Remove clogged rain gutters

The worst misconception about the way to handle rain run-off from a roof is spelled GUTTERS.

I suffered the bad effects of rain gutters for about 40 years before I decided everyone else was crazy and I paid to have nearly all mine removed. By doing so, I ended decades of frustration and most basement dampness.

People who insist on installation of gutters - including building-code designers - are full of it and I have a house and a basement to prove it. Most of my roof run-off problems ended when I found the courage to have the gutters on my house de-installed.

The problem was that gutters got clogged and all they did after that was to pour rainwater off the roof into one giant river. Don't tell me about those screens to keep out the leaves. Don't tell me about those little doodads you stick down into the opening for the downspout. Don't tell me about climbing up two stories in winter to unclog all this crap. And don't even tell me about those rain water dispersal things you can install under the eves. You don't need any of this.

All you need to do is to let the water run off the edges of the roof evenly, naturally. When it hits the ground it is so widely dispersed that you probably won't notice. If it isn't, then you may need an outward-sloping concrete or hard-packed limestone base beside your foundation, or some other water diversion device. Whatever it takes to keep you from having to haul out your ladder in dead of winter to clear the ice dams and frozen leaves is going to be far more valuable than rain gutters.

To ensure that roof run-off is evenly dispersed you can, for instance, plant ferns, hostas and especially low-growing evergreens at ground level under the roof line. Not only will you have a natural and pretty and inexpensive dispersal mechanism, the roots will also help hold soil in place and prevent percolation through the soil near basement walls.