Alternatives to gutters? (foundation, drains, best, rated)

[monkeygorilla]

Our house is modern in styling...lots of clean lines & sloped roofs. There are no gutters...an aesthetic decision according to the previous owners. Do we need to put on gutters? Everyone tells us we should but honestly I like the way the house looks without them. What options do we have?

[sean98125]

French drains along the drip line to direct water away from your foundation.

Gutters are the best way to protect your foundation, though. It might look better without them, but you house won't look so hot when part of it is sagging because the ground under the foundation got saturated.

[Srib]

I think you would be fine with french drains set up with water directed away from your house. Add to it some well-placed landscaping to further disperse any water and I think thats a good set up. Gutters are only effective if properly maintained and most people don't maintain them.

[cdelena]

It depends upon where you live and what kind of foundation you have... some places have gentle rains, some have heavy rain... some foundations/soil/drainage need to channel water away and some don't need it as much. No stock answer but I would bet in the US that generally homes do better with gutters.

[gentlearts]

I second cdelena. If you live in an area with very sandy soil, gutters are probably not needed, but you really need to find out what is going to happen to the run off before you have consequences to your foundation.