arildane_22
April 5th, 2013, 05:34 AM
In the United States, homes are traditionally built with gutters to help control and direct rain flow. However, Don Horn, a Pennsylvania home builder, has chosen to eschew this tradition in favor of gutterless houses, actually building most of his career around this practice.
Tom Bollnow, a member of the Illinois-based National Roofing Contractors Association, said that in reality, “gutterless building is a common and practical way of construction in colder areas such as the northern reaches of New England. It is a way of avoiding freezing problems at the roofline or gutters being pulled down by weight.”
Horn’s decision to construct gutterless homes lies partly in his dedication to historical accuracy. He builds colonial-style homes based on real home from the 1700s, which homes did not have gutters, or doorbells, for that matter. He even built a vacation home for himself based on a house found in the Colonial town of Williamsburg, Virginia which has no gutter.
“I like the [gutterless] look,” Horn said, “but I really don’t have them because I don’t like the work,” referring to cleaning out leaves and dirt and repairing leaky or broken gutters. Of course, there still needs to be some way to collect and direct runoff in order to prevent damage to the grounds and landscaping. Instead, beneath the eaves of the house he creates a French-inspired “system of gravel over a perforated pipe that collects the water and carries it to drain connections.”
Home Improvement News Brought to You by nope.avi
Tom Bollnow, a member of the Illinois-based National Roofing Contractors Association, said that in reality, “gutterless building is a common and practical way of construction in colder areas such as the northern reaches of New England. It is a way of avoiding freezing problems at the roofline or gutters being pulled down by weight.”
Horn’s decision to construct gutterless homes lies partly in his dedication to historical accuracy. He builds colonial-style homes based on real home from the 1700s, which homes did not have gutters, or doorbells, for that matter. He even built a vacation home for himself based on a house found in the Colonial town of Williamsburg, Virginia which has no gutter.
“I like the [gutterless] look,” Horn said, “but I really don’t have them because I don’t like the work,” referring to cleaning out leaves and dirt and repairing leaky or broken gutters. Of course, there still needs to be some way to collect and direct runoff in order to prevent damage to the grounds and landscaping. Instead, beneath the eaves of the house he creates a French-inspired “system of gravel over a perforated pipe that collects the water and carries it to drain connections.”
Home Improvement News Brought to You by nope.avi