A roof serves to defend your home from damage and keep water out. However, your roofing system is not the only thing protecting your home. Gutter systems are equally responsible for protecting your home. Here’s why gutter and roofing work best together and why every house needs gutters to maintain its safety and quality over time.

Gutters Redirect Water Away From Your Roof

Part of the reason roofs have slopes is so rainwater will slide down onto your landscape or hardscape. Without gutters, the rain will collect in the same area every time it rains. Over time, this can cause damage to your landscapes, creating little channels and low spots. Your home’s siding, trim, and lower roof edge stay wet longer and eventually lead to wood rot. Rain will also find its way into cracks, joints, or pathways into your home’s crawl space or basement.

With a gutter system, at the roof’s edge, rainwater is caught. Rainwater has a path to follow, and it’s led through downspouts and sent to a safe area.

Gutter Systems Protect Your Foundation and Soil

If you only have a roof but no gutters, the water that doesn’t pool will fall off the roof and collect all around your home. This presents several issues. First, the constant water runoff around your home contributes to landscaping damage and soil erosion. If it’s allowed to continue without intervention, you may find it hard to grow all the plants that you want to bolster your curb appeal and make your house feel like a home.

A major concern is that a lack of gutters could allow water to pool and damage your home’s foundation. The longer your home enables pooling around the foundation, the greater the risk. Gutter systems help you keep your foundation and surrounding greenery safe against water.

They Also Protect the Siding of Your Home

Water that runs off your roof will inevitably reach the ground below. However, it doesn’t just affect soil and foundations. Water can also run down your siding. Whether you have vinyl or wooden siding, long-term exposure to water that cascades down can ruin it.

Siding damage may manifest as cosmetic issues, such as staining, or as more serious issues, such as wood rot. If you want to keep your home looking good and prevent exterior damage that could lead to structural damage over time, you’ll want a gutter system alongside your roof system.

Roof systems protect your home, but without gutters, it can still experience moisture-related damage. You need both roofs and gutters to protect your property thoroughly over time. Do you need new gutters? Contact North Creek Roofing in Mill Creek, WA, to discover our services for gutters today!