A Homeowner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Gutter Material

A Homeowner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Gutter Material
From paint colors to flower beds, homeowners have lots of decisions to make when it comes to a home’s exterior. If you want to ensure that the outside of your home is in top condition, you’ll want to pay attention to your gutters. Even though they may not be the most exciting feature of your home, they work hard to make sure that your roof and foundation stay safe and dry. In this guide, you’ll learn more about why your gutters matter, when they should be replaced, and what your gutter material options are.

The Purpose of Gutters

While often overlooked, gutters are actually a key element in protecting your home. When working properly, gutters effectively carry water away from your house and prevent:

  • foundation damage
  • mold and mildew
  • roof leaks
  • siding rot
  • soil erosion
  • pooling garden beds

Ineffective, worn gutters need to be replaced so that you can protect your home from water damage. If your gutters have cracks, holes, leaks or have outlasted their 15 year lifespan, it’s time for you to look into gutter replacement options. So, what is the best gutter material? That’s for you to decide!

Types of Gutters

Choosing the best type of gutter material for your home depends on a few factors—budget, climate, aesthetics, and installation method are all things to consider when it comes to picking your gutter material.  Read on to learn about each option so you can confidently select the right gutters for your home.

Aluminum Gutters

Aluminum gutters are the most popular choice for homeowners. Because they are affordable and lightweight, they are easy to install and can be done DIY. They are also weather-proof and resist corrosion and rusting, giving them a fairly long lifespan before needing to be replaced. Aluminum gutters also come in a wide range of colors to match your existing siding.

Galvanized Steel Gutters

There are 2 types of steel gutters. Galvanized steel gutters are coated with zinc to make them rust-proof and they are strong and durable due to their metal make up.

Stainless Steel Gutters

Stainless steel gutters are coated with a layer of steel and chromium to resist rust and corrosion. This option is more expensive than galvanized steel and is slightly more durable. Both steel options are heavy and require welding to install.

Copper Gutters

From an aesthetic standpoint, copper gutters are a fan favorite. Copper gutters are the most expensive option, but are upscale, attractive, and have the longest lifespan. If you have the budget, they are a worthwhile investment because they won’t need to be replaced often.

Vinyl Gutters

If you’re looking for a cheap and easy option, vinyl is the right choice. Although not as durable, vinyl gutters come in a wide color range, are the most affordable option, and are great for DIY installation. They don’t hold up well in extreme weather conditions and last longest in mild climates.

Don’t wait until water damage becomes a problem—replacing your worn gutters is a necessary project that prevents you from dealing with larger home issues down the road. With a variety of options, you can choose the perfect material for your budget and needs to keep your home and family dry.

Ready to replace your gutters?

One of our professional installers would love to walk through the process with you! Contact us today to have our signature high-capacity Weather Defender Rain Gutters installed on your home. Give us a call at 317-243-7140 or fill out this contact form.

Recent Posts

Other Posts

Maximizing Energy Efficiency with Double Hung Replacement Windows

Maximizing Energy Efficiency with Double Hung Replacement Windows

In today’s world, where sustainability and energy efficiency have become crucial, every homeowner is constantly on the lookout for innovative ways to reduce energy consumption and save money. If you’re seeking to enhance your home’s energy efficiency, one excellent solution
Read More
How Doors Can Enhance Your Home’s Aesthetics

How Doors Can Enhance Your Home’s Aesthetics

When considering making home updates, front door replacement is not usually at the top of the list. Typically, once a person walks through the door, it is forgotten in favor of the other design elements in the house. The front
Read More
10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Roofing Contractor in Indianapolis

10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Roofing Contractor in Indianapolis

When it comes to hiring a roofing contractor for your Indianapolis home, it’s crucial to choose a reliable and experienced professional. With so many local roofing companies and residential roofers to choose from, it can be overwhelming to make the
Read More

