Do I need gutters on my garage?
Why attached garages need them
- Foundation: the garage wall usually shares footing and grade with the house, so water at the garage is water at the house.
- Garage door and slab: runoff over the door splashes the bottom seal, rots wood trim, and can push water under the door onto the slab.
- Driveway and walkways: water sheeting off over the apron erodes edges and makes for slippery entries.
- Roof direction: if the garage roof sheds toward the driveway, gutters there matter most; a gable end facing the driveway sends water to the sides instead.
Detached garages and sheds
Look at roof size, soil and what is downhill. A large detached garage on Georgia clay will cut an erosion trench along its drip line and can undermine its own slab edge. A small shed on a gravel pad may be fine without. If a neighbor, a retaining wall or a walkway sits downhill, controlling the water is worth it.
Rain barrels and rain gardens
Garage gutters are an easy source for a rain barrel or a rain garden, since the roof is low and the downspout is easy to redirect. Just keep the overflow pointed away from foundations.
Matching the house
Garage gutters should match the house in style and color, and if the house has guards and the garage sits under the same trees, the garage needs them too. Low garage roofs also catch debris washing down from the taller roofs above them. See gutter sizing, seamless gutters and guards and trees and your roof.