Protection First and foremost, gutters protect your home, saving you from costly repairs and a wide range of problems. Water can cause damage to your roof, siding, doors, windows, and foundation. Wood rots when there’s prolonged exposure to moisture. Keeps You Dry
Because gutters catch the water that’s coming off the roof, you stay dry when walking under the overhang. If you’re trying to unlock your door in the pouring rain, you won’t have to deal with the water that pours off the roofline. Nasty, smelly water, might we add.
Prevents Flooding
When you install your gutters properly so that the drain spouts point away from your house, you’re reducing the amount of water that can collect around your foundation.
If you don’t have gutters, all the water that comes off the roof falls directly onto the ground, causing soil erosion (holes). During heavy rains, water can pool up and seep through the foundation, getting under the house and causing problems. It can also cause flooding in basements.
Keeps Things Clean
When water splashes against your house from splattering on the ground, it can cause mud stains and leave behind other residues. And when water comes from the roof down the side of your house, it can track dirt, tar, and other harmful chemicals onto your siding.
When you have gutters, there’s no roof drainage onto the side of your house. And drainage spouts prevent water from splashing on the ground. Gutters keep the outside (and inside, since there’s less mud) of your home clean so you don’t spend as much time washing.
Why Your House Might Not Have Gutters (3 Reasons)
Some homes may not have gutters attached to their rooflines. There are three common reasons why your house might not have gutters. But there are plenty of other reasons that might not be on this list.
Climate – homes built in arid climates where there’s little rain usually don’t have gutters because there’s no real need. Locations like Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico are common non-gutter places.
Steep roof – If your house has a sharp steep pitch and a wide overhang, you have less need for gutters because the roof angles ensure water doesn’t collect. The overhang may keep you dry and shed some water away from the foundation. But the water can still damage your landscape and cause erosion surrounding your home.
Older homes – Gutters are more common now than decades ago. There may not be gutters to be historically accurate in homes built more than 75 to 100 years ago.
Check out more on this at http://www.thehomesimple.com/why-do-houses-have-gutters/