DIY Guide: How to Install Rain Gutters

If you need to have rain gutters installed on your house, this is a good project for the average do-it-yourselfer. Depending on the complexity of the house and the ladder work, it may be a bit tricky, so be sure to judge the project accordingly. You should be able to complete a gutter project over a weekend.

Measuring the house for rain gutters

The first thing you will need to do is to measure how much material you will need. Measure the fascia around the area that you will be installing rain gutters. Then measure how much downspout you will need to get to the ground and how far away you want the water from your house. If you have soffits, be sure to take into account how much you will need to bend in the downspout so you can secure it to the house. Keep track of how many corners, downspouts, joints and connectors you will need.

Preparing the Fascia for the rain gutter installation

When preparing the fascia for the gutters, you will want to check for rotting wood or any other repair that needs to be done. Paint any unprotected areas of the wood before applying the gutters. The gutter will need a solid place to hang.

Snap a chalk line where your gutters will run, angling down toward your downspouts. Depending on your fascia, you will want to be an inch or two lower than your roof's drip edge. Start the highest point of the gutter away from where the downspout is going to end up. Measure about ½ an inch down for every 10 feet as you move toward the downspout. You can do this with a line level or just measure ½ an inch every 10 feet and snap the chalk line. This will allow the gutters to drain the water toward the main downspouts.

Installing the Gutters

The next step is to add the gutter hangers. When positioning the gutter hangers, a good practice is to have them about every two feet of gutter and 4-6 inches from the ends of the rain gutter. The hangers I used to attach my gutters required that I screw them into the fascia first, then snap the gutters into the U shaped bracket. I used a PVC gutter system so I attached the hangers first, then just snapped in the gutters. You can also get the same bracket option with other materials such as aluminum or steel.

You can buy prefabricated corners and downspouts from your local home improvement store to make your job a bit easier. Install the corners first so you have a good frame of reference, since they can't really be changed. Measure how much gutter you need to connect the two, and then plan out the long runs of gutter accordingly. Cut the rain gutters to the length you need. Depending on the material you are using, you can use tin snips, a hack saw or power miter saw to make your cuts.

Finally, don't forget to use a silicone caulk to seal any holes or connection joints. Install and attach the downspouts to the house, and then enjoy a dryer basement.

For more detailed information, check out these sites listed below.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,442134,00.html

www.rainguttertips.com