We have been getting a lot of rain lately, and I got to wondering: What would happen if I were to take the rain gutters off of my house? (I don’t intend to.) Besides redirecting the rain so that it doesn’t fall on people leaving the house, is there a good reason to have them?
Without them, water running of the roof could pool up around the foundation of your house, possibly damaging it. It could also seep into your basement (if you have one).
Aside from directing the water away from people knocking on your door which is a good thing (Jehova’s witnesses exempted of course) the gutters and down spouts direct the water away from the foundation of your house. This prevents leaky basements and/or soggy foundations also a good thing.
They’re for preventing water from collecting against the foundation of the house, which could cause shifting and cracking. That is why the downspouts have the curve at the bottom (and often an extension) to send the collected water away from the house.
Our garage doesn’t have them. There are small trenches about 3 inches deep on each side. That’s it.
Insert smack smilie here
Wow, you guys jumped all over this one like a pack of wolverines. Amazing how fast you can get answers here.
I always thought the kept leaves & pine needles from collecting on the edge of the house.
This can also happen if the downspout (hiding behind a bush) gets disconnected by winter winds, and you fail to check it before the advent of spring rains. 
Our house didn’t have a gutter over the deck when we bought it. Not only was the wood of the deck damaged, but the water splashed up on the siding of the house where it met the deck, and damaged that too. :mad:
The gutters are the place where the leaves pine needles gather. You can put some wire mesh over the gutters to keep them out, but let the water in.
And, when things go wrong with them, (clogged with leaves or ice dams) they keep roofers in business by allowing water to get under the roof shingles and rot the roof decking. (A rather sensitive subject with my mother and her house)
Actually, that is more of an unfortunate side effect requiring you to climb up there and clean them out so they are not clogged. You will not this is not their intended purpose by the large number of different brand of gutter guards, basically mesh coverings that prevent needles and leaves from entering the gutters.
I was being a smartass in a round about sort of way…particularly because I’m **not ** keen on cleaning the damn things and I’m too cheap to invest in those doohickeys that keep such treasures out of the gutters.
I recall seeing a “new wave” style of gutter that wasn’t solid. It was a series of rail-like fixtures that ran parallel to the house. The theory was based on water adhesion. As the water ran down the roof and into the gutter, it would cling to the rails (which were mounted on the slightest angle) and run down to the downspout area.
When leaves and other crud gathered in them, you get use a water hose to blast them clean.
To expand on what others have said – houses are made (usually) of wood. Wet wood rots and attracts insects. This means that once you become a homeowner, you become locked in a combat with moisture. The drier you can keep your house, the happier you will be.
Gutters not only keep the water away from the foundation – they keep water from pooling on window sills and foundation sill plates.
I’m an owner of an old house that previously did not have gutters, so I know all this by bitter experience.
This might be true in your part of the world, but not so in other places, and those other places have rain gutters. (Although excessive dampness in the walls of even a brick or stone building can cause problems)
One of the purposes of gutters here (UK) is (actually, was) to collect rainwater and deliver it to the sewers to keep them flowing, but I believe this isn’t the case any more and modern houses are expected to have their own soakaway arrangements for rainwater.
I have this exact problem. And now I get to reside at least part of my house, because I don’t think I’m supposed to be able to see the insulation through the siding.
Now come on… have you ever seen wire mesh that would keep out pine needles?
They just plug the wire mesh and more pine needles pile up from behind them.
I have a lot of experience from pine needles with several very large pine trees around our house. I have recently installed some special made perforated flat aluminum plates from Alcoa… they are guaranteed not to plug, so far they are working.
Wolverines travel in packs?!
I did not know that . . .