How to DIY Install Gutters on a Small House

Having gutters installed on a home can get expensive quick. But if you’ve ever lived without gutters, you know the experience of getting dripped on as you enter your home is no bueno. Our Front Cabin was missing gutters. I’ve been dripped on one too many times and decided, like most projects here at One Hundred Acres Home, that, gosh-darn-it, I am going to DIY install gutters on this house myself. This post will show you the steps, tips, and tricks to DIY install gutters one a small one-story home.

Below is a photo of the front cabin before gutters. It did have a rain-stop angle along the eave at the front door that you can see in the photo below. That helped diver the rain but also collected a lot of debris which can lead to rot.

Last summer I replaced the roof. Below is a photo of the new “cool” roof with Shasta White shingles. I haven’t made a post about this roof, but it’s basically a repeat of what I did on the Main House. You can check out details on how to DIY replace your own asphalt shingle roof here.

I’ve already started to test-fit a section of gutter along the front in the photo below.

With the new roof, I also installed a proper drip edge along the roof edges. Below is a photo of the drip edge without a gutter. This is actually on the She Shed, but it’s exactly what’s installed along the front house as well. Now I will install gutters so they slip under the drip edge. More on that later.

DIY Splice Gutter Sections:

DIY installing gutters means I have to work with the gutter sections I could find at my local hardware store. Home Depot near me sells 10 foot sections of white aluminum gutters. That eave section is about 16 feet length. So, I’ll need to connect, or splice, two sections of gutters together.

Below is a photo of the overlap splice length I’ll use to connect the two gutter sections. You can see they overlap about 3 inches.

Next, I cut the very top lip of one side along the slice length as you can see in the photo below. I used tin-snips to cut the aluminum gutter and a black sharpie to mark my cut length.

With that upper lip cut, overlap the two gutter sections together by sliding the remaining lip over the cut section. Next we want to properly connect the two sections with small rivets. Below is a photo of the hand rivet tool I use and the 1/8 inch diameter white aluminum rivets.

You’ll need to first drill holes with an 1/8″ drill into the gutter sections. Then insert the rivet into the hole as you can see in the photo below. I already have three rivets installed at the gutter splice. Let’s install the last one along the back.

Below you can see the leg of the rivet still sticking out of the gutter slice. The leg goes into the rivet gun or tool. The rivet tool grabs that leg. When you compress the tool, it compresses the rivet head by pulling the leg out. It is really very easy and does not take a lot of strength.

Below are two installed rivets at the front of the gutter splice. I put two more in for good measure after this. So be aware, the gutter slice is somewhat visible. But once I put this up along the roof edge, I really don’t notice the splice unless I’m looking for it.

DIY Install Gutters End Cap:

We need to do a few other things before we can DIY install the gutters on the roof eave. The fist thing to do is cut the spliced gutter to length to fit the roof eave. Then install gutter end caps. Below is the photo of an end cap where you can see it fits the shape of the gutter. You need a “right” end cap and a “left” end cap, one for each end as they are the reverse of each other.

When you finalize the size of your gutter make sure to account for the end cap length to extend beyond the drip edge. Below is a photo of the end cap fit up in the gutter. The end cap is about 3/8 inch thick.

Before connecting the end cap to the gutter, add a bead of Seamermate, gutter caulking, or silicone caulk along the grove of the end cap before fitting it on the gutter end.

Secure the end cap with rivets. I installed one at the front at one at the back. Put a few more if you like! Below you can see the rivet at the front.

Below is a photo of the full spliced gutter with end caps each end. The slice is near the center. There is still more to do before we hang the gutter.

DIY Install Gutters Drain Hole & Connector

Before we attach the gutter to the house, we need to install the downspout hole and connector piece. Below is a photo where I am using an elbow connector to line up where exactly I want the downspout. The elbow will connect the gutter to the vertical downspout.

I used light pencil marks to mark on the gutter where I wanted the downspout hole. Then I punctured through the marked area and cut out the hole with tinsnips as seen below. I used a 3-piece set of tinsnips that allowed me to cut straight or more circular right or left.

Next I test-fit the hole with the downspout piece. I had to adjust my hole size a few times to get the downspout piece set nicely in the hole.

Below is a picture from the inside of the gutter looking down on the drain or downspout connector piece.

To attached the connector piece to the gutter, I used some gutter sealant called Seamermate around the hole.

With a bead of sealant in place, I pressed the connector in place. You can also install a few rivets through the connector holes for a solid attachment. Below you can see the connector as it extends from the gutter hole. Its not a perfectly clean cut, but the downspout gutter will hide most of it.

Attach Gutter to Roof Eave:

Now that the downspout connector is in place, let’s attach the gutter to the roof eave! Gutters are easily and solidly attached by using a gutter hanger seen in the photo below. The hanger hooks under the far lip of the gutter to keep it from opening up and screws through the back of the gutter into the wood rim board and rafters.

Next I did one final fit-up test of the gutter by sliding in in place under the roof drip edge. Here I can also mark along the gutter where I want to the hangers so they connect into rafters.

Unfortunately, the gutter hangers conflict with the drip edge. I want the gutter to slide under the drip edge but the hangers get in the way. So, I need to notch the drip edge at the hanger connectors. Notch the drip edge by making tin snip cuts and then bend the drip edge up. I spaced the connectors at about 24″ and aligned them with the roof rafters. Below is a photo of the notched drip edge.

Before you screw the gutter hangers in place, make sure your gutter is sloped to drain correctly!!! This is imporant or your gutter will be holding water.

Once everything is set, screw the gutter hangers though the gutter to the roof framing. Below is a closer view photo of the gutter, hangers, and drip edge. My husband is hard at work screwing the gutter hangers in place.

Below is another view of the notched drip edge and gutter hangers along our newly installed gutter, woohoo!

DIY Install Gutters Downspout:

Last but not least for our DIY install gutters, we need a gutter downspout. In the photo below, you can see the gutter is in place. I’m going to use some elbow pieces to connect the gutter to a downspout that runs along the porch column. From there, the gutter will run under the porch framing, but that will be covered in another blog post.

Below I placed an elbow piece at the gutter downspout connector and am measuring the length of downspout pipe I will need before the 2nd elbow piece at the porch column.

The I simply cut a section of downspout pipe with a hacksaw as you can see in the photo below.

Connect the gutter downspout pieces together with gutter screws. Take a close look at the photo below. You can see the upper sections are inset into the lower sections. This keeps the water flowing and from leaking out the section joints.

Next I cut a downspout pipe section at the porch column and connected it with a 2nd elbow to the downspout system.

You can secure the downspout posts with downspout brackets as seen in the photo below.

Below is a photo of the fully DIY install gutters and downspout at the covered porch. Check out the next blog post to see how I finished the downspout pipes below the front porch.