Why Do Beach Houses Not Have Gutters?

If you have ever driven around certain communities, you should have noticed that most houses have gutters. Some houses, however, do not. Someone may have told you before that beach houses do not require gutters, but that is not necessarily true. After hearing this, you may have wondered, why do beach houses not have gutters, if true?

Beach houses are like any other houses regarding gutters: some of them have gutters, some of them do not. If you have a beach house that is not subjected to a lot of rainfall or has other properties that direct the water away from your house, they do not necessarily require gutters.

The fact that your house is located at the beach is not the main factor that determines whether or not it will have gutters. So, what are the factors that influence whether or not your house, beach or not, will have gutters? Are there any advantages to making sure that your house has gutters, whether it came with it or not? We investigate these questions below.

Why Do Beach Houses Not Have Gutters?

Before we start explaining why (some) beach houses do not have gutters, let us explore why some houses, in general, do not require gutters. Thereafter, we can use this information and apply it to beach houses to determine why beach houses – or some beach houses – do not have gutters.

When Do Houses Not Require Gutters?

Some homes do not require gutters, regardless of their location. There are numerous reasons why gutters do not have to be installed at your home.

If your house is located in a region that does not experience rainfall or snow that often, or experiences rainfall or snow in negligible volumes when it does occur, your home probably does not require a gutter. Since gutters are designed to protect your home from water damage, there will be no point in having gutters if you experience barely noticeable volumes or no rainfall or snow at all.

If a house has existed for a long period of time without any gutters and there is no visible damage or any reports of water damage, some deem it a reasonable assumption that the home does not require gutters. This is, prima facie, reasonable to assume, but it is better to take extra precautions and back the assumption up with proper inspections of the house.

If your house is located in a property where the ground slopes, there is a higher probability that your house will not need any gutters. This is because, for obvious reasons, the water will not lead to large pools of water in your yard but will flow away down the slope. The slope itself will function as a roof that directs water away.

If you have a long roof overhang on your house or any other type of extension, you may be in luck and do not require a gutter. This is because the overhang or extension ensures that the water that runs off of your rooftop is a significant distance from the foundation of the house. This ensures the safety of the foundation of your home and protects it against water damage.

Some houses have rain diverters installed. If these rain diverters are effective, they will divert water away from the house to ensure that no water damage takes place from the rain. Accordingly, these diverters already fulfill the function of a gutter and, thus, you will not require a gutter.

If you have a house that has a concrete or gravel apron or has a lot of stone that surrounds it, and it has a lot of drainage to support it, then your house would not need gutters.

How Does This Apply To Beach Houses?

Now that we have ascertained when it is possible to build a house without any gutters, let us apply this logic to beach houses.

It is clear that whether or not your house is located at the beach is not the only factor that determines if your beach house should have gutters – some beach houses may have gutters; others do not.

Furthermore, some beach houses that do not have gutters ought to, and some beach houses that do possess gutters are not really necessary.

If your beach house is located in a place where there is little, if any, rainfall or snow, chances are that you do not have to install gutters on your beach house. Accordingly, if you decide to build a beach house in certain spots in California, you will not have a lot of rainfall and, thus, probably do not have to invest in building gutters for your beach house.

The other reasons listed in the previous section are also indicative of whether or not gutters will have been installed in your beach house. If your beach house is located on a steep slope, has a large roof overhang, has a concrete foundation with a lot of drainage, or has a diverter installed, your beach house may or may not come with gutters.

What Factor Does The Fact That It Is A Beach House Play?

We have determined which factors play a role in whether or not your house requires gutters. There is no rule that states that beach houses do not come with or without gutters – it all depends on the surrounding circumstances.

Some have reported that they have seen houses in the state of Florida that do not have gutters. That said, no reasons were provided as to why this is. It is definitely not because some of these houses may be beach houses. Some speculate it might have been to cut down on costs of building the houses or pure negligence.

Why Are The Advantages For A Beach House To Have Gutters?

We have now looked at some factors that influence whether or not you require gutters. Now, we take a look at why you would, in fact, want to have gutters installed on your house – beach house or not.

If your house is built to code, it should be on a slope such that it guides water away from the foundation of the house. If you do not have a gutter, the water that falls down on your soil will wash the soil away as time goes on. Accordingly, to prevent the erosion of your sloped landscape, gutters help keep it intact.

If you have a house where you planted garden beds next to it, you are going to find it very beneficial to have gutters installed. If your sloped landscape starts to erode due to all the rainfall distorting your landscape, it may even wash your garden away. The gutter will keep your soil, as well as your garden, intact.

Furthermore, a gutter will also help guide the water away from the garden beds that are located close to your house, which will prevent your flower beds from drowning.

If the rainfall surrounding your house carries things such as dirt, leaves, or other miscellaneous particles down your house’s siding, it can result in staining. This will make your home look less aesthetic. In the short term, this is not that big of a deal, but over time it can result in your siding starting to rot – especially if you have siding made of wood.

Gutters will prevent this and ensure that your house is well kept and maintained and does not lose its aesthetic to water damage.

Since gutters direct water away from your house, they can help with the prevention of mosquito infestations. This is because mosquitos are attracted to standing water, which will be present if you have no system that channels the water.

If your house is made of wood, rainfall can cause a lot of damage to your home if the water is not directed away from the wood. If the water is in contact with the wooden frame of your house for long periods, it can result in the staining and degradation of the wood. Thus, gutters are especially useful for wooden houses.

Conclusion

Some beach houses may come without gutters, but that is not simply because they are beach houses. Whether or not you have gutters comes down to the fact of whether your house has any means to direct water away from it to prevent water damage to the house or its surroundings.

Some houses do not require gutters due to other water diverting characteristics, but, as we have shown above, it is advisable to always have gutters installed in your house – whether it’s a beach house or not.

References

Chrissie Smuts

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