This is a very common question that comes from first time home buyers and long time home-owners alike. Some folks want a gutter to keep the rainwater off their head as they walk out their front door. Some folks want a gutter to prevent the rainwater from rotting out yet another window or door frame. There are numerous benefits to installing rain gutters to your property. I personally like to prevent the water from splashing dirt around the base of my chicken coop. But let’s not get it twisted here, they are not just for small conveniences such as those. The primary purpose of a rain gutter is to protect your structure’s foundation. We may not all know the importance of a solid foundation; so, let us establish that now. The overall structural integrity of the house is completely dependent on an uncompromised foundation. If you think about how the rainwater that falls on the roof is essentially displaced to a focal point around the perimeter of your home, that more concentrated water fall can cause problems. Namely, erosion. Erosion can occur topical (where you can see it) or sub-topical (where you cannot see it). Either way, erosion means that your foundation is being given room to move. There’s no guarantee one way or the other, but the potential exists for foundation problems. Here’s where the gutter ties into this equation. The gutters collect all rainwater that is displaced by your roof and direct it to an area/s that would make ground level mitigation efforts most efficient. Typically, you want to direct all water to the outermost parts of your home and where the water will be able to run off and away from your foundation (by gravity). In simplistic terms, this is how we plan out your gutter and downspouts. The water mitigation at the ground level will sometimes need further assistance by the homeowner or landscaper to overcome different situations. If you have questions, we can certainly provide some answers.