Should Mobile Homes Have Gutters? (3 Things to Consider)
When purchasing a mobile home, gutters may not be the first thing on your mind. But, if you live in an area where waking up to rain is a common occurrence, you may have to start thinking about gutters a little more. So, should mobile homes have gutters?
Every mobile home should have gutters because they help keep your mobile home safe from various kinds of water damage. Standing water still poses a major risk to your mobile home, even though it’s mobile. Without gutters, mold and mildew can grow under your home as well.
Okay, so gutters are a sure thing to consider for your mobile home, right? Not always. In this article, we will guide you through whether you should get gutters for your mobile home and how you can go about installing them if need be.
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Here’s a Quick Pro Tip!
In most cases, it is a very wise idea to install gutters on your mobile home to facilitate the drainage of water. The last thing you want is some water damage!
Here are a few of our favorite gutters for mobile homes:
1. Vinyl Gutters – Economical and easy to install
2. Aluminum Gutters – Rust-free and virtually invisible!
3. Steel Gutters – Contractor-grade yet DIY friendly
To Gutter or Not Gutter?
Before we make any hasty decisions here, let’s first discuss if you should definitely buy gutters for your mobile and what the big deal is, anyway!
Should you Put Gutters on a Mobile Home?
Gutters are a very important addition that you should add to your mobile home. Without gutters, water can collect underneath your home causing the land underneath to shift and make the footings unstable.
However, some mobile homes do not need gutters. If a home is built using metal siding and roofing, it won’t require gutters to be added.
This is because the metal material makes it easier for the rain to move off of the house. Additionally, adding gutters to a mobile home can reduce the mobility of your home.
Can You Put Gutters on a Mobile Home?
You can install gutters on a mobile home. With gutters, it will make it harder to move but you can put gutters on your home. This will make your living conditions better and safer. Mainly, it will keep your house safe from water damage.
If you do not have gutters, you risk water damage to the foundation and roofs of your mobile home. If you value staying dry in your own home, investing in gutters will be an amazing decision. It can also raise the value of your home.
Is it Better to Have Gutters on your Mobile Home or Not?
Gutters can have a dramatic effect on the value and mobility of your home. Without gutters, your foundation and roof can suffer from water damage. On the other hand, with gutters, the mobility of your home is limited.
In the end, the safety of your home should be more important than the mobility of your home, circumstance-dependent. Serious water damage can make it impossible to live in the home let alone move your home. If you value your future resting place, invest in gutters.
What is the Purpose of Gutters on a Mobile Home?
The purpose of gutters on your mobile home is to protect your home from water damage. When a mobile home doesn’t have gutters, there is no protection from rain or heavy waterfall.
Water then can collect under your home and grow mold and mildew and even cause your house to slide off of its foundation.
If you have skirting installed in front of your foundation, the lumber supports can also be damaged without gutters. Water gathering underneath the house can cause these lumber supports to rot.
Replacing these supports is not only expensive but also time-consuming. Best to just put precautions in place than to deal with any damage that comes from standing water.
Why Don’t Mobile Homes Come with Gutters in the First Place?
If gutters are so important, why aren’t mobile homes made with them? Wouldn’t it save a lot of time and money? Well, there is a reason…
Why Don’t Mobile Homes Come With Gutters?
Mobile homes do not come with gutters because it reduces the ability to move the home. Also, with no gutters, there are more possibilities for the customers to maximize the size of their homes. It also allows customers to choose where gutters are built on the house.
Additionally, mobile homes would be built smaller if they included gutters because it would make it harder to ship the homes since the cargo packing is already set in stone.
Or, companies would have to increase the size of their shipping containers, which would increase costs all around.
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Why Do I Have to Put Gutters on My Mobile Home?
You should put gutters on your mobile home to prevent any water damage that is likely to result without them. Additionally, it may actually be a by-law in your area to have gutters installed.
Your region could require you by law to install a gutter system in your home. Many governments have limits on roof pitches and gutter installation. Be sure to check your local laws before making your decision.
Why Would I Need to Put Gutters on My Mobile Home?
You would need to put gutters on your home because they prevent water damage to your roof, pathways, and exterior of your home. In addition, they stop flooding under your home and in your crawl spaces. They also redirect the water to stop land deterioration.
Overall, gutters will keep your home safe from possible damages. In the long run, installing gutters will save you time and money. If you don’t install gutters, your home can suffer from serious water damage which will cost you more money to fix.
What Are the Dangers of Not Having Gutting on My Mobile Home?
The dangers of not gutting your mobile home are possible flooding, water damage, and land deterioration. Without gutters, you leave your home at risk of damage which will cost you time and money.
