While many people might not give a second thought to the type of gutting they put on their home, it can have a surprisingly profound effect on the appearance of your abode.
Choosing guttering that is in keeping with your home’s aesthetic could not only make its appearance feel more tied together but also boost your property’s kerb appeal.
It’s important, too, to pick a reliable supplier and installer for your guttering, as this feature carries out a very important function to keep your home free of floods and water damage.
uPVC guttering
As with both aluminium and vinyl guttering, uPVC has lightness and affordability on its side. It also won’t corrode, which is important if you live near the sea.
High levels of sodium in the air and water will start to erode away at aluminium, which is not ideal if you want to keep costs down.
As with many other plastic-based materials, you also have a choice of colour on your side too.
You can pick browns, blacks, greys, and whites, which is perfect if you are looking to match your windows to your guttering.
The best guttering for your home will depend on cost, the lightness, and endurance of the material and, of course, the colour you want.
Most guttering materials come in a wide variety of colours, so if you want to match your guttering to make sure it stays relatively invisible, you shouldn’t be limited in terms of choice.
What you will need to be careful of, however, is plastic guttering’s tendency to crack in cold climates. Equally, you don’t want to pick aluminium if you live near the sea.
Vinyl guttering
Vinyl guttering is a bit like uPVC windows in terms of its rise in popularity. Vinyl gutters are ideal for those who want a simple and easy installation, and an added benefit is that they won’t start to rust after years of rain.
If you live in a modern-build, these may match the colour-scheme of your home most effectively. They often come in white and black, which are pretty universal in terms of matching with other features.
If you have white double-glazing, for example, this will match them perfectly.
If you are going to choose white, be sure to give the fascias and panelling a bit of clean, or hire someone to do this for you.
Brilliant white will stick out like a sore thumb if your house is looking a bit worse for wear and is due a paint-job.
Aluminium
Aluminium is a bit of a wonder product when it comes to home construction. Not only does it not rust, but it’s also just as lightweight and easy to install as vinyl guttering.
Again, in terms of colour, aluminium gutters tend to be quite dark and neutral and relatively unobtrusive too.
If you’re not too fussed about a colour and want it to sink into the background, aluminium might be your best bet. It also has one upper-hand over vinyl, in that it will never crack in the colder months.