Does My Awning or Porch Need Guttering?

One of the things that people appreciate most about rain gutters is that they don’t ruin a house’s esthetic appeal. With the help of a professional rain gutter installation service, Fort Myers, Florida homeowners can protect their foundations during rainstorms without neglecting the intricacies of their Fort Myers, Florida home. If you’re thinking about installing a new rain guttering system, porches are among the structural elements that might give you pause before making up your mind about it.

What Is a Porch?

Porches are both a flattering sight and the preferred spot for many people to spend their leisure time. They are open spaces usually attached to the house’s front, but they can also be built into the sides and/or the back. A porch is sheltered by a low roof and is sometimes enclosed by columns or screens, so it serves as the ideal outdoor space for people to unwind and relax.

• They are shaded open spaces, allowing people to avoid direct contact with the sun while lounging outdoors.
• They are the outdoor counterpart to living rooms, and this can be very useful when organizing social gatherings.
• They are a pleasant sight and offer many options in terms or customization, so they play a big part in a house’s visual appeal.
• They expand the living area beyond the house’s front door.
• If the porch’s roof has a fascia board, in allows for different decorative options while regulating the temperature of the structure.

Because they can technically take other parts of the house, porches are usually mistaken for verandas and vice versa. While both structures tend to serve similar purposes, verandas run around the outside of a house in one structure that seamlessly surrounds the structure on all its sides.

In most cases, having a porch doesn’t make much of a difference when it comes to the need of getting rain gutters. When it rains, the water slides from the porch’s shelter and lands on the soil and land surrounding your Fort Myers, Florida home, not unlike what happens after the water falls from a gutter-less roof.

The water falling from your porch might land far enough from your sidings to avoid leaks, but it will still pool around your Fort Myers, Florida home’s foundations. More importantly, if your porch is connected to a basement or a crawl space from below, your foundations will be more susceptible to damage and flooding.

A rain guttering system will protect your Fort Myers, Florida home without altering the visual appeal provided by your porch. Since the porch precedes the house’s front door, having a rain gutter channeling the water around the sides will also make the area more accessible if you want to come and go outside during the rainy season. If you happen to have a screened porch, your gutters can connect to the downspout on the side of the porch’s door, but your rain gutter installer can always help you find a more inconspicuous location.