Gutter Installation in Wichita, KS

What gutters actually do for a Kansas house

A gutter system has one job: catch the water that sheets off the roof and move it somewhere harmless. That sounds minor until you work out the volume. Every inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof is roughly 620 gallons of water, and Wichita averages a little over 34 inches of precipitation a year, most of it in the warmer months (Wikipedia: Wichita, Kansas (climate)). Without gutters, that water drops straight off the eaves in a line, splashes mud onto siding, digs a trench in the flower beds and soaks the soil right against the foundation.

Soil around many Wichita-area homes is clay that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. The building code recognizes the risk: the International Residential Code, adopted with local amendments in Wichita and Sedgwick County (Wichita-Sedgwick County Unified Building and Trade Code (2018 IRC adoption and permit exemptions)), says that where expansive or collapsible soils are known to exist, roof drainage must be collected and discharged at least 5 feet from foundation walls or into an approved drainage system (ICC, 2018 International Residential Code, Section R801.3 roof drainage). Gutters and downspouts are the usual way to do that.

Signs a house needs new gutters, not just a cleaning

• There are no gutters at all, or only over the front door, and you see erosion lines in the soil under the eaves.
• Water pours over the front edge even when the gutters are clean, which usually means the gutter is undersized, pitched wrong or short on downspouts.
• Seams leak at every joint on an old sectional system, and resealing has stopped working.
• Sections sag or pull away from the fascia, often because spikes have worked loose or the wood behind them has rotted.
• Hail has dented or crushed long runs, or a storm tore a section down.
• You are re-roofing or re-siding and the old gutters have to come off anyway.

If only one or two of those apply to a short run, a gutter repair may be enough. When several apply around the house, see gutter replacement.

How a gutter installation works, step by step

1. Measure the roof edges and the drainage areas. The installer measures every eave run, notes valleys where two roof planes dump water into one corner, and looks at roof pitch. Steep roofs push water faster and farther, which matters at valleys.
2. Choose the size and profile. Most homes use 5-inch K-style gutters; large roofs, steep pitches and long runs often call for 6-inch gutters with bigger downspouts (HomeGuide, gutter installation cost). See 5-inch vs. 6-inch gutters.
3. Check the fascia. Gutters hang on the fascia board, so soft or rotted fascia has to be fixed first. See fascia and soffit behind gutters.
4. Plan downspout locations. Downspouts go where the water can be carried away from the foundation, not where they happen to be convenient. Corners, valleys and long runs need attention.
5. Form the gutter. Seamless aluminum gutters are roll-formed from coil on site, cut to the exact length of each run, so the only joints are at corners and end caps. See seamless gutters.
6. Hang and pitch. Hidden hangers are screwed through the gutter into the fascia (and ideally into rafter tails) at regular spacing, with the gutter sloped toward each outlet.
7. Seal corners and outlets, attach downspouts and extensions. Mitered corners and end caps are sealed, outlets are cut, and downspouts are strapped to the wall with an elbow and an extension or splash block at the bottom.
8. Test with water. Running a hose at the high end of each run shows whether the pitch and outlets work before the job is called done.

Pitch, hangers and the details that separate a good job from a bad one

Two gutter systems can look identical from the street and perform completely differently in a Kansas thunderstorm. The difference is almost always in details you cannot see from the driveway:

• Slope. A gutter needs a steady fall toward each downspout so water does not sit in it. Too little slope leaves standing water, mosquitoes and debris; too much looks crooked along the fascia. Long runs are often pitched from the middle toward a downspout at each end.
• Hanger type and spacing. Hidden hangers screwed into solid wood hold far better than the old spike-and-ferrule method, which loosens over years of freeze and thaw. Closer spacing helps where snow, ice or ladders load the gutter.
• Drip edge and flashing. The roof's drip edge should lap into the back of the gutter so water cannot run behind it and rot the fascia.
• Downspout count and size. Too few outlets are the most common reason a correctly sized gutter overflows. Bigger downspouts carry more water and clog less often.
• Valleys. Where two roof planes meet, water hits the gutter hard enough to shoot over it. Diverters or a larger gutter at that spot help.
• Material thickness. Contractors commonly use 0.027-inch or 0.032-inch aluminum for residential gutters, and thinner material dents and sags more easily (Angi, how to choose gutter gauge). See aluminum gutters.

Choosing a material

For most Wichita-area homes the choice is seamless aluminum in a color that matches the trim. Steel is heavier and stiffer, and copper is a long-lived premium option for historic homes and accent areas. Vinyl sectional gutters are sold at home centers for do-it-yourself installs but are less common on professionally installed systems. Each has trade-offs in hail resistance, lifespan, look and price:

• Aluminum gutters: light, rust-resistant, many colors, the usual seamless choice.
• Steel and Galvalume gutters: stiffer and more dent-resistant, heavier, must be protected from rust.
• Copper and half-round gutters: very long lived, develops a patina, needs compatible fasteners.

Gutters on garages, shops and additions

Detached garages, pole barns and shops around Wichita often go years without gutters, and the water they shed ends up in the driveway, against a slab or in a neighbor's yard. Metal-roofed buildings shed water and snow fast, so the gutter size, hanger strength and position relative to the roof edge matter more than on a shingled house. Snow sliding off a steel roof can tear a gutter loose if it sits in the slide path. Additions are another common job: the new roof line needs gutters that tie into or match the existing system, which is easier when the color and profile are still available.

Questions to ask before you sign

• What size and thickness of gutter, and what size downspouts?
• How many downspouts, and where will each one discharge?
• What hangers, at what spacing, fastened into what?
• Is removal and disposal of the old gutters included?
• How will rotted fascia be handled and priced if it turns up?
• Are extensions, splash blocks or underground drain connections included?
• What warranty applies to the material, and what written warranty covers the workmanship?

The guide to comparing gutter estimates walks through each of these.

Requesting an estimate

Send the short form with your town, the type of project and anything worth knowing, like a problem corner, large trees or a recent storm. We'll call you back to talk it through. A gutter estimate usually involves measuring the eaves and looking at the roof, fascia and grading, so photos of the problem areas taken from the ground are helpful.

What does it cost? See published national ranges for gutter installation in the gutter cost guide. They are general industry estimates, not quotes.

Related guides

• How to Compare Gutter Estimates in Wichita
• Seamless vs. Sectional Gutters: Which Should You Choose?
• Where Should Gutters and Downspouts Be Placed?
• Can I Install Gutters Myself? What DIY Really Involves
• Alternatives to Gutters: What Works and What Does Not
• Downspout Drainage Options: Extensions, Buried Lines, French Drains and Rain Barrels