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Updated: Nov 23, 2020

As much as I love wood, there are some places you really don't want to use it- like underwater. Wood + water = rot. In the old days of wood gutters, when they were made from old growth Cypress and Redwood, the wood could last 30 years or so if properly maintained before it rotted. Today, a wood gutter purchased from the local supplier might last 5 years.

This is what was left of a wood gutter we recently replaced. But even if wood lasted forever, it would not be as good as Duragutter. That's because Duragutter is made from extruded aluminum that is 1/8" thick, not 1" thick like wood. For the same outside dimensions, Duragutter holds exactly twice as much water as a wood gutter. That means fewer downspouts and no possibility of overflowing.

Here's the new Duragutter, with integral leaf guard and flashing. This will last the life of the house. The customer said "Just a quick review of my recent Duragutter installation by I&M construction. Imer and his crew did a great job installing the gutters and repairing rot where it was encountered. I have an old (over 200 years) house on Cape Cod with wooden gutters. In particular, it has miter joints between the gutters and the rake molding. I wanted to preserve that architectural detail but have more durable gutters than the wooden ones. The Duragutter system worked great. I was also able to get gutter covers to hopefully prevent leaf build up in the gutters to reduce the need for cleaning."

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Updated: Jan 20, 2020


Here in New England, we are inspired by older buildings whose details and proportions have been refined over time. While many newer homes are built in the older styles, often critical details are missed that can weaken the overall appearance. One of the most botched is the intersection of the gutter and rake cornice.




I recently spent some time in Wellfleet, and was both impressed and depressed by the older homes there. Impressed because there are some fine examples of Greek Revival, Queen Anne, and others, but depressed by the clumsy attempts to repair these homes over time. If you are restoring an older home, but are not exactly sure how to execute the details, please look at our resources page for complete drawings.



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