Why do we have gutters?

What is the purpose of gutters? We see them on all houses around greater Vancouver, but is there really a purpose to these gutters? They seem more like a hassle than a benefit, they fill up with dirt then you have to get them cleaned every year, they break then you have to fix them, you have to pay to replace them every 15 years, the list goes on with the different maintenance costs that you have to spend to upkeep these gutters!! It almost seems like an unnecessary expense. 

To know the importance of gutters we first need to go back to the beginning of gutters, after all, how are we suppose to know the importance of gutters when all houses in greater Vancouver have gutters? We do not know how life was like without gutters.

In 27BC the Romans use to use rain gutters but it was not the same as the gutters we use today. The gutters we have today are gutters on houses the gutters in ancient Roman times were in the roads. There would be big gutters inroads to help stop the roads from flooding.  They also used the gutters to collect rainwater to use for drinking water.

Roman Gutters

Just like British Columbia, Brittan gets a lot of rain so it would be expected our BC older sister was the first Country to start putting gutters on houses. The Romans brought the idea in installing gutters on buildings to help direct the rain away from the houses.  The gutters were mainly put on churches and bigger buildings in the begging. The buildings roofs were built out of cement so they would carve out sections on the roof for the water to flow. Eventually, gutters started to be put on peoples homes, but they were not the same popular gutters style used today.  When people first started putting gutters on houses the gutters were made out of wood.

Back in the day wood gutter sample 

Wood can be expensive and sometimes not as efficient so over time people started using a different material to build gutters. Around 1536 they started making lead gutters than almost 200 years later people started using cast iron material for gutters.

So why do we need gutters?

The reason why gutters were built was to drive rain away from peoples homes. If there were no gutters than gutters would seep into your home and cause damage to your walls and flooring in your home. Not to mention the uncomfortable situation entering your home and water pouring over your head every time.

It might be a pain to a small dent in your pocket for every time you need to clean your gutters or repair your gutters, but the dent in your pocket if you did not have gutters is even larger. 

There is one company that offers gutters cleaning in the Greater Vancouver area that is affordable and efficient Quick Sidekick if you are needing a quote for your home gutter cleaning call 604-343-5763.