Hey everyone! I need some help with a drainage issue at my house. Right now, I don't have any gutters, which is causing pooling water around the foundation. I really want to install some gutters, but they're out of my budget for the moment. I'm considering a workaround: What if I put two sections of gutters about 3-4 feet off the ground at the back of my house? They would slope downward to rain barrels on the corners. I plan to position them under the roofline to catch the rainwater, but I know some splashing might occur. I thought about a French drain but I'd rather not dig up my garden. Does anyone see any significant drawbacks to this idea? Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!
4 Answers
Gutters aren't as expensive as you might think! You can grab sections for about $10 each from the hardware store. Maybe focus on the most problematic section first and DIY—it might not be as hard as it seems. I tried getting a pro to install mine, and they did it too low, which just created more issues. YouTube has tons of tutorials to help you out!
That's an interesting concept, but I'm curious about how you're planning to direct the rainwater into those gutters. Without a proper alignment, rain might just miss them entirely. You might want to think about gutters that are angled or some kind of diverter to channel the water.
If you're aiming for a DIY solution, there's a super low-cost approach! You could set up cheap metal posts around your house and use plastic tarps to direct rainwater into a collection area. Sure, it won't win any beauty contests, but it'll likely be super cheap and functional—probably less than $100!
Consider using rain diverters attached to your roof's last row of shingles. They're quick to install, cost-effective, and could effectively direct water into a rain barrel if you add a slight tilt.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely check out some YouTube videos.