Gutters? To Be or Not To Be

[Cedwards38]

Since moving to The Villages I have heard more than one homeowner say that gutters are not necessary in Florida. Newly constructed homes in The Villages don't have guttering. I'm sure new homeowners in The Villages hear the same thing, so let's hear some thoughts.

I don't get it, so we had them installed on our home. We, the homeowners, all had gutters on our homes in states north of here. Can someone explain the no gutter logic for me?

Seems to me:

(1) It rains in Florida, just like up north.
(2) We have landscaping just around the roof line in Florida that gets watered by rains and irrigation systems without water gushing from the roof, just like up North.
(3) We don't want trenches around our homes collecting standing water, just like up north.
(4) Regardless of the type of foundation of your Florida home, we don't want water standing around that foundation, just like up north.

What are your thoughts and reasons? Thanks.

[thelegges]

Our lawn was staying soggy wet on one side of our house ( you sunk down when you walked on it, we shut off sprinkles on that side) irrigation guy said it was run off from the roof. Used hills put gutters all around. We now have to run the sprinklers because it gets to dry. So yes we needed them

[gap2415]

The volume of water that came pouring off our roof was like Niagara Falls. It knocked over our heavy BBQ and created a deluge between the houses. We put up gutters fast! We all had them in South Florida too.

[rjm1cc]

I have none of your problems. No gutters.
I think having a basement and a lot of clay (not sand) in the soil would lean toward gutters.

[kcrazorbackfan]

Since moving to The Villages I have heard more than one homeowner say that gutters are not necessary in Florida. Newly constructed homes in The Villages don't have guttering. I'm sure new homeowners in The Villages hear the same thing, so let's hear some thoughts.

I don't get it, so we had them installed on our home. We, the homeowners, all had gutters on our homes in states north of here. Can someone explain the no gutter logic for me?

Seems to me:

(1) It rains in Florida, just like up north.
(2) We have landscaping just around the roof line in Florida that gets watered by rains and irrigation systems without water gushing from the roof, just like up North.
(3) We don't want trenches around our homes collecting standing water, just like up north.
(4) Regardless of the type of foundation of your Florida home, we don't want water standing around that foundation, just like up north.

What are your thoughts and reasons? Thanks.

These are the very reasons that we had Hill's install gutters on our home; wise decision you made. You'll find pro and con opinions to everything, but to each their own.

[JoMar]

Gutters are really inexpensive so why not install them? We did for all the reasons stated.

[villagetinker]

I agree you will get plenty of comments on installing gutters, but here is one you really need to consider.
Right now the water off the roof tends to be dispersed, with the exceptions of the valleys. When you install gutters you concentrate all of the water to the downspouts, so be real careful where and how the downspouts are located, or you may end up with real problems.
We installed gutters at the front of the house due to staining on the driveway, and around the lanai in the back. had to significantly change the drainage of the downspouts with the new landscaping to avoid having a lake in the back yard.

Hope this helps.

[retiredguy123]

The new homes on my street have gutters.

[rubicon]

No one mentioned the need for cleaning debris out of gutters?. I had my downspouts buried because snakes love to hide under splash blocks

[RickeyD]

Unless you have soil issues gutters create more problems than they prevent.

[billethkid]

If one has not lived here during a very rainy season or during a close encounter with the beater bands of a hurricane which can bring heavy amounts of rain for days.....you have not witnessed.....yet....what can happen to slab construction when inundated with an endless supply of water......both inside and outside the home.

Separately the volume of water that can be accumulated in the valleys and the subsequent "gusher" it generates can be destructive to the area where it hits.

Of all the so called "optional" additions residents will make to their homes, gutters are among the least expensive, longest lasting beneficial choices.

[leftyf]

I am a firm believer that we do need gutters and I also feel that they should be 6" gutters, not the 5" ones commonly installed. The 6" upgrade cost is minimal and worth the money. I have seen the 5" gutters actually overflow in some of these "Florida Rains". Make sure you have enough downspouts and they are in the right places too.