I want to fit gutters on my house. Presently, the house has only a drip edge. But with a new roof and paint job just completed, I think adding gutters, (south FL location; lots of rain), is a wise move.
Never having done this before, can someone point me in the right direction? What's good, what to avoid, etc. Thank you!

Gutters are gutters... just be sure to get continuous gutter and shop around for price (from reputable contractors). You can buy gutter sections at Lowes/Home Depot, but I don't recommend it. Get continuous (requires expensive equipment and is not a diy job).

Consider your options for diverting the water, too. Are you just planning to direct it away with spash blocks (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=splash%20block&btnG=Google+Search&sa=N&tab=wi), extensions or roll ups (http://images.google.com/images?svnum=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=downspout+extension&btnG=Search)... or will you want to do underground lines?

What about the differences in materials? Aluminum versus copper versus vinyl, for example. Seamless versus sectional?
As for diverting the water away, I was figuring on downspouts and nothing more. Seeing those links, I think extensions are a good idea.

Copper is very ritzy and very expensive. If price is not an issue, and you're going for a look like this (http://images.google.com/images?svnum=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=copper+gutters&btnG=Search), then you can consider copper.

I've always used aluminum. Couple years ago I checked into vinyl gutters for a job and had a hard time finding someone to install them. Most said they're junk.

As for continuous vs. sectons:

With continuous, you have just one piece of gutter for the whole roofline whether it's 20' long or 80'. They put it up in a jiffy and it's easy to get the slope right.

With sections, diy'ers buy a bunch of lengths, attach them one at a time, work hard to seal the seams right and find a hard time getting the slope right for each piece.

With continuous, the job is done in a 10th of the time.

You'll find getting estimates is easy. The price will simply come down to how much per foot... and chances are, most gutter contractors in your area are using gutters from just one or two manufacturers.

Rick, thank you. Appreciate the info. Seems like seamless aluminum gutters is probably the best choice for us. We are planning on moving in, at most, two years. So something cost effective is the way to go.

Quick update.. . I called around yesterday to begin the process of getting some quotes. Here in south Florida, because of all the hurricane damage last year, (and the official start of this year's hurricane season is fast approaching.. . :eek: ), it is difficult to find a company who will even pick up the phone. I actually had two companies tell me they aren't accepting any new work until they catch up to their current workload, with a five month time frame given.
That said, I was fortunate to have one company give me a tentative date for coming to the house for an estimate. But not until mid May. Another company I was able to get hold of came out today, unexpectedly, and quoted me approximately $6.65/linear foot. I have nothing to compare this to as of yet. Wondering if anyone has any opinions on this? As always, thank you.
BTW: the price quoted is for 6" aluminum, seamless gutters.

The 6" gutters carry a lot more water than the 5" ones. The price seems reasonable.

The other consideration is the thickness of the material. Up here in the north (MN) they also use steel gutters. The steel ones support a ladder leaning against them better. But, the guy who installed my aluminum gutters (6") installed a couple of extra support clips where I would normally be putting a ladder. This helps carry the load.

Make sure that you get the bigger downspouts so that all the water can be drained away.

If you are moving in a couple of years, you may want to consider using the vinyl/aluminum gutters you can buy in sections at the local big box store (depot/lowes). Or, contacting a local gutter company to see if they will sell you premade sections of long gutters.

Good luck. Dan

We live in Pennsylvania and I looked outside today to see our entire gutter from the one side of the house on the ground filled with ice. We have a steep/high roof. Someone suggested thermal heating on the outside to help melt the ice next time. My questions are 1. is thermal heating a good idea? 2. this is our house for life and we would like gutters that are efficient and effective... would aluminum continuous do the best job?? Thanks.