What happens without gutters
Without gutters, water falls off the roof edge in a line along the house (the drip line). It digs a trench in mulch and soil, splashes mud onto siding, flattens plants and keeps the soil next to the foundation wet. Beds directly under the eaves take the worst of it. See do I need gutters?
What happens with poorly placed downspouts
Gutters collect water from a whole roof section and release it at a few points. If a downspout empties into a flower bed next to the house, that bed gets a flood in every storm: plants drown or wash out, mulch floats away and the foundation gets soaked. The fix is not removing gutters but routing downspout water where the landscape can handle it.
Plan the downspouts with the yard
- Carry water past the beds. Extensions, buried lines or a shallow rock-lined channel take water beyond foundation plantings to lawn or a planted area that can absorb it.
- Use the slope. Send water toward areas that drain away from the house, not toward patios, walks or neighbors.
- Avoid compacted paths. Water across a walkway freezes in winter.
- Think about each downspout separately. Front downspouts often need different solutions than back ones.
See downspouts and your foundation and underground downspout drainage.
Rain gardens
A rain garden is a shallow, planted depression that collects roof water and lets it soak in. Homeowner guides from extension services and state environmental agencies, such as the University of Wisconsin Extension and West Virginia DEP, recommend placing rain gardens at least 10 feet from the house (and neighbors’ houses), not over septic systems or sewer lines, and sizing them at roughly 20 to 30 percent of the roof area that drains into them, depending on soil. Water reaches the garden through a downspout extension, buried pipe or a grassy swale.
Rain gardens work best in soils that drain reasonably well; in heavy clay, they may need amended soil or a larger area. In karst areas, keep them shallow and away from depressions. See gutters in sinkhole country.
Rock beds and splash pads
Where there is no room for a rain garden, a bed of river rock or a decorative splash pad at the downspout outlet slows water and spreads it before it reaches the lawn. It must slope away from the house, and landscape fabric under the rock helps keep it from sinking into the soil.
Mulch and grading along the foundation
- Keep soil and mulch sloping away from the house; a common guideline is about 6 inches of fall in the first 10 feet.
- Keep mulch a few inches below siding and away from wood trim, where it holds moisture and invites insects. See gutters and pests.
- Use heavier mulch or stone where downspouts discharge, so it does not wash away.
- Avoid raised beds that trap water against the foundation.
Plants near the house
Plants directly under the eaves get little rain if there are gutters, and too much if there are none. With gutters, choose plants that tolerate drier soil next to the house, and water them as needed. Near downspout outlets and in rain gardens, choose plants that tolerate occasional flooding and dry spells. Local extension services publish native plant lists for rain gardens.
Keep large shrubs and trees back from the house: branches over the roof drop leaves into gutters, and roots near the foundation can crack buried downspout lines.
Trees and gutters
Trees are the main reason gutters clog. Planning new plantings with the roof in mind avoids decades of cleaning: plant trees far enough from the house that mature canopies do not overhang the roof. For existing trees, trimming back limbs and installing guards helps. See gutter guards for pine needles vs. leaves.
Rain barrels in the landscape
A rain barrel at a downspout supplies water for beds and containers and holds back some runoff. Place it on a stable base, route the overflow away from the foundation, and screen it against mosquitoes. See rainwater harvesting from your gutters.
Vegetable gardens and roof water
Roof runoff can carry grit, bird droppings and material from roofing. Most gardeners use rain barrel water on the soil rather than spraying leafy vegetables close to harvest, and avoid routing downspouts directly into vegetable beds. A rain garden with ornamental plants is a better destination for large volumes.
Checklist for new landscaping
- Where does each downspout discharge now, and where should it?
- Does the ground slope away from the house on all sides?
- Are new trees far enough from the roof?
- Is there space for a rain garden at least 10 feet from the house?
- Will new beds or hardscapes block drainage paths?
Front yards and curb appeal
Downspouts at the front corners of a house are highly visible. Painting them to match the siding, running extensions underground to a pop-up emitter in the lawn, or using a decorative rain chain on a covered porch can make drainage part of the design. Just make sure the water still ends up away from the foundation. See rain chains vs. downspouts.
Hardscapes and patios
Patios, walkways and driveways next to the house often slope toward it after years of settling. Downspouts that discharge onto them send water straight back to the foundation. When building or replacing hardscapes, slope them away from the house, and plan downspout routes that cross under or around them in pipes rather than across the surface. Permeable pavers can absorb some water, but they are not a place to dump a whole roof’s runoff.
Erosion on slopes
On sloped lots, a downspout that discharges at the top of a slope can cut a gully in a single season. Carry water to the bottom of the slope in a pipe, or break its flow with rock, plantings and small terraces. Native groundcovers and deep-rooted plants hold soil better than lawn on steep slopes.
Irrigation and gutters
Sprinklers that spray the walls and foundation undo the work of the gutters. Aim heads away from the house and adjust them for plant needs. Many wet foundation corners turn out to be a sprinkler problem, not a gutter one.