Central Virginia Insulation - An insulation contractor in Richmond Va

​Serving the greater Richmond area and Tidewater

Gutter Installation

What are the options?
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While gutters may seem like a one-size-fits-all sort of thing, they are really not.  They come in a variety of sizes and styles.  A professional installer can provide you with your best choices after a look at the building you plan to attach them to.  We will go over some of the options here.

Central Va Insulation installs seamless gutters.  We work with half-round and k-Style gutters.  These come in aluminum and copper.

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This picture shows the difference between, half-round, k-Style, and traditional box style gutters.  These come in 5" and 6" sizing.  The size you need is based on a number of factors including the pitch and size of your roof as well as the climate you live in.  The Richmond area can get some pretty strong downpours but most homes are well served with 5" gutters.

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To determine the proper sizing for your new gutters, you first need to calculate the total square footage of the draining area of the gutter.  For the basic gable ended roof you simply make a calculation for each side of the roof.  For more complicated roofs, like intersecting or hip style, you need to add up the area of each surface within the drainage area to determine the total square footage.  

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804-413-6460

After determining the square footage, there are a couple other variables to factor in before making a proper determination.

Rainfall Intensity:

The US Weather Bureau keeps data on the maximum amount of rain that could fall on a given area over a 5 minute period.  This is measured in inches per hour.  The object is to size it for the worst case storm scenario.  It is possible that the sizing from surface to surface might call for different size gutters.  In that case, go with the largest one.  Our representatives can show you the calculations, rainfall info, and explain the different options.

Roof Pitch:

The roof's pitch, or steepness, greatly affects the amount of rain that runs off of it.  The steeper it is, the faster water runs off and the larger the gutter needs to by on order to collect it all and deposit safely into a drainage area.  You can see the different pitches by looking at this chart.  Pitch is typically measured using a 2 foot level and a tape measure, though experienced technicians can look at the roof and make a very accurate determination of the pitch.  

Once the rainfall intensity, roof area, and pitch have been calculated, an accurate determination can be made regarding the gutter size that is best suited for your home.

It is possible, though somewhat unusual, that the gutter size required will be larger than 6 inches.  Occasionally it is determined that a home might require 7 or even 8 inch gutters to properly do the job.  These sizes are not readily available and will add extra cost if used.  Other options might be to increase the pitch of the gutter (making it higher at one end than the other), or adding extra downspouts to a smaller gutter.  Downspouts are usually placed about 40 feet apart, but this is not a requirement.  Each additional properly sized downspout can add a lot of additional drainage to the gutter.

We have several gutter specialists on staff and would be happy to send one to your home for an analysis.  We are Richmond based and are very aware of the rainfall numbers and gutter challenges associated with our area.  We can give you all your options and provide you with a free quote.

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Give us a call at 804-413-6460 and we will send a specialist to calculate the proper size and offer you style options.