# Yankee Gutters, K-Style Gutters, Built-in or Box Gutters - Link: https://www.oldhouseguy.com/historic-gutters/ - Published: 2020-01-10T14:21:51-05:00 - Author: Ken Roginski 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.   [⌊gutters and downspouts⌉⌊gutters and downspouts⌉[ Built in gutters and downspouts date back to Roman times. **I have since found two wonderful articles on Yankee Gutters and Built-in Gutters since this was written by a roofing business in TN. The links are at the end of this article at the top along with other helpful links. **Be sure to check them out. ## 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 K-style gutters originally made of wood and now made in aluminum became popular in the 1950’s. This is the type of gutter that should be used for any house built from about 1950 on.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⌉⌊k-style gutters⌉[ 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⌉⌊half-round copper gutters⌉[ Half-round copper gutters and downspout. [⌊copper gutters⌉⌊copper gutters⌉[ 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 painted the trim color.⌉⌊gutters painted the trim color.⌉[ 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.** [⌊copper gutters versus aluminum⌉⌊copper gutters versus aluminum⌉[ Beautiful historic home with copper gutters. Although the aged copper looks great, when painted the trim color (shown on the right) provides a more balanced appearance. ## NO Black Gutters [⌊black gutters are bad⌉⌊black gutters are bad⌉[ 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⌉⌊Black Gutters⌉[ Black gutters and downspouts. Back gutters make the roof look heavy. [⌊white gutters⌉⌊white gutters⌉[ White gutters match the trim. Downspouts the body color. [⌊black gutters versus white gutters⌉⌊black gutters versus white gutters⌉[ 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”. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk10MoMpMIA)_ ### 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. [⌊standing seam roof with white gutters⌉⌊standing seam roof with white gutters⌉[ This is correct. The gutters match the trim and the roof appears contained. This photo was edited. [⌊standing seam roof with matching gutters⌉⌊standing seam roof with matching gutters⌉[ 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 ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/metal-porch-roof/) 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 [⌊craftsman house without gutters⌉⌊craftsman house without gutters⌉[ 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 versus k-style gutters⌉⌊half-round gutters versus k-style gutters⌉[ 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 house with copper gutters⌉⌊tudor house with copper gutters⌉[ Tudor style home with fancy conductor box and half-round gutters. ## Yankee Gutters Yankee gutters go back to the 18^(th) 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⌉⌊yankee gutters⌉[ Yankee gutters are built on the plane of the roof. [⌊yankee gutter on slate roof 1915⌉⌊yankee gutter on slate roof 1915⌉[ 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!   [⌊aluminum covered yankee gutter⌉⌊aluminum covered yankee gutter⌉[ This Yankee gutter seems to be covered in aluminum making it look very boxy and unappealing.   [⌊metal yankee gutter 1920's⌉⌊metal yankee gutter 1920's⌉[ 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.   [⌊yankee gutter on church⌉⌊yankee gutter on church⌉[ These gutters would be lined with copper or a membrane. [⌊fancy yankee gutters⌉⌊fancy yankee gutters⌉[ Yankee gutter at base of roof close to fascia appears fancier. [⌊copper yankee gutters⌉⌊copper yankee gutters⌉[ 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⌉⌊yankee gutter⌉[ Yankee gutter on my house. Gutters are lined with copper. They can be painted the trim color or window sash color. [⌊downspout for porch roof⌉⌊downspout for porch roof⌉[ 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.   [⌊yankee gutter removal⌉⌊yankee gutter removal⌉[ 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 gutter - box gutter⌉⌊built in gutter - box gutter⌉[ Built-in – Box gutters are meant to be part of the architecture. [⌊built in gutter diagram⌉⌊built in gutter diagram⌉[ 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/ ](https://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2012/11/23/the-magical-entablature/). [⌊built in gutters victorian⌉⌊built in gutters victorian⌉[ 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. [⌊box gutter built in gutter on brick Georgian⌉⌊box gutter built in gutter on brick Georgian⌉[ 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.   [⌊box gutter on colonial revival⌉⌊box gutter on colonial revival⌉[ 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 ](https://acrymax.com/category/roof-coatings/) 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 ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/metal-porch-roof/). Be sure to read my blog article on this. [⌊built in gutters versus k gutters⌉⌊built in gutters versus k gutters⌉[ Photo from 1940. Notice the nice elegant shadow-line the built-in gutters provide. [⌊built in gutters removed⌉⌊built in gutters removed⌉[ Photo from 2020. The built-in gutters were removed. Notice the flat weak appearance. This Greek Revival home was constructed circa 1835. In 1940 it was renovated and the brick was unfortunately painted. Thankfully the built-in gutters were not removed. Notice how grand the entablature appears with its strong shadow lines. This is an example of good architecture. Unfortunately some ignorant homeowner’s destroyed this house. The brick was sandblasted removing the hard protective face and making it into a sponge. The built-in gutters were removed weakening the architecture and giving the once grand house a plain appearance. One chimney was also removed. ## Attached Gutters Can Destroy the Architectural Integrity of Your House. [⌊built i ngutter with rafter rails⌉⌊built i ngutter with rafter rails⌉[ This house has built-in gutters. Rafter tails, a most important feature are therefore visible on this 1920’s Colonial Revival. [⌊Colonial revival with open eaves⌉⌊Colonial revival with open eaves⌉[ 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 ](http://conservepoxy.com/category/Rot-Repair-Epoxies.htm). 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 ](https://acrymax.com/category/roof-coatings/) and [Preservation Products ](http://www.preservationproducts.com/). 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. [⌊built in gutters⌉⌊built in gutters⌉[ [[   ## Links to More Information on Gutters ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **This is a MUST READ if you have or want Yankee Gutters**.  It contains the most detailed and well written information on Yankee Gutters and everything you need to know about them. [Read Old Style Gutter Gallery: Identifying Your Historic Drainage by Antebellum Roofworks. ](https://antebellumroofworks.com/blog/old-style-gutter-gallery-identifying-your-historic-drainage/) ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **This is a MUST READ if you have or want Built-in Gutters. **It contains the most detailed and well written information on Built-in and everything you need to know about them. [How Built-in Gutter Systems and Downspouts Actually Work by Antebellum Roofworks. ](https://antebellumroofworks.com/blog/how-built-in-gutter-systems-and-downspouts-actually-work/)   ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **Building Gutters for a Victorian House** – Fine Homebuilding [Click here to read. ](https://www.finehomebuilding.com/1994/09/01/building-gutters-for-a-victorian-house) ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **Half-Round Metal Gutters** – Old House Journal July/August 1992 issue by John Leeke [Click here to read. ](https://books.google.com/books?id=Qyf36jw-sNoC&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=old+house+journal+july+august+1992) Scroll to page 35. ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **Box Gutters – How to bring built-in roof drainage back to life** – Old House Journal May 1996 issue by Josh Garskof [Click here to read. ](https://books.google.com/books?id=R0O6fHEX0r4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=old+house+journal+may+1996) Scroll to page 30. ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **The 3 Most Common Reasons Box Gutters Leak and How to Repair Them – **by Paul of Exterior Pro Roofing Inc. [Click here to read. ](http://www.exteriorproinc.com/blog/bid/330128/3-Most-Common-Reasons-Box-Gutters-Leak) ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **Yankee Ingenuity – Rebuilding & Improving Traditional Gutters** – Old House Journal October 2004 issue by Robert L. Williams [Click here to read. ](https://books.google.com/books?id=b05Zqthe4YMC&pg=PA88&dq=old+house+journal+October+2004) Scroll to page 62 ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **Yankee Ingenuity (2) – Repairing Rotted Gutters ** – Old House Journal September 2010 issue by Lynn Elliott [Click here to read. ](https://books.google.com/books?id=THcw4Ha4Tp8C&pg=PA52&dq=old+house+journal+September+2010) Scroll to page 34   ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg) **Where to Purchase Aluminum Half-Round Gutters** 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. ](https://bergerbp.com/product/half-round-gutters/) 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!