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April 24, 2012
Through archeological digs, it has been discovered that some ancient communities had elaborate gutter and water-collection systems designed to channel rainwater into storage for drinking and bathing. Nowadays, gutters are built on houses to simply drain water off a roof. Whether you are looking at building gutters or gutter repair maryland, Florida, or Montana–the climate of the area doesn’t matter–gutters have a history that you might find interesting.
It is popular knowledge that the Romans created the first drainage system. There is proof from a building dating from AD 47 that the Romans introduced their drainage systems to the United Kingdom.
Some of the original gutters were made of wood. At first old growth cedar was used, then new cedar or hemlock coated with zinc. The zinc helped them last longer.
The Norman invasion of England instigated a massive redesign of English buildings. The bigger buildings had stone roofs and parapets that lead to gutters and gargoyles that expelled the rainwater.
Later, during the Middle Ages, cramped housing and mediocre building materials made roofing issues a constant issue. Apparently, there are an abundance of public records of complaints about gutters from this era.
During Henry VIII rule of England, as an attack on Papal power, there was a great dissolution of monasteries. This actually provided large quantities of recycled lead and created an abundance of roofing parts. A lot of these parts and materials were then used in construction of the bigger, more ornate private homes.
World War II sped up the development of plastics and aluminum. In the 1960’s, seamless aluminum gutters were invented and the gutter machine was developed. The gutter machine holds a roll of aluminum (gutter coil) at one end, and spits out a formed gutter at the other end. The formed gutter can be cut to any length and custom fit to the home on site. Seamless gutters are stronger and leak proof.
Throughout history, gutters in one design or another, made out of one material or another, have always served one purpose: to keep water off and protect your roof.
