Do it Yourself Gutter Installation

Gutters are also called eaves trough and are mainly responsible to drain rainwater from the roof of your house or apartment. Having a properly installed gutter is actually necessary, as gutters allow the rainwater to flow away from your residence. This prevents the dirty odor caused by stagnant rainwater in your surroundings and keeps your house clean. Installing gutters is not a difficult job, you can do it all by yourself. All you need is proper planning, knowledge of the procedure, and all the required material at hand. Here are the instructions on how to install gutters.

Do it Yourself Gutter Installation Instructions

Know your Requirements

Drill machine, screwdriver bits, hacksaw blade, measuring tape, ladder, rust proof screws, gutter sections and the all the necessary components such as the elbows, end pieces, corners, drop outlets. Silicon caulk and a caulking gun, chalk line, carpenter's level and one string level.

Steps in Gutter Installation Procedure

Planning

At the outset, plan your gutter system. Take a look at your house and determine the spot to install rain gutters. See that you select such a spot, which will catch the rainwater from the roof and direct it somewhere away from the house.

Calculating

Start measuring your roof length, so that you can cut and fit the gutter sections properly beneath the roof. A gutter section is normally about 10 feet long. By knowing the gutter section length and also the roof edge length, you will be able to determine the number of gutter sections you will have to fix to the roof edge. Now, have a look at the gutter layout and also the roof measurements; this will enable you to calculate the number of gutter components you need to attach. To hold the gutter sections properly and to bear the water load, you will also have to install brackets after every 20 inches or so. Remember this and measure accordingly!

Fixing Gutter Sections

• Before fixing the gutter sections, mark a spot about ½ or 1 inch beneath the roof edge, away from the downspout as well as towards the downspout.
• See that these points are marked, check it with the help of a string level.
• Now, the next step is to determine the slope, to enable the smooth flow of water through it.
• The gutter slope should be approximately 1/15 inch for a distance of each foot.
• Further, calculate this distance from the very first marking at the downspout end.
• Mark these distances with the help of a chalk towards both the ends.
• Now, go at the downspout end and install the gutter components, such as the brackets, corners, etc. with the help of a drilling machine, screwdriver bit and some rust proof screws.
• Take a ladder, and now you can start with installing the gutter sections in the brackets and connecting all of them with gutter connectors. See that you adjust the gutter sections by cutting them with the help of a hacksaw blade
• Water can sometimes leak out of the gutter seams. In order to avoid leakage, take some silicone caulk and spread it over the length of the gutter section through the caulking machine.
• You have now successfully installed the gutter installations, but still perform a check for all the fixtures and attachments done, so that nothing is loosely fixed.
• Have the elbow fixed beneath the drop outlet and further measure and cut the downspout. Fix it at the bottom of the drop outlet.
• Finally, attach mounting brackets to the downspout in order to hold it in place.

I suppose you must have got a fair idea of how to install gutters all by yourself. However, I would suggest you to have someone amongst your family members or neighborhood with you to help. Being a do it yourself gutter installation does not mean you have to work alone. This is because you are going to work on a ladder and sometimes your hands may not reach the difficult spots. But if you think you can do it on your own, no problem. Just go ahead and do it, but at the same time take care of yourself!