You would be surprised how many homes don’t have the right size gutters. At Installed Building Products Tulsa, our specialists help ensure our clients’ homes have the gutters required to facilitate proper drainage.
Gutters are essential for protecting your roof, siding and foundation, which is why we strongly recommend carefully sizing your gutters — otherwise, you could end up with significant damage to your home the next time a storm blows through.
Gutter Sizing Factors
Five-inch K-style gutters and 6-inch half-rounds are the most common residential sizes found on Oklahoma homes. These are sufficient for most structures and will provide adequate drainage for big, steep roofs.
However, it’s important to remember that the bigger and steeper the roof, the wider the necessary gutter and the more extra downspouts required to keep rainwater from overflowing the gutter.
In addition to sizing, we strongly recommend installing gutter guards to keep leaves and debris out of your gutters. This helps ensure efficient drainage and helps keep your gutters from clogging and overflowing, which can cause extensive damage to exterior walls, roofing materials, foundations, flower beds and more.
Proper sizing is essential for protecting your home and for ensuring compliance with applicable building codes and insurance policy requirements. At Installed Building Products Tulsa, we’ll ensure your gutters are properly sized, cut and secured to your home.
Roof Pitch
Roof pitch is one of the most critical elements to consider when calculating gutter size. Low-pitch roofs with a 4:12 pitch will require smaller gutters than a roof with a pitch of 9:12. Further, the greater the pitch, the larger and more numerous the required number of downspouts.
Rainfall
Rainfall in Oklahoma is highly variable, with the western panhandle receiving around 17 inches per year and the southeastern region receiving around 56 inches per year.
Similarly, rainfall around Tulsa can vary considerably year after year. Over the past decade, there have been years where we’ve received around 30 inches per year, and years where we have received up to 60 inches.
May tends to be the wettest month, but you can expect considerable rain from April through July and the heaviest snows during December and March. During an average year, you can expect around 35 inches of rain to fall.
Because of the considerable damage excessive rainfall can cause, it’s always better to have more than you need. That’s why we recommend selecting gutters and downspouts that are capable of processing rainfall at the higher end of this range.
Roof Size
Roof size plays an important role in selecting the optimal gutter. For roofs that are 5,500 sq. ft. or smaller, 5-inch K-style gutters are sufficient. For roofs between 5,500 and 7,900 sq. ft., 6-inch K-style gutters are a better option.
Similarly, for roofs that are 2,500 or less, 5-inch half-rounds will do well, while 6-inch half-rounds are ideal for roofs between 2,500 sq. ft. and 3,800 sq. ft.
Downspout Sizing
The standard downspout size is 2 inches x 3 inches, which is sufficient for the amount of rainfall our region typically receives. This is the optimal size for 5-inch gutters but may be too small for commercial properties or those with larger gutters, which may require downspouts that are 3 inches x 4 inches.
Trust Our Gutter Contractors in Tulsa
At Installed Building Products Tulsa, our gutter specialists will ensure your home has the proper protection you need. Our team will carefully calculate the pitch and square footage of your roof to determine the ideal type, size and placement of your gutters and downspouts.
We specialize in seamless gutter installation, which ensures your gutters won’t leak and cause damage to roofing materials, foundations, siding, etc. We use only top-quality gutter systems that help protect your home year after year and through all weather conditions.
Plus, we can install gutter guards and other systems that enhance the protection and performance of your gutters while minimizing maintenance and repairs.
When you want top-quality gutter solutions in Tulsa, call Installed Building Products Tulsa at 918-518-0750 to speak with our team.
We’ll answer your questions and discuss the promotions and products we recommend for your needs.
