We’re building a house 6 miles south of Lake Superior. This is big snow country – 300″ per year is not uncommon. Snow slides will rip off any conventional rain gutter system.
Are there any systems out there that will allow us to adequately shed spring and summer rain run-off but will be out of the way of snow slides? Or, is my only option to deal with the water after it hits the ground near the foundation? (The roof will have two foot overhangs.)
Thanks for any comments/advice.
Archie
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Replies
Dispense with your gutters, and instead put your water control in the ground under the drip lines. A buried socked 4" plastic drain "tile" line, with some slope, should go in a gravel trench maybe 12" deep, then tie the drain ends together, and run to daylight if your topo permits. If it does not, then get it all sufficiently away, and terminate the drain into a big gravel dry sink.
Safety is another reason for looking at this problem. There is a product called Snow Blocks maded of lexan that you fasten to the roof to keep it from sliding off in mass.
I hate gutters!
Excellence is its own reward!
and i hate gutters.. good drainage at the foundation.. large overhangs..
snow guards installed on the roof....who needs gutters?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Gutters are for those who don't know how to design a roof properly.
Excellence is its own reward!
How do other houses in the neighborhood deal with it? Local tradition isn't necessarily correct, but it's a place to start.
"How do others in the neighborhood deal with it?"
Well, there is no neighborhood per se (remote area of Michigan's U.P.), but, folks within a 50 mile radius are all over the board. Most have no gutters (as I'd rather not), but some do and I suspect they won't have them for long.
We've designed the house with snow slides in mind - access doors on house and outbuildings on the gable ends and all decks and porches under roof. Surprising how many folks let the roof dump the snow right in front of the doors, or let it demolish their decks :(
This much snow IS dangerous. The previous owner lost a couple of cattle when the snow came off the barn roof.
Thanks for the comments guys - I'll plan to deal with the water at ground level.
Archie
This may be kind of a dumb question, but I've never dealt with gutters and huge snows.
Could you use a tall sub-fascia, and hang the gutters lower on the fascia line? That way big slabs of snow sliding off would slide over the top of the gutters instead of tearing 'em off.
Sounds like a good plan, in theory...Your skin is like silk. For the sake of romance, let's ignore the fact that silk comes from a worm's butt, O.K.?
It may have been a while back, but does anyone remember a FHB article about building a low slope roof meant to hold the snow on the roof? Better have a really good roof frame to hold 300"!!!
I usually like metal roofing, but the snow slide thing is definately dangerous. Years ago a friends dog got completely buried when the snow came off his roof. Luckily, he knew the dog was there and dug it out in time.