Linda Johnson

Landscape Ideas-Installing Rain Gutters and How They Help Keep Your Yard Clean



Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009

by Linda Johnson
Showcase to Ideas

It is very understandable for someone to walk by a home and wonder why some have rain gutters and others do not. Well, it is a homeowner choice on whether or not to have them installed and to incur the expense. Sounds obvious right? For that matter, it is also an option that because of the additional expense involved that most new home builders do not include them as a standard item included with the purchase of the home.

Having spent close to 10 years working with the real estate industry, including the new home segment, I can confirm for you that most new home builders in fact do not install them. It is so unexpected to find a new home with rain gutters, that when a prospective buyer comes across a new home builder that does include them, they are indeed taken aback. It is something they typically fail to observe when first viewing model homes. However, it is easy to tout the benefits of having them included, and in turn helps towards the sale of a new home.

Most of the time, present and future homeowners will first think of the most visible benefit of having rain gutters, and that is of being able to walk up to their front or back door on a rainy day or night without getting drenched from the cascade of water coming from the sloping roof just above. However, there are other advantages that provide a longer lasting and more preventative benefit.

First of all, your home itself will be lucky to benefit from the rain water being guided strategically and smartly away to designated spots rather than streaming down in to the planter beds that line the perimeter of many if not most homes. Why, because as time goes by and the muddy water ends up getting splashed back up on to the siding or stucco exterior walls of the home, that muddy water will eventually discolor those lower regions of the exterior walls at a much faster rate than the upper portions. Most homeowners unfortunately make the decision not to have them installed and years later look at the condition of their home and find an uneven wear and discoloration due to excess rain water causing the dreaded muddy splash.

Another benefit is that during rain storms, the plants and flowers that surround your home under the roof eaves will not get drenched with an excess amount of water. Many plants do not respond well to sitting in a deep pool of water, especially if the soil is heavier clay with poor drainage. Their roots end up rotting from not being able to dry out properly, such as is the case when a homeowner themself over irrigates. In this case, it is Mother Nature that does the irrigating. Take charge, and control the amount of water your plants get and sit in.

Most homeowners would benefit tremendously from installing rain gutters along the roof line of their homes. A newer type of seamless rain gutter is very popular now for its less bulky appearance and more efficient drainage abilities.

Linda Johnson is an experienced crafter and interior/exterior decorating specialist, sharing her passion by helping friends, family, and clients solve their decorating and craft needs, and is currently the publisher of http://www.showcasetoideas.com, where everyone is invited to show off their own wonderful creations, and find a wealth of craft ideas and decorating projects.  Linda's education and practical decorating experience laid the framework for putting together an evergrowing library of how-to articles, video tutorials, and supply resources, while enabling viewers to share her passion by showing off their projects as well at http://www.showcasetoideas.com.  

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