Design details: guttering

Rebecca Foster explains how the right rainwater goods can boost your home’s kerb appeal

Your home’s rainwater system is crucial to its kerb appeal

As well as playing a practical role in taking rainwater away from your home’s structural fabric, guttering can have big impact on the look of your property. An eaves system is the classic setup for most UK houses, where the collecting channels are positioned along the bottom edge of a pitched roof. Alternatively, hidden arrangements – often known as secret or box gutters – can help to achieve a sleek contemporary effect.

With an eaves setup, the conduits are surface-mounted to the fascia boards. Profiles range from the classic half-round shape (with deep flow options if you need extra watercarrying capacity) to more decorative ogee options, where the curved edge of the pipe forms an elongated S shape. Square versions can suit contemporary-style architecture.

There’s plenty of choice in terms of materials, whether you’re looking for something to contrast with your home’s exterior or complement it. Available in an array of hues and profiles, PVCU is the most common type of guttering used in the UK. It can be moulded into any shape and is often chosen to mimic other materials, such as cast iron (though it won’t suit sensitive schemes). If you’re not restrained by budget, galvanised steel is a striking option and can be used to form a standout design detail. It offers a service life of 40+ years and needs little upkeep. Copper and zinc are eye-catching alternatives and are ideal if you’re looking for a rainwater system with plenty of visual allure. Aluminium is also a popular choice, largely thanks to the lightweight nature of the material. It can be powder-coated in any colour of your choice, so you can easily match the guttering to windows and door frames to establish a coherent look. Cast iron is typically used for heritage properties. It is incredibly hardwearing and offers a service life of 50+ years – and probably more.

If you’re creating a new home from scratch, details of your rainwater system will need to be included in the application you submit to the local planning department. If you’re renovating or extending, changes to guttering are usually classed as permitted development (PD). The exception to this is if you live in a conservation area or listed property, in which case you may need to seek formal permission for alterations.

Above: Polypipe’s Elegance Colour range is available in 11 hues to allow a personalised look. The hand-applied colour coating is infused with anti-chip technology, and is available with a matt or cast iron-style finish The owners of this Cotswolds home, designed by Miller + Howard Workshop, were keen to install a guttering setup that blended beautifully with the rest of the exterior materials palette. Zinc was chosen to match the roof, as well as for its ability to complement the stone facade and larch cladding

Lightweight and low-maintenance, aluminium is a practical and attractive choice for rainwater goods. This house, developed by Fleming Homes, features a setup supplied by Marley Alutec. The silver hue of the metal forms a striking contrast to the timber cladding that’s been used to cover the building

Daly Martin Williams Architects helped put together the design for this concealed zinc guttering setup, which is positioned in a small gulley behind the external cladding to establish a sleek, fuss-free look

Originating in Japan, the rain chain provides an unusual twist on the traditional downpipe. This copper design was chosen for its ability to bring an additional aesthetic flourish to the porch of this contemporary oak frame home, which was built by Oakwrights

This traditional-style cast iron setup was supplied by Rainclear. Available in halfround, Victorian ogee or moulded profiles, it oozes character and is an attractive choice for period properties. It is priced from £32.59 per 6ft length, ready to install