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Deal With Drip Line If Gutters Are Washout

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By PETER HOTTON The Boston Globe

Published: September 15, 2007

A workman took off my gutters, and the house, built on a slab on grade, looks pretty good. The roof overhang is about 2 feet.

Do I really need gutters?

I don't see the need for them now, except maybe to prevent water from creating a deep drip line where it flows from roof edge to the ground.

Heck no, we won't go with gutters. It's not worth several thousand dollars to prevent a drip line on the ground.

There are better ways to do that.
Gutters were invented for a good reason: to keep rain water from running down the foundation and/or into the basement. Since you have no basement, kiss the gutters goodbye.

But you are not home yet. You have to consider that drip line, whether your overhang is 2 feet or 6 inches.

For starters, you don't want foundation plants under the drip line.

Secondly, dig a shallow trench along the foundation, extending 24-plus inches out, and fill it with crushed stone mulch in white, red or any color you want. This will help stop splashing and will present a neat border.

Do not use wood or bark mulch because it may attract the artillery fungus, which fires spores up to 15 feet high and against the siding, making dark spots difficult to remove.

I washed the exterior of my house with TSP cleaner and got some on the window glass, and I can't get it off.

Any suggestions?

Wash the glass with vinegar, and repeat with Windex.

Write to The Handyman, Peter Hotton, at photton@globe.com.

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