Does Your Home Need 6-inch Oversized or 5-inch Standard Gutters?

If you’re confused about whether you need 6″ oversized or 5” standard gutters for your Westchester home, you’re not alone. Many larger homes in our area require oversized or specialty gutters.

Here at George’s Seamless Gutters, this is a very common question we get from our clients and it is important to understand and take a moment to discuss before a gutter installation begins.

Technically, 5″ gutters are considered to be the common, standard size for residential gutters, but many homeowners are choosing 6″ gutters instead.

Does the size really make a difference? Well, yes. Although they’re only an inch larger, 6″ seamless gutters can handle 40% more water at a time, and the oversized downspout can handle larger debris passing through it.

You may be wondering if the extra inch of the gutter is worth it, though. Many factors come into play when determining if you need larger gutters, but the most basic information we consider is your roof. It may seem obvious, but a larger roof needs larger gutters. We recommend using a gutter guide to help assess your roof volume. Of course, you can always call us – we are here happy to help!

Not only does the size of your roof matter, but the pitch of your roof is vital to determining whether you need 5″ or 6″ gutters on your home. A steeper pitch allows water to run down faster, which would benefit from a larger gutter. Metal roofs have faster water runoff than asphalt roofs, so we recommend a larger gutter with metal roofs.

Consider the roof lines of your home. Some Westchester homes may have more complex shapes, and valleys that will collect more water at one time, so an oversized gutter would keep your gutters from overflowing in that part of the system.

We always recommend a 6″ oversized gutter when the gutter is over 40 feet long with only 1 downspout. When upper gutters drain into lower gutters, we recommend the lower gutters be upgraded to the larger size.

Sure, gutters do come in even larger sizes, as high as 8″, but it can look bulky on a residential home and is more commonly used on commercial or industrial buildings.

If you think that an oversized 6″ gutter is right for your Westchester home, give George’s Seamless Gutters a call today for a free consultation.

Often, gutter flow problems are caused by style, poor pitch or other problems, and you won’t need to upgrade in size at all. We will always give you our honest opinion about what we think you’ll need, and we only recommend larger gutters when your roof requires them.

We will be happy to hear from you!