Guttering

[Anonymous]

Our guttering is about 95% plastic. I say think, as because I'm scared of heights I can't go up to investigate the one bit that may still be Cast Iron. My wife has a bad cold and my aim with stones isn't that good!!!!!

It all needs replacing, as some can't cope with the amount of water that comes down the steep and large roof, other bits have several roofs running into one gutter and the maybe cast iron bit leaks like mad, although I suspect one leak maybe caused by leaves blocking it.

Looking at the cost of Cast Iron, it looks like it will be approx. 5 times the cost of plastic, what are peoples opinions on the use of plastic? I can't be made to use anything in particular, so it's down to my choice, do I go for cast iron, because it is what would have been used, do I go for plastic, because I can't really see it that much to warrant spending the money, and the money I save can be put to sorting my French drain <IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT=""> Of course the weight of plastic against iron is a fitting factor as well, my wife doesn't have that big a set of muscles............................

In my search for peoples ideas, I found some who were thinking of Aluminium, but unfortunately, they haven't said what happened, if it was fitted, how it went, is it still working?

Graham

 

[Anonymous]

Well, guttering may well have been a fairly recent innovation anyhow - and although cast iron is absolutely right on some houses with others I think you can possibly seek alternatives - but NOT placcy, which looks grim and requires far too many fittings etc. Wood and steel have both been used in the past. Alloy we have one small section of pipe which seems OK but not enough of it to tell how well it fares long term.

Strange - great minds etc - I was just about to post details of a system I saw advertised in 'Grand Designs' mag when your post appeared!

I think this could look very good on some homes, and the ability to have in colours could make it very unobtrusive.

Lindab Rainline it's called. Steel. It says it's easy to use and comes with all manner of guarantees - and at a price comparable to plastic.

Worth checking out?


http://www.lindab.co.uk

 

[Anonymous]

Well - I tried the link and got timeout error!

It also says call 0121 585 2780 so if you can't get the website that may help.

Apparently it's the market leader across Scandinavia.

 

[Anonymous]

It's already plastic, so it's not going to look any different to now in most places.
Any chance of a better link, I've searched for 5 minutes to find some info on their site, much longer than I normally give sites, but found one very small piece, even after using their search facility.
Oh well forget that, as you've posted again!!!! 0121, b'ham, easier to drive there and see it than search their site!!!!!!!!!!

Graham

 

[Anonymous]

The pic in GD mag looks very impressive,if you could describe guttering as attractive this is... it says won't crack, warp, discolour need further painting and has no sealants or tape or rivets and it just snaps together...

Placcy is NOT environmentally good either....

I'd give 'em a call anyhow and ask for a brochure.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi marley do a plastic ogee style guttering called classic (no need to paint it if you like black) it can be fixed with internal brackets and joints to look seamless it is also high capacity for larger roof areas . looks like traditional ogee cast iron .
alu costs around £ 15 per meter
plastic costs around £ 5 per meter
it all depends on how much you want to spend ?
if you can afford it go for seamless welded alu

 

[Anonymous]

The photo I posted about French drains turns out to be just the thing. Those gutters and downpipes really are French, photographed bt me in France. Funny what I do on holiday. From my short survey of the French building industry I concluded that 99% of gutters there are galvanised steel, the other 1% being copper. The French don't seem to think much of plastic and cast iron has the disadvantages of being expensive, heavy and going rusty. I was really impressed by their rain goods and by the quality of the workmanship in putting it together. They usually seemed to be designed to cope with very heavy rainfall. While most were the 'natural' zinc colour for a slightly higher price you can buy them in any bright colour of very durable powder coated paint you fancy. That could brighten up a few dull conservation areas. The Greeen Buiding Store sell the Swedish Lindab guuers but I think we should launch an import business for French gutters.

Would your moat not have been primarily for carp?


