A question that many homeowners often ask is; do I really need to have rain gutters and downspouts on my home? It's a good question and the answer may surprise you. Let's take a closer look.

One of the most important features of your home is often the one that is the most overlooked. I am referring to the home gutters. Gutters play a very important role in the maintenance of your home and should be installed properly. Read on to discover why home gutters are so important to your home.

The gutter is an exterior drainage device for your home. If you don’t have the proper home gutter installed, water runoff can do a lot of damage to the foundation of your home. A home gutter system is really important if you have a basement. No gutters will equal a flooded basement.

The answer is that it really depends on several different factors.

Yes, you need rain gutters if:

• You live in an area with rainfall that averages more than 15-20 inches a year.
• Rainwater sits around your foundation and pools up after a rain instead of running off.
• You don't like rainwater coming off your roof and falling on your head. That may sound silly, but not many people like to walk outside their front door into a steady river pouring down off their roof. With gutters and downspouts you obviously eliminate this from happening.

The truth is, gutters are pretty inexpensive in comparison to the benefits they offer for most any home. And they really are your home's only protection against foundation damage, wood and siding rot, as well as potential water damage inside your basement.

A very important tip that will save you a lot of work later is to consider your surroundings. If your house is surrounded by a lot of trees, then you should put leaf guards over your gutters. This will prevent your home gutters from getting clogged by leaves and twigs. It will also make your life easier because you won’t have to clean the mess out of the gutters.

So when you are performing maintenance on your home, don’t overlook the need to install quality home gutters. It will save you a lot of money and time in the long run.