Is it possible to do without a gutter system on the roof?

When the construction of the house comes to the final stage and the installation of the roof begins, the question always arises of how and what to make the drainage system from. Many developers raise the question in a different way: is it needed at all, is it possible to do without it? After all, a good drain is expensive. Someone wants to save money this way, and someone just doesn't like the pipes hanging down around the house. One way or another, in order to make a decision, it is necessary to consider the functional purpose of the drainage system of a private house.

The fact that the drain is not for beauty. Its purpose is to divert rainwater from the foundation. Without a drain, water will gradually destroy the blind area and, falling into the ground, undermine the foundation of the structure. It is clear that this will not lead to anything good. Also, dirty smudges will flaunt on the facade, and on the paths and lawns around the house there will be no drying puddles. The gutter system must divert water from the roof, thereby increasing the service life of the structure.

What can you make a drain from?

A typical gutter system consists of horizontal gutters located around the entire perimeter of the house and vertical pipes running down from them. Previously, galvanized iron was the main material for the drain. Sometimes they use it now, and such a system looks pretty nice. But other modern materials appeared:

1. Plastic pipes are metal with plastic applied on both sides. Such systems are very durable and not susceptible to corrosion, they are able to withstand shock loads, snow and ice in winter. Their plus is that you can choose a color that matches the color of the roof and walls of the house.
2. Copper pipes - a drain from copper is not widespread, since the price of such a metal goes off scale. However, copper can reliably last for many decades. It must be remembered that in air, copper quickly oxidizes and becomes covered with a patina coating. This effect is even appreciated by lovers of antiquity.
3. Plastic pipes - a system of PVC gutters and drains appeared on the market not so long ago, but was able to compete with metal and galvanization. Plastic is easier to mount, it tolerates light well and does not rust. Another advantage: plastic gutters need to be cleaned less often, since water glides better on them, which means less debris and dirt settles inside. Such pipes thunder less during a shower. They also have various shapes and colors. And serious strengths include low strength: plastic can crack under the weight of snow or ice.

It is not difficult to choose a gutter system for the house, taking into account individual requests. And it’s better to put it at the construction stage, since then it will be much more difficult and expensive, and sometimes impossible.

When the gutter is not needed

And when you can not make a drain at all? In principle, you can do without it if the house is small and has a gable roof. Then you just need to lengthen the hanging cornice so that the water does not wash the blind area and does not seep to the foundation. In other cases, the gutter system will still have to be mounted.