When You Should Be Using Half Round Gutters vs. K-style for Your Home

Many homeowners tend to ignore the essentiality of gutters when it comes to maintaining their properties. Though it is understandable because gutters are unobtrusive parts of a house, they are actually significant in the sense that they help protect homes from water damage. You may think that gutters are only needed to prevent roof damage. If this is the case for you, you might be surprised to learn that gutters do more than that. Indeed, they help protect the foundation, exterior walls, and even the overall structure of your home. They do so by collecting rainwater from the roof and channeling it to the ground through the downspout. As long as the gutter system functions properly, you will be able to protect your home from flooding, moisture, and any other water damage.

In light of these, you can be confident that you should not neglect a gutter system to protect your property. However, even if you know that you should have a well-functioning gutter system, you may have no idea which type of it is the right one for your home. In that case, a little bit of help might guide you in the right direction. Two of the most popular gutters of today are K-style and Half round gutters. Most probably, you need one of these gutter systems for your home. Keep reading to learn which one should be your choice.

Why You Choose Half-Round Gutters

As having the shape of a half-circle, half round gutters resemble cut-in-half tubes. This type of gutter is primarily found in historic homes built before the 1950s, but they are still popular amongst homeowners who want to protect the original look and design of their houses while restoring them. Even their aesthetic appeal intrigues those who want to add some difference to their modernly designed homes. Still, it would be better to know that they are mostly perfect complements for older houses or restorations. 

Other than their rounded shape, half round gutters are also known for their fancy hangers. These hangers complement the overall aesthetic of half round gutters. Along with being a good option for aesthetic purposes, there are other reasons that make half round gutters preferable for homeowners. Here are the essential advantages of half round gutters:

Advantages

There are many benefits of half round gutters that captivate the homeowners. These include mainly the followings:

• Easy Cleaning: Since the inside of the gutter is not obstructed, cleaning the half round is easy. There are fewer hangers that block the use of cleaning tools. Commonly, there are not many inside hangers, and half round gutters are mainly complemented with exterior hangers that do not complicate the gutter cleaning. Besides, since these gutters do not have edges due to their rounded shape, you do not have to deal with caught debris on edges or sides.
• Efficient Water Flowing: Again, thanks to their smooth shape, half round gutters successfully allow efficient water flow. The rounded shape of the gutters reduces the risk of blockage through the pipes because of the gathered debris.
• Reduced Likelihood of Corrosion: In relation to the previous point, there is also less risk of corrosion because there are not many spaces that can cause water gathering. In this sense, it is easy to maintain adequately installed half round gutters.
• Aesthetic Appeal: Last but not least, as being the perfect option for homes with rounded rooflines, half round gutters present an old-world feeling to the overall design. With the complement of their hangers, half round gutters offer a historical aesthetic that makes them preferable for those who adore traditional design elements. 

Things to Consider

Before making your final decision about having half round gutters for your home, you should also be knowledgeable about the following points:

• Professional Installation: It would be better to know that help from a professional may be needed to install half round gutters because their slightly complicated design requires careful attention and competence.
• Costly Alternative: Since half round gutters installation requires technical knowledge, you should also budget for labor costs. Besides, the hangers you choose for your half-round gutters may increase the overall cost.
• Need for Half Round Gutter Guards: Independent from the type of gutters, you should have gutter guards to guarantee an efficient gutter system for your home. Since half round gutters have a unique design, the shield that will protect them from debris should be picked accordingly. In this sense, you will need half round gutter guards that help your gutters do their job correctly.

Why You Choose K-Style Gutters

Given their flat shape on the side, K-style gutters work best with angular designed roofs commonly found in modern houses. In this sense, the immediate answer to why K-style gutters are so popular is that they are the perfect choice for modern buildings that undoubtedly have rising popularity in today’s world.

Besides, along with coming in various lengths and sizes, you can easily find K-style gutters in both traditional and seamless styles. However, as half round gutters are more common in older houses, K-style gutters are rather preferable for modern ones. Other features of K-style gutters are as follows:

Advantages

Decide whether K-style gutters are better options for your home by reading their following features:

• Easy Installation: Since they are flat on the side that attaches to the home, the installation does not require more than some brackets and accessories. Besides, they can be nailed directly into the fascia board, making it possible for you to exclude professional installation if you are a DIY lover with some tool using skill and attention.
• Seamless Finish: K style gutters are more resilient to leaking because they provide a seamless finish, which makes them preferable options to avoid water damage.
• Accessible in Different Styles and Materials: Thanks to being so popular, the demand for K-style gutters increases day by day. In this regard, they are produced to meet different expectations. Therefore, you will be able to find K-style gutters in various sizes, styles, colors, and materials, which allows you to find the perfect fit for your home.
• Larger Water Capacity: Compared to half round or any other types of gutters, K-style gutters can hold more rainwater, which helps reduce overflowing.

Things to Consider

As it has been for half round gutters, there are also some regards to keep in mind for K-style gutters.

• Harder to Clean: Cleaning the K style gutters requires more effort and time because of having hangers and brackets on the side and the corners. Besides, debris and leaves get easily stuck in the corners, making blockage through the pipes more common.
• Susceptible to Corrosion: In relation to the previous point, the inside structure of K-style gutters makes them more prone to corrosion because the inside hangers, brackets, and edges can cause blockage in some areas.
• K-style Gutter Guards: To eliminate the mentioned disadvantages, you need to have flat gutter guards that suit your K-style gutters. Accordingly, you may ensure that neither the gutter system nor the property is damaged because of the blockage or overflowing. Hence, having a suited gutter guard for both types will reduce the risk of facing problems.

Now that you have all the information you need about half round and K-style gutters, you can give a reasonable answer to the question: Are half round gutters better than K-style, or the other way around? For sure, no one will decide this other than you and your household. But still, it would be helpful to remember the tip that has already been shared: If you have a traditionally built house, half round gutters with their unique appearance are better options for you. If, on the other hand, you live in a modern house, you can be sure that you will have many alternatives for K style gutters amongst which you can find the perfect fit for your home.

You may also get help from the following blog post to finalize your decision:

How to Choose Gutter Colors

5 inch and 6 inch Gutter Guards

5 Reasons to Install Gutter Guards

Types of Gutter Guards