Alternatives to gutters???

[tjbnwi]

RainHandler???

http://www.rainhandler.com/

Tom

[dgbldr]

Hidden gutters behind the fascia, channeled to downpipes inside the structure, or inside columns or other architectural elements. Piped down to the foundation drain or similar.

It can be done, but must be part of building design or it will be a major tearup.

[Dick Seibert]

Hidden gutters behind the fascia, channeled to downpipes inside the structure, or inside columns or other architectural elements. Piped down to the foundation drain or similar.

DG:

I considered that, but my overhangs are dropping 2' below the plate line, that would force me to lower the soffits down to 7'4" over terraces, and make me lower walls of glass by 2'. In addition where the even 3" copper leaders came out of the back of the gutters I would have to drop them ¼" to the foot or another inch, even with screens they would clog up, I like to drop my exterior leaders 8" to the foot and that's 32", so the glass would have to be reduced 4'7" instead of 2'. No gutters are practical for me on this home.

[dixonpeer]

Hidden gutters behind the fascia, channeled to downpipes inside the structure, or inside columns or other architectural elements. Piped down to the foundation drain or similar.

It can be done, but must be part of building design or it will be a major tearup.

A recipe for trouble in my opinion. Bringing storm water inside the structure is not good practice, no matter how elegant the look (the lack of apparent gutter and downspout). A good friend of mine built a home some years ago with the French drain system around the foundation under the roof drip line as he didn't want the hassle of cleaning gutters twice a year or more. It has worked well, but of course instead of cleaning gutters off a ladder, he now must make sure the area above the French drain is clean and clear of debris or it won't work as it should. Also, his home has a poured concrete foundation and a waterproofing system applied to the outside with perforated 4" schedule 40 footing drainage system. Nothing is getting into his basement, water-wise.

[calvert]

[QUOTE=dixonpeer;659799]A recipe for trouble in my opinion. Bringing storm water inside the structure is not good practice, no matter how elegant the look (the lack of apparent gutter and downspout).

I have to agree with you 100%. I have worked on several old residences that utilized this approach and it is always a disaster for interior of anything that has a leader running through it.

Short term, when everything is new and clean, everything could work fine. After several years of accumulating dirt and going through freeze/thaw cycles, (in a heating climate), something will fail and disaster will ensue. Not a particularly good situation when the leader is inside a column, especially wood, or behind a plaster wall that includes a decorative plaster cornice.

[ThingOfBeauty]

I saw a presentation by the architect of GW Bush's vacation place in Texas.
He designed overhangs on all sides including a big cantilevered one on the end making a sheltered porch.
At the dripline of the roof there's a river stone 'pathway' about 2-3' wide with some sort of collector channel underneath. The rain falls into the channel/pathway and ultimately is collected in a huge cistern for year-round use.

Of course, that's a slab-on-grade house in a desert. Your mileage may vary.

[Dick Seibert]

I saw a presentation by the architect of GW Bush's vacation place in Texas.
He designed overhangs on all sides including a big cantilevered one on the end making a sheltered porch.
At the dripline of the roof there's a river stone 'pathway' about 2-3' wide with some sort of collector channel underneath. The rain falls into the channel/pathway and ultimately is collected in a huge cistern for year-round use.

Of course, that's a slab-on-grade house in a desert. Your mileage may vary.

That's what I'm going to try to get away with, my approved plans call for built-in copper gutters with chains, I don't dare get it changed at this point, all power has been taken away from the field inspector and everything has to go through an assigned plan checker who's getting tired of me making changes, if I did go for the change now I bet they would grant it on the condition that I present a landscape plan, something I have been able to avoid, I've told my customer to retain his landscape architect since he intends to do so but wants to wait until the home is complete, so I'm going to leave the gutters off (I've got 4' overhangs) and see what happens, if they fail to final the home the owner will have to retain his landscape architect to come up with a plan to pick up the drips. I also avoid the Greenies attacking me this way for defiling the earth with copper runoff into a stream right on the property, to save the fish for some Neanderthals to kill and eat them downstream.