Whether you’re replacing gutters or adding them to your roof for the first time, choosing your guttering material is a big decision. Across Florida, homeowners use aluminum gutters to protect both their roofs and their homes’ foundations. But is this the right guttering material for your home?
PITCH Roofing is here to help you decide. As veteran Florida roofers, we know that each home has different needs. That’s why we’re going over the good and the bad of installing aluminum gutters, so you can know that you’re making the right decision for your property. To start off, let’s talk about some of the advantages of installing aluminum gutters.
Pros of Aluminum Gutters in Florida
Florida has high roofing standards, and that extends to gutters as well. In addition to occasional bouts of hurricane-force winds, Florida’s year-round humidity and UV exposure can also do a real number on your roof. Now, let’s look at how aluminum gutters stand up to these local roofing concerns!
Lightweight & Durable
Among metals, aluminum is renowned for being lightweight without sacrificing strength or durability. This makes it a great guttering material, since less weight pulling down your gutters will make it easier for them to stay in place long term.
Aluminum is also great at resisting high winds and UV rays. In other words, it’s perfectly suited for Florida’s unpredictable weather patterns. Additionally, there is one particular area where aluminum shines: rust resistance.
If you live near Florida’s coastline, then rust can be a real problem with metal roofing materials. However, aluminum is naturally immune to rust. This means that even with coastal salt air, your gutters will stay strong for decades to come. In a place where nobody knows what’s going to happen with the weather, having that kind of peace of mind is worth a lot.
Great Longevity
When you’re getting new gutters, you expect them to last. And with aluminum gutters, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Standard vinyl gutters are good for about 10 to 20 years in Florida, but aluminum can do better than hardened PVC.
On average, aluminum gutters last 20 to 30 years in Florida. The exact number will depend on the local weather, timely maintenance, and the overall state of your roof. But across the board, homeowners choose aluminum gutters because they know that their gutters will stay strong for a very long time.
Wide Color Selection
When people think of aluminum gutters, they imagine a highly reflective, silver-colored material. While this is certainly an option, it’s not your only choice. Aluminum gutters can come pre-painted in virtually any color you can imagine, which allows them to seamlessly fit into your home’s aesthetic.
In this way, you can get the strength of metal gutters without that distinctive, metallic look. Homeowners should note that paint can scratch over time, so your gutters may need to be repainted in their lifetime. Even with this limitation, you can still expect years of pristine aesthetics before noticing any degradation in the paint.
Cons of Aluminum Gutters in Florida
No roofing material is perfect, and that includes aluminum. As a homeowner, your job is to balance the good and the bad to make the right decision for your property. And we’re here to help you do exactly that! Let’s see what drawbacks you should be aware of before installing aluminum gutters.
Dents & Distortions
With aluminum gutters, denting is a real possibility. While aluminum is strong, it’s a relatively soft metal, which means that it dents easier than other gutter materials like galvanized steel. In Florida, this means that the occasional hailstorm or flying storm debris could leave a mark on your aluminum gutters.
While this is hardly ideal, it’s important to note that dents are only an aesthetic concern, not a structural one. Nobody wants to see visible denting on their gutters, but you can at least be confident that minor dents should not disrupt the function of your guttering system.
Expands and Contracts
With any metal roofing material, it is naturally going to expand and contract with the sun’s heat. But aluminum is especially reactive to extreme temperatures. When temperature fluctuations happen, these expansions and contractions can cause cracks to appear in your gutters.
These cracks can quickly turn into leaks, which will require replacing the damaged section of aluminum guttering. Thankfully, Florida does not experience extreme weather fluctuations very often. But this is still a possibility that homeowners should be aware of before committing to aluminum gutters.
Cost of Aluminum Gutters in Florida
Calculating the cost of aluminum gutters is a challenge. Not only will the exact number depend on the size and state of your roof, but there are many other factors to consider, like whether you’ll get seamless or sectioned gutters and what shape your gutters will be cut into.
That said, we can still give you some rough pricing guidelines without these details. Aluminum gutters are generally considered to be an affordable gutter material, albeit not quite so cheap as vinyl gutters. On average, aluminum gutters cost $7 to $14 per linear foot in Florida.
While this is a good place to start, there is no substitute for clear pricing information that’s tailored to your property. To get that, all you need to do is sign up from a free, no-obligation gutter installation cost estimate from PITCH!
Get a Free Gutter Installation Quote
Whether you’re sold on aluminum gutters or you’re still weighing your options, PITCH can help you take the next step. When you get a roofing quote with us, we’ll prepare rates for any material options you’re considering. There is no better way to compare your options apples to apples!
To get your quote, call us at 727-677-4824 or fill out our contact form. We’ll personally measure your roof and go over your options with you to help you plan out your gutter installation. This process provides you with an itemized estimate that leaves no room for hidden costs or fees!
Deciding whether or not to get aluminum gutters is important, but picking your roofers is just as important. PITCH Roofing is a locally owned and operated roofing company with a dedicated crew of experienced contractors. Reach out today and let us show you what a big difference Roofing Done Right can make!
Heather Ware is an In-House Roofing Specialist at PITCH Roofing. Working daily alongside our internal roofing teams, she translates complex Florida building codes and roofing techniques into clear, actionable advice for homeowners. With 4 years of experience in the Florida roofing industry, her goal is to ensure property owners have the exact facts they need to protect their investments.