What Our Clients Say

Customer Reviews

Seven years ago we had you install 14 windows ni our home and we loved them. We had 4 newer windows at the time and decided that we would not replace them. Over time those inferior windows that were bought at a local store began to fail and the room became drafty and cold. So we called you again and had you replace those 4 windows along with 2 windows ni the garage. We are so happy with the new windows. They look so great and are so easy to clean. We were so happy with al of the people that help to get our windows. They were al very friendly and helpful. They are excellent windows and worth every penny that we spent. The installation was great! Thanks again for doing another great job on our windows. Sincerely, John and Marian Dykes
John and Marian Dykes
I just wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to every single employee at White Oak Construction. Without exaggeration, every single person I dealt with from your company took the time to get to know me as a person and allow me to get to know them, and their families/lives - who they are. I’ve seen a lot in my 64 years on this earth, but I’ve never seen the likes of the quality of your people and workmanship.
Crystal Miller
We were trying to get someone to replace some of our rotted cedar siding and paint it. After wasting many months waiting on another company, we were contacted by White Oak Construction. White Oak suggested we replace our siding with vinyl, eliminating the need for any future cedar siding replacement and replacement. By this time, we were ready to be done with our cedar siding! However, we had one request. The key feature of our original siding was that it ad been installed at various angles, in some cases vertically, and we wanted it to be installed at the same angles — and they agreed! We were told it could take 8-10 weeks, but they were finished in 6. The White Oak crew showed up every morning ready to work, and were willing to accommodate our needs for access to the property. They had to work very hard at duplicating the angles, which was not an easy task! They did a beautiful job. We've had people walk by and compliment what we are doing, the siding being the most important element. In addition, we've had several storms come through our area and it hasn't affected the siding whatsoever.
Thank you, White Oak Construction, for taking the time to thoroughly going over your product with us and delivering a great result!
Harding and Carol Kennedy
I would like to thank all of the people involved in this. I had my roof replaced and the entire process was smooth and well done. The job was done to my satisfaction and very high quality. The entire job took less than half of the time I expected and the quality of the work is outstanding. I would recommend calling this company for roof repair or replacement to anyone that needs the work done.
Robert Brooking
Would like to say thank you for putting my front window in my house. I have had several compliments on how good it looks! They were quick and thorough. Went right to work and didn’t stop until they were done. Cleaned up so well it did not look like they had even been here.
Connie Wayren
On August 18th our new door was delivered and installed. It is so beautiful! I could not have imagined how great it was going to look. It changes the look of the entire house and has such a nice tight seal. Scott, the young man who installed it, is beyond words. What great work. Installed and cleaned up in a couple hours. Our salesman Rob was top notch also. He helped me pick the color for the door and I want him to know how perfect it was. I feel that I have the most beautiful front door in town. This is the second time we have used White Oak Construction and I promise you if you need work done they do quality work and use quality products. They are better than all the rest.
Matt and Mariellen Tipton
We are so happy with our new windows from White Oak Construction! From the sales team to the installation technician, everyone was so quick to help us in this process. Not only are the windows of excellent quality, the installation was very fast. We are so happy with our windows and we look forward to working with White Oak again in the future! Thank you everyone!
Allie Bland
On October 6, 2020, I had three of the six windows in my house replaced by White Oak Construction. The windows I had replaced are in the front room of my house. Two of the windows face the east and one faces the north. The two that face the east were originally double hung windows and were replaced with an encasement window with a tint to it. The tint reflects the sunlight which has helped to keep the front room from getting too warm. The other window was a double hung window replaced with another double hung window. This window has a half screen which allows me to open it from the top or bottom. This feature is very beneficial to me as I have a large dog. The old windows were twenty years old and leaking a lot of air. The front window was about to fall out because they had come loose from the frame of the house.
Victoria Irwin
White Oak Construction gave me a free estimate of my roof and siding and found that I needed drip edge installed on my roof. The two gentlemen showed me what my roof looked like, what it should look like, and why it was needed. The installers who did the work did an excellent job, they were able to complete it in one day and showed me the work. Very well done! I would definitely do work with them in the future if I have other needs.
Jonathan OCain
Thank you for working with us to install 6 new replacement windows. The people that we interacted with from the sales team through installation were great, both helpful and friendly. We had 8 windows replaced by White Oak Construction a couple of years ago and when we needed these windows replaced, we knew that they would do a good job and give us the kind of quality windows we wanted at a reasonable price.
Ben Mertz
Read All Testimonials
attractive & secure front entry doors in central indiana
White Oak Construction 3
White Oak Construction 4
Spin to Win