Gutters on NH homes? (Tuftonboro: house, purchasing, contractors)

[dubstyle247]

We recently bought an older home in Tuftonboro NH. I understand that many homes do not utilize gutters due to the fact that the weight of the snow most likely pulls them down.
Our problem is that the old stone foundation immediately starts leaking rain water into the basement as soon as it begins to rain. We are planning to dig out along the foundation on the outside and install plastic and pea gravel to help the water drain away from the house. Im sure this will help but I doubt it will cure the problem completely. Gutters on the other hand would in fact fix the problem. Funny thing is, I dont think I have seen ANY homes in NH with gutters. Im sure this is for a reason! Any help, tips or advice? Thanks....

[BF66389]

We have gutters. I hear they encourage ice dams...

...they also protect the sides of your home from water damage.

Best bet is gutters with appropriate measures to prevent damage from ice dams (proper attic ventilation/insulation, ice/water shield under roofing, etc).

[Brave Stranger]

Forget the gutters......they will ruin your home that far up north. Dig around the foundation & lay gravel like you plan, but also put some PVC pipe under the ground to take water away from the foundation. Hiring a contractor who has done this properly would be a good idea.

[jthibodeau]

While you've excavated along the exterior of the foundation for your new drainage system, you may want to consider re-pointing the mortar joints of the exposed portion of the foundation wall.

[NH2008]

We have gutters and an old stone foundation that leaks if the gutters get clogged, but we are not as far north as you are. I would ask local contractors and handypeople what they recommend. Old stone foundations aren't watertight and it isn't necessarily the end of the world if you get water in the basement, as long as it has somewhere to go.

[dognh]

Gutters seem to only cause more harm than good:

Cost to install them.
Time to clean them out.
They encourage ice damns.

As long as you properly slope and prepare around your foundation you shouldn't have an issue with basement flooding.

the only place I can see using a gutter is a small are over a door way - they also sell metal water diverters for that as well

[GregW]

All of the above ideas are good. Gutters fill with ice in the winter and block water flow off the roof. If you do not have the time to install basemant drainage you can use plastic stapled to the foundation under the walls to direct runoff away from the foundation until a proper drainage system can be installed. Looks awful but usually works.

[dtkn]

No gutters are better in most cases. It will do more harm than help if not installed right and keeping up with maintenance.

[dubstyle247]

all sounds like good advice. looks like we will be digging along the foundation and will definitely look into repairing those joints with mortar.

the old house sat unoccupied for several years prior to us purchasing it and water in the basement caused some mold problems, etc for us but it seems that some simple fixes will keep the basement much much drier than it has been. we did have a drain pipe installed from the lowest point in the basement out under the foundation already. trenching on the outside and adding plastic and stone will be next and then we are going to add plastic to the basement floor with stone on top of that. thanks for the advice.

[rscalzo]

After reading this thread earlier in the week, it stuck in my head during a motorcycle riding up in the lakes area. As i was riding the back roads, I tried to observe the homes and noted few had gutters. so i guess the smart thing to do is leave them off.