All these possible situations could cost a lot of time and money so it’s best just to install gutters to prevent them. It may feel like a pain but it will be worth it in the end.
Otherwise, you will have to deal with flooding and water damage.
Is Standing Water Around My Mobile Home Dangerous?
Standing water is very dangerous to have around your mobile home! Standing water underneath your home will cause mildew and mold to flourish. In the worst-case scenario, the water will cause the structure of the building to rot, making the house unstable.
It is near impossible to sell a house with mold and mildew problems. It’s best to set up preventative measures so this damage doesn’t ruin your chances of possibly moving in the future.
Preventing this issue will also make the home more comfortable.
Will Adding Gutters to My Mobile Home Increase Its Value?
Since mobile homes don’t typically come with gutters, selling a mobile home with gutters may increase its value. Gutters provide the first level of protection that every home needs which is important to buyers.
Often, if a house has no gutters or damaged gutters, a house will be worthless. If you would like to make money when you eventually move, installing and keeping care of your gutters will be important and you will need to make it a priority,
Before Installing Gutters in Your Mobile Home
Okay, so you’re convinced that you need to install gutters in your mobile home- you’re ready to start right away! But, wait. Here’s some information you should know before installing gutters in your mobile home.
How Much Do Mobile Home Gutters Cost?
The overall cost of installing gutters in your mobile home can be 600 to 1700 dollars. Gutters can cost 3 to 40 dollars per linear foot. The cost depends on what kind of material you use. The different materials are aluminum, vinyl, steel, and copper.
Cost of gutters (per liner foot) depending on material:
Of course, the quality of your gutters can vary depending on which material you use. Additionally, copper and steel gutters are harder to come by.
What Gutters Are the Best for Mobile Homes?
It can depend on your preference but among most people, steel and copper are seen as the best materials. Vinyl and aluminum can also be good options that are also cheaper.
When looking for the right gutters for your home, it’s important to take into account costs, materials, and quality.
All the materials mentioned are the most common materials used for gutters. When figuring out the cost of your gutters you will have to factor in the labor costs which can be 500 to 700 hundred dollars.
Sometimes it’s better to invest in quality hardware so you won’t have to replace it sooner.
Are Vinyl Gutters or Aluminum Gutters Better for Mobile Homes?
Most would choose aluminum over vinyl but it depends. When considering whether to use vinyl or aluminum materials for your gutter system, you will have to consider how easy it is to install, the quality, durability, and expense.
Aluminum has a seamless design, easy repairs, multiple colors, and it is popular and eco-friendly. However, vinyl gutters have a lower installation cost and are resistant to rust and corrosion.
It will depend on what you value most in your gutter system.
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How Do You Replace Gutters on a Mobile Home?
To start replacing your gutter system, you will have to remove the old gutters from your home. Then, you will need to measure, cut, and attach the gutters to where the previous gutters were.
Follow these steps to replace gutters on a mobile home:
- Remove old gutters.
- Measure the slopes of your eaves and ensure that your gutters will have a downward angle to drain the water.
- Evenly cut pieces of gutter to have enough to cover the area you desire.
- Attach your new gutters using hanging brackets.
- Turn the gutters upside down to install the gutter sleeve to where you would like the downspout to be.
- Attach the end caps and hanging brackets to your roof.
- Trim the downspout to your desired length.
- Seal open seams with water sealant.
What is the Life Expectancy of Gutters?
Gutters can last 20 to 100 years depending on the material. Aluminum, steel, and vinyl gutters can last 20 to 25 years. Copper gutters have the longest life span coming in at 40 to 100 years. Which material you choose can have a big impact on its lifespan.
To make your gutters last longer, it’s important to regularly clean them. This is even more important in the fall and winter. Leaves and ice can create debris in your gutter which can attract pests, clog your gutter, and cause water damage.
How to Install Gutters in Your Mobile Home
Now that we have discussed many reasons why you should install gutters on your mobile home, it’s time to get into the big details of installing gutters into your mobile home. Buckle up!
How Do You Install Gutters on a Single-Wide Mobile Home?
To install gutters in your single-wide mobile home, you will need to make proper measurements, cut gutters to the proper size, plan where you would like the downspout to be, install the endcaps and seal everything.
Planning is important when installing gutters. You will need to measure where you would like to place the gutters and the downspout and make sure it’s level. Sealant is also important to prevent water damage.
Be sure to seal every seam in the gutters to make sure no water leaks from them.
How Do You Put Gutters Together?