Lindab from Green Building Store

 

[Anonymous]

We had the same decision to make last month. We had our roof re-tiled (using as many of the original tiles as possible I might add). When the roofer got up there was only one piece of cast iron guttering left on the whole house (we have 3.5 sides with guttering - don't ask....). So as a true custodian we should have replaced with cast, but the price was way too high, and our 'blind' side of roof was covered with asbestos tiles which had to be replaced and blew our roofing budget. We fitted plastic, and justified this by convincing ourselves that a) the 'damage' is not irreversible - cast can be refitted at any date b) we kept the one cast hopper that was left c) the cast piece that was left was beyond repair d) the guttering is 3 stories up and can not really be seen from ground level. So far, this is the only sin that we have committed (oh I forgot about the re-claimed fireplace in the living room, but you have to live in these places too).

 

[Anonymous]

Would you be will to share the information regarding: How many feet/metres of guttering, the total cost of replacement, and whether the job was done with the aid of scaffolding?
I've dithered about changing our gutters (cast iron in 6ft sections) but shied away because of an anticipation of astro costs. But they're dripping all ober the place and showing a lot of rust!

 

[Anonymous]

We've had to take down the guttering on the front of our house before it fell on someone! It was plastic, but not even black to match everyone else's cast iron guttering on our block. We can't replace it until we've repointed the front which we will have to wait for warmer weather. We intend to replace with cast iron, but just the front elevation as that is all that can be seen from the road.

I suppose that because our house is not very tall, and not very wide it won't cost too much - one website we found specialised in cast iron guttering and it started at £22 for a 1.8m length which wasn't as much as I'd been led to beleive.

 

[Anonymous]

We are replacing/repairing cast iron guttering a section at time; we managed to get a special offer price from a local builders merchants - tenner a length I seem to recall - although the downpipes are rather more expensive (fun though as the ones we have have our surname initial cast into them - by chance I add!). May be worth shopping around. There are several manufacturers, and if buying in quantity ask for discount!

As the old stuff was possibly the original (I don't think the house would have had gutters originally) I think it's fair to say cast iron is probably cost effective in the long term, especially if given a good coat of decent paint to begin with. Scaffolding is useful though.

We have a great deal to do as we have a lot of roof(and outhouse roof) but it does look good, especially as we have managed to retain some rather pleasing drive-in spikes which were probably made by the local blacksmith. It just looks right on our house. Although we've done away with hoppers (which can cause problems) we've kept them and I intend to stick on walls with plants in.

However. I liked the look of the Lindab and it did remind me of the French stuff in Biff's pic - so that's a possibility that I think many period property owners hadn't realised existed. I think possibly longer-lasting that plastic and probably better environmentally, too.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheapest I've found is £45 a length. Any clues as to where to find it at your price?

 

[Anonymous]

We got ours at Matthew Charlton Hexham - now part of Jewsons. It was 2004 but I can't believe it's gone up that much!

There are a number of manufacturers - forty five quid sounds very expensive!

 

[Anonymous]

Gutter, rain, oop north
Cast iron
by Evelyn

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Biff!

The upper part of our two-storey gig house (sounds grand - it leans, has a large crack to be stitched, the roof needs fixing...) with NEW cast iron guttering.

It is neat and looks good in the right place.

 

[Anonymous]

Some local authorities will have policies regarding guttering material and colours in CA's - best check before adding anything too unusual and brightly coloured!

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, that was a joke about pretty gutters in a CA. But will David Cameron get permission for a wind turbine on his Conservation Area house in Kensington?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, it would be interesting to know... I think it may not 'conserve and enhance the character and appearance'... and there may be an Article 4, which may not have considered wind turbines of course!

(Yes, I've spent the day mired in the details of PPG15 writing a stiffly-worded objection to planning permission...)

 

[Anonymous]

I was looking at http://www.tuscanfoundry.co.uk, they also do radiators and other things too.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers Sarah, but they are even more expensive!!!!!
Need to do some searching around. Thanks for all the suggestions, will look into them all.

Graham