How To Build A Yankee Gutter

Ask this old house general contractor tom silva installs an alternative to a gutter when a traditional one does not work.

How to build a yankee gutter.

House flipping brothers dave and rich show how to install gutters on a house. Lynn and todd swept debris away with a. Yankee gutters are also referred to as philadelphia gutters pole gutters flush gutters and standing gutters. Yankee gutters can be very simple or ornate.

Yankee gutters go back to the 18 th century. Yankee gutters are constructed by nailing a 2 6 perpendicular to the roof plane parallel to and a few inches back from the eaves. Set in a bed of caulk the yankee gutter board was set onto and screwed through the copper into the roof deck. Assuming that your roof and flashing are in place insert the rain gutter edge under the roof flashing then insert the j shaped supporting strap under the gutter as seen in photo 1.

They are currently renovating a large lake house that required all new gutters. Each penetration through the copper eaves flashing was sealed by applying a blob of 50 year caulk on the under side of the board or bracket where the screw would penetrate. But that step was just extra insurance. Repair yankee gutters in 5 steps step 1.

Built in gutters the unseen roof drainage system was specifically chosen to be installed when the home was built thus is part of the original historic character. Wood was used as an external element to construct the shell for the gutters while sheets of metal were used to line the interior. There are occasions where water damage occurs and the whole gutter needs to be re built. Install a self drilling aluminum roofing screw that pierces and secures the flashing gutter and supporting strap photo 2 and 3.

A cant strip a triangular ripping of wood is attached along the inside bottom of the 2 6. Subscribe to this old house. I always try to encourage preserving original elements even though it might be easier to eliminate the old method for something new and inexpensive. The earliest examples of yankee gutters employed a combination of wood and metal to construct the body of the system.

Next patch any. Sheets of metal were used to line the interior of yankee gutters. Reaching our gutters on the second story of our home required a 28 long extension ladder.