How to Install a Gutter

Nov 25, 2011
Robin Gonyo

Rain gutters protect your roof. - capl@washjeff.edu

Save the cost of hiring a professional to install your gutters. This article will show you step-by-step how to do it yourself.

Things You'll Need

Tape measure
Chalk line
Gutter brackets
Level
Drill
1/8-inch drill bit
2-inch lag screws
Sheet metal screws
Tin snips
Hacksaw
End caps
Silicone caulk
Caulk gun
Downspout outlet
1/4-inch drill bit
1-inch machine screw
Nuts
Aluminum
Downspout elbows
Straight downspout piece
Downspout straps

Introduction

Gutters play a crucial role in protecting your home's roof, walls and basement from water damage. Gutters collect rain as it runs off the roof. They are intended to carry water down from the roof and away from the home's foundation. Flooding in a home's basement can occur when gutters are installed improperly. Installing gutters can be time-consuming. However, with patience and detail, installing a gutter system right will protect your home.

Step 1

Measure the length of the home from end to end where the gutter is being installed so you know how much gutter material will be needed. Determine an end where the gutter's drain spout will be placed. On the opposite end, place a mark 1-1/4-inches down from the roof on the home's fascia. The fascia is the portion of the home directly beneath the eave where the gutter will hang. This mark indicates the height where the gutter begins under the eave.

Step 2

Measure 1-1/4 inches down from the roof at the end where the downspout will be placed. Add half an inch to this measurement for every 10 feet of gutter being installed. For example, if a home is 40 feet long, add 2 inches to 1-1/4 inches for 3-1/4 inches. Place a mark at 3-1/4 inches. The slight slope drains water toward the downspout.

Step 3

Run a chalk line between the two marks on either end of the house's fascia. Snap the chalk line. This indicates the slope the gutter will take. Look along the chalk line for nail heads. Nail heads are visible every 16 inches, to indicate the home's rafter tails.

Step 4

Install a gutter bracket on every other rafter tail, approximately every 32 inches. Hold a gutter bracket on the first rafter tail with the chalk line running through the top screw hole. Hold a level against the bracket's side to ensure it's straight. Mark the bracket's screw holes and set it aside. Drill 1/8-inch pilot holes through the marks. Line up the bracket and pilot holes. Secure the bracket in place with 2-inch lag screws. Continue across the home's fascia, following the chalk line's slope.

Step 5

Measure the length you need onto a gutter piece. Attach two gutter pieces together by overlapping them by 8 inches and securing them with sheet metal screws. Cut the gutter using a tin snips or hacksaw. If the gutter turns a corner, cut that end at a 45 degree angle.

Step 6

Attach an end cap to each end of gutter which does not turn a corner. Secure the end cap in place with either pop rivets or sheet metal screws. Run a bead of silicone caulk along the joints joining gutter pieces and end caps.

Step 7

Turn the gutter upside down. Place a downspout outlet on the gutter's bottom. This gutter piece is to be installed on the downspout end of the house. Use a marker to trace the outlet. Drill a 1/4-inch hole through the tracing's center. Cut the hole out using a tin snips.

Step 8

Ask a friend to help you lift the gutter up to the installed brackets. Gently lower the gutter onto the brackets. Secure the gutter to each bracket with a 1-inch machine screw and nut.

Step 9

Cut a 3 inch wide strip of aluminum for each corner the gutter wraps around. Make the strip long enough to wrap around the gutter's underside. Place the strip underneath the gutter's corner seam and secure it in place with sheet metal screws. Cut a triangle from the extending top portion of the strip and fold the flaps into the gutter.

Step 10

Push the downspout outlet into the hole you cut out in Step 7. Secure it in place with sheet metal screws. Use downspout elbows to guide the downspout towards the home so it can be mounted to the siding. Secure the outlet and elbows together with sheet metal screws.

Step 11

Place a straight downspout onto the bottom elbow. Place downspout straps around the straight piece, one near the top and one near the bottom. If your house is two-stories, add a third strap in the center. Secure the straps in place with lag screws.

Robin Gonyo - Robin Gonyo has been writing for several years now. She has a deep love for gardening and has spent a vast amount of time researching that ...