How to Install Gutters

Rain gutters and downspouts are required for most residences in the United States to collect and transport rainwater. Water would erode the soil around the foundation, splash dirt on the siding, and most likely leak into the basement or crawlspace if they weren't installed.

Professionals usually install gutters, but there's no reason you can't do it yourself. All of the materials and accessories may be found in home improvement stores, lumberyards, and roofing supply companies. If you're going to repair your gutters and downspouts, you might as well enhance your rainwater system's overall appearance and performance.

We'll teach you how to install reproduction half-round gutters that are perfect
reproductions of the size and shape of gutters found on older homes in this article. Corrugated downspouts and ornamental cast-aluminum brackets are included in this system.

In 5 Easy Steps, You Can Install Gutters

1. Snap the layout lines together.

14 inch below the metal drip-edge flashing, mark the highest point of the gutter run on the fascia (on the extra-wide fascia shown here, the gutter is lower down).

Mark the low end of the gutter run at the other end of the fascia (or the downspout location if there is one in the middle of the run), keeping in mind that the slope should be roughly 12 inch for every 10 feet of run.

Draw a line between the two points with chalk (as shown).

2. Put the fascia brackets in place.

  • Behind the fascia, look for the rafter tails; they're usually 16 inches apart (look for telltale nail heads).
  • Make a mark on every other rafter tail at the chalk line.
  • At each location, drill an 18-inch pilot hole through the fascia and into the rafter tail.
  • Using 14-inch stainless steel lag screws long enough to penetrate rafters 2 inches, fasten fascia brackets (as shown).

3. Cut gutter to the desired length

  • Using a hacksaw and aviation snips, or a 12-inch power miter saw with a carbide-tipped finish blade, cut the gutter section to length (as shown).
  • Cut the appropriate angle (usually 45 degrees) on the end of the gutter if it extends around a corner.
  • If the gutter run requires two sections, overlap them by 8 inches and attach them using 3/8-inch self-tapping stainless steel screws or pop rivets in two rows of four each.

4. Secure the end caps

  • Attach a spherical end cover to the square-cut end of the gutter with aluminum pop rivets. (If the gutter does not round a corner, secure each end with an end cap.)
  • To do so, use a single sheet metal screw to temporarily hold the end cap in place, then drill a 1/8-inch-diameter hole and install one pop rivet (above).
  • Replacing the temporary screw with a rivet is the best option.
  • Seal the rivets and the end-cap seam on the inside of the gutter with a high-quality siliconized caulk to ensure a watertight bond.

5. Make holes for the downspouts

  • Mark the location of the downspout on the low end of the gutter with a downspout outlet.
  • To accomplish this, flip the gutter over and set the outlet on top.
  • Mark the downspout hole on the gutter by tracing around the inside of the outlet.
  • Drill a 14-inch-diameter hole through the circular outline's center.
  • Turn the gutter over and use a 4-inch-diameter hole saw chucked into a drill to cut the downspout hole (as shown). (You can alternatively cut the hole with a hammer and a cold chisel.)

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