Do You Need Gutters On Dormers

He had a leak and we tracked it all the way back to a gutter cutback.

Do you need gutters on dormers.

I just had a client with a roof like this the other day. I recommended he just take the gutters off the dormers. Gutters are open at the top to catch rainwater flowing off the roof directing it into the downspouts. That does not mean however that the city has their own code that requires gutters.

Some roofers even advise against them. If you have a metal roof you do not need to worry about the roof shingles weakening and decaying from water. Rain gutters are the most controversial type of gutter. The dormers are gable type having 3 visible fascias and do not have gutters or downspouts.

Should the dormers have gutters and downspouts. How can dormer gutters cause leaks. If this is the case you may also need to consider replacing your lower gutter below the dormer with a 6 oversized gutter. Gutters are the horizontal metal usually aluminum part of the system that are usually installed along the eave edges of your roof or along roof features like dormers.

The gutter should be there but there should be a downspout running from the outlet to the lower gutter as described in this answer. Do you have gutters on your dormers. Ask the inspector to send you a copy of the code she is referring to or if not you are requesting her to pass the inspection at once. As it is now you will likely see deterioration of the shingles where the water flows out of the outlet and across the roof.

For the first 2 3 years we did not have any gutters on the dormers but when it rained heavy the gutters on the house could not take the extra water from the dormers and we have deepflow gutters on the house. We also fix water damage caused by clogged gutters to keep your siding looking like new. While our team does not perform installations we repair and clean gutters to keep them in good condition. Dormers are not required to have gutters and there is no international code that requires gutters either.

If you decide to install gutters you also need to clean and maintain them to prevent the problems described above. I have had 3 dormer windows put on the front roof of my house about 5 years ago. Runoff from the dormers will slowly erode granules of the main roof at the dripline especially where the dormer eves are highest and runoff falls the farthest before hitting the main roof where runoff will. Posted december 1st 2017.