Half-round and copper gutters for Portland homes

Why half-round on a Portland house

Most of Irvington, Laurelhurst, Alameda, Ladd's Addition, Sellwood and the older streets of Northwest Portland went up between 1905 and 1940, and nearly all of it had half-round gutters hung on rod-and-circle brackets. Some houses still have them. The good news is that half-round is not a worse gutter. It has no inside corners for needles to lodge in, the curved bottom carries debris to the outlet instead of holding it, and it is easier to clean by hand. The bad news is that most original half-round systems have two problems: outlets that were punched at 2 inches, and eighty years of hangers pulling out of fascia.

The three half-round options

Aluminum half-round (typically about $14–$22 per foot installed): 5-inch or 6-inch profile in a heavy gauge, in standard colors or a factory-painted copper look. Hung on rod-and-circle or fascia brackets, with round or corrugated downspouts. This is the practical choice for most craftsman homes.

Galvanized steel half-round (typically about $16–$26 per foot): what the original was, and the right answer where a historic district or a purist owner wants it. Needs paint every ten years or so in this climate.

Copper half-round (typically about $38–$60 per foot): no paint, no rust, and a lifespan of 60 years or more. It turns brown in the first year and green over a decade or two in Portland's damp air. The copper gutters Portland homeowners choose are the most expensive gutter on this site and the only one that reliably outlives the house's next two roofs.

Sizing an old profile properly

The reason so many people think half-round gutters overflow is the outlet. A 5-inch half-round holds roughly the same water as a 5-inch K-style, but the original outlets were sized for a 3-inch round downspout at best — and often a 2-inch tube feeding a downspout that has since been crushed or painted shut. A sound job cuts outlets to fit a 3-inch or 4-inch round downspout, adds a downspout on runs over 35 feet, and hangs the gutter with a real pitch. Done that way, a half-round handles Portland rain and fir needles better than the K-style that replaced it.

Repairing original systems

If the old gutters are galvanized and sound, they can usually be re-hung, re-pitched, resoldered or resealed at the joints, with new outlets and downspouts, and painted. If they are rusted through along the bottom, it is time to replace — patching a rust line lasts a season. Copper originals almost never need more than a resolder at the joints and new hangers.

What it costs on a typical bungalow

A single-story craftsman with about 130 feet of gutter and four round downspouts typically runs $1,900–$3,000 in aluminum half-round, $2,200–$3,500 in galvanized, and $5,200–$8,000 in copper. Fascia repair, which is common on these houses, is a separate line. See the pricing page for how that compares to K-style.

Choosing