage. Is there any chance you could perhaps look at a photo and steer me in the right direction re gutters? I plan to do a lot of updates to the house and really want to keep its integrity and perhaps even add some charm. I’ve been watching the tv show Restored off your recommendation and absolutely love it!! Thank you so much for your time!
No problem – please go to website to contact us and send a photo.
Thank you for maintaining this website. We have painted galvanized steel half round gutters that I assume are original to our 1923 home. They are rusting out and I have started to research half round replacement options. The house is brown with cream trim – I think the architectural style is Arts and Crafts but I’m honestly not sure. Would love your opinion on what the style is and what type metal we should go with. Aluminum or painted galvanized steel?
Hi – A zinc based primer would help but really it is probably time to replace them with aluminum. Paint the new gutters to match the trim – the gutter company will tell you not to do this but they don’t know better. You can send me a photo via the contact us and I can check the style of your house.
Hi Ken, I came across your great write up and trying to classify my gutters.
The design looks like it could have went built in gutters since the current gutters sit on a ledge or sill after the roof.
The house is a strange 1950s Faux French Provincial white glaze terracotta brick construction.
Rare for the 1950’s. When you see deeper eaves and the roof ends about a 8″ before the end of the eaves it is built in. Good to line it with a n Acrymax product for extra protection.
My house was built in 1796, a Georgian Federal. It currently has a wood gutter that spans the front of the house, and no gutter on the portico—which has been a problem for the base due to water damage. It seems like we get advice to do whatever the contractor specializes in—some cornice gutter, some restoration of the wood gutter, others half round(that definitely doesn’t seem correct!). We are researching trying to find older photographs of our home. Any suggestions? Happy to upload photos somehow…we believe the portico was added later.
Hi – sorry but it can’t be uploaded here. Please go to my website to contact us and send me a photo, copy and paste your question and reference this comment.
Your article is invaluable. Thank you for the information. With the Yankees gutter, what stops water from leaking at the edges of the downspout as it protrudes downward through the soffit? Caulk? My inherited one-story 1957 house has a huge, two-story addition built by my dad in 1981, where on one side of the slope of the new roof, it joins onto the old house (at the bottom of the slope) with a flat roof about 3’ wide which then connects to a vertical second story wall. There’s no gutter the entire length of the slope, as there’s no place to attach a K gutter. Water pours over the gable edge of the roof causing so many problems. Would a Yankee gutter be the solution? Thank you. Margaret
Hi – The Yankee gutter has either a copper or brown aluminum lining. There is a sleeve that goes through that where the downspout connects. Copper would be soldered, aluminum is most likely caulked. As for your issue it’s difficult to say without a photo – you can email me at contact-us. Contact a good roofer for I think that a diverter may be what you need in addition to a gutter. Sometimes there is a lot of water that needs to be diverted to a different portion of the roof before it gets to the bottom. A yankee gutter or something on the same principal should do the trick.