Gutter separating from house. No need to fix?!

[JEDI]

A friend of mine owns a townhouse.
I noticed that his gutter in the backyard is separating from his house.

there's a couple of inches of space between the center of the gutter and the house.

I suggested that he get it fixed. He said the roof overhang is long enough such that he doesn't need to worry about water seeping back into his basement.

The rainwater hits about 3 feet from his house. (The dirt line in the grass.)

I think he's wrong and this could cause major problems long term.
Or is he right?

 

[feralkid]

He's right to cock-punch you for being a know-it-all.

 

[master_shake_]

it will cause problems.

his fascia is more than likely rotted and needs to be replaced.

happened to my house.

 

[sdifox]

Just hammer it back in. As in the nails.

 

[iRONic]

He's right to cock-punch you for being a know-it-all.

This.

 

[NetWareHead]

Your friend is wrong, the gutter needs to be fixed plain and simple. You don't ever want roof runoff next to your foundation. It is obvious that the distance between the roof and gutter is too great as evidenced by the dirt line in the second pic.

Does your friend have problems with icing on the roof or gutters in the winter? Only thing I can think of that would cause extra weight to separate the gutter from the roof.

 

[Markbnj]

Of course it needs to be fixed. There is usually an inch or so of overhang so water drops into the gutter rather than running down the fascia, but in any case the issue here is less the gutter than why it pulled away. If there is rot up there then its only going to get worse.

 

[JEDI]

it will cause problems.

his fascia is more than likely rotted and needs to be replaced.

happened to my house.

what kind of problems?

as for the fascia being rotten away, is that why the gutter separated?

 

[JEDI]

Your friend is wrong, the gutter needs to be fixed plain and simple. You don't ever want roof runoff next to your foundation. It is obvious that the distance between the roof and gutter is too great as evidenced by the dirt line in the second pic.

Does your friend have problems with icing on the roof or gutters in the winter? Only thing I can think of that would cause extra weight to separate the gutter from the roof.

Of course it needs to be fixed. There is usually an inch or so of overhang so water drops into the gutter rather than running down the fascia, but in any case the issue here is less the gutter than why it pulled away. If there is rot up there then its only going to get worse.

in northern va, it snowed heaviliy this past winter. (and maybe last winter too?)
the gutters in front of his house is fine though.

 

[lozina]

crazy glue

 

[WilliamM2]

I've never had gutters on my house at all, and not a drop of water in the basement ever. House turns 40 years old this year. Most houses around here don't, it's a wooded area, and those that have them are clogged most of the year, or ripped off in the winter. No thanks.

And the fascia won't rot if it's clad in aluminum or vinyl. I've never seen a modern home that wasn't.

 

[Markbnj]

in northern va, it snowed heaviliy this past winter. (and maybe last winter too?)
the gutters in front of his house is fine though.

Yeah winters can suck in the melty lattitudes. All that ice and snow builds up in the gutters. It could definitely just have been weight. Still needs to be repaired, though.

 

[MrPickins]

And the fascia won't rot if it's clad in aluminum or vinyl. I've never seen a modern home that wasn't.

I rarely see anything other than painted wood fascias here in Texas.

 

[WilliamM2]

I rarely see anything other than painted wood fascias here in Texas.

Well it is Texas...

Do they at least put drip edge on the roof?

 

[MrPickins]

Well it is Texas...

By that I'm assuming you mean "It's a semi-arid climate".

Do they at least put drip edge on the roof?

Yeah, that's standard.

 

[BoomerD]

Nah...tell him to leave it along. It should come down by itself next winter. Then he can just replace the whole thing and fix any damages it causes when it rips off the house.

 

[notposting]

Also, no reason for snow and ice to take gutters down if they are installed properly. Not like everyone up here where it snows loses theirs every winter. The gutters should be low enough that if ice forms and slides down it will miss them. Should have proper ventilation and insulation in the attic too, helps prevent ice formation.

Anyway JEDI, you tried. He's an idiot. Just try not smile too smugly in a couple years when he is complaining about the rotted fascias or water in the basement or whatever (well, not until he leaves, then laugh your ass off).

 

[RossMAN]

He's right to cock-punch you for being a know-it-all.

feralkid for Elite!

 

[Red Squirrel]

If that causes water to go in his basement, he has much bigger problems, such as crappy foundation seal and/or blocked weeping tiles. You should be able to unleash a firehose there and not have water go in the basement. That said, the gutters in their current form will cause issues such as damage to the lawn in that area, and possibly the fascia. It's probably not that hard to fix, so it's better to just do it. He may also be missing the drip edge, which is sorta like a piece of flashing that gets slid under the shingles and lets water drip off it and into the gutters. If the gutters are securely fascened and just have a gap, this may be the fix needed.