This process depends on what kind of gutters you are building. Vinyl gutters can snap together with ease but you will need to seal all cracks with water sealant. Metal gutters will have to be attached with more effort. However, they will need sealant as well.
Gutters commonly come in ten-foot sections. When connecting your gutters, you will need to overlap the edges by half an inch, at least. If you need a custom length, you could probably use a hand saw or tin snips to trim your gutter to your desired length.
Can You Make Your Gutters?
There are multiple options for DIYing your gutters. The most popular option is to use a PVC pipe to do this. A PVC pipe with a diameter of 4 or more inches should fit underneath an existing system nicely. Another option is making a device called a rain chain.
A rain chain uses a chain instead of a drop spout to slow rainfall, and they are quite charming to look at!
To attach PVC pipes, you will need to use PVC cement and couplers. It is best to cement the PVC pipe together before splitting the pipe and couplers in half.
To make a rain chain, you simply hang a metal chain where a downspout would normally be. The chain will then displace the water, preventing the falling water from moving your land.
What Tools Do I Need to Install Gutters on My Mobile Home?
The tools you will need depend on the specifics of your project but generally, you will need a line level, a handsaw or tin snips, screws, water sealant, and, of course, gutter materials. You will also need a ladder and a drill for screws.
Tools Needed to Install Gutters:
If you are using vinyl gutters, you won’t need as many attaching tools as they snap together on their own. A pencil and tape measure can be helpful when planning to put the gutters together.
Additionally, having some sort of plan beforehand can also be helpful.
How Long Does it Take to Install Gutters on My Mobile Home?
It can take one to four hours to install gutters on your mobile home depending on certain factors. These factors can be the size of your house, how steep your roof is, removal time, and the weather.
You will need to take all these into account when planning to install your gutters.
Make sure to take into account the size of your house. The bigger the home is the more gutters you will need to install. A steep roof can make the job take longer because it’s harder to navigate on a steep roof than on a flat roof.
The weather can also slow you down while you work so make sure to check weather reports before starting your project.
How Do You Install Rain Gutters on a Mobile Home?
To install rain gutters in your mobile home, first, you will need to measure where you would like the gutters to go. Then, you will need to attach the brackets to the siding of your house and cut the gutter material to your wanted length.
Follow these steps to install gutters on your mobile home:
- Measure the slopes of your eaves and ensure that your gutters will have a downward angle to drain the water.
- Evenly cut pieces of gutter to have enough to cover the area you desire.
- Attach your new gutters using hanging brackets.
- Turn the gutters upside down to install the gutter sleeve to where you would like the downspout to be.
- Attach the end caps and hanging brackets to your roof.
- Trim the downspout to your desired length.
- Seal open seams with water sealant.
If you want the best gutters, you will need to seal any cracks in your gutter system with a water sealant to prevent any leaks. If you would like to add a rain barrel beneath, you will need to install a concrete pad beneath the barrel.
What is the Smallest Gutter Size?
The smallest gutter size is called a mini gutter and measures three inches and around one inch deep. The down piper has a two-inch diameter. These kinds of gutters are normally used when installing a gutter in a tight space. This can be on a shed or summer house.
Many sheds can suffer from wood rot because of water damage. Installing these mini gutters can stop that and keep your shed safe. This kind of gutter is not usually used on full-size houses unless they have really tight spaces between other houses.
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Related Questions
Mobile Home Gutter Alternatives
There are multiple alternatives to installing gutters on your mobile home. Some of these include a drip path, ground gutters, box gutters, a drip edge, and a rain chain. If you are wanting something cheaper or more convenient than regular gutters, these could provide a solution for you.
A drip path is a paved path underneath your roof that follows the edge of the roof. You won’t need to install anything on your roof and creating this system is as easy as placing bricks below the roof.
Ground gutters or french drains are gutter systems that are installed in the ground below your roof. You will make a trench-like system that leads the water away from your home to an underground drain.
This makes the gutter system invisible.
Box gutters or built-in gutters are like gound gutters if they were attached to your roof. They are in a box shape to be more discrete than regular gutters.
They are valley trough-shaped gutters that are less visible than regular gutters.
A drip edge is a flat piece of metal that hangs off your roof. This system serves to direct water away from your foundation. It also provides more support to your shingles and protects your attic from animal break-ins.
Finally, a rain chain is a metal chain that hangs down from your gutter and redirects the water from a certain place beneath this. This will prevent your land from shifting because of the strong force of falling water.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article gave you some mobile home gutter ideas. If you’ve read this far, I assume that you are convinced to get gutters now or maybe try out one of those alternatives.
Good luck in all your future gutter endeavors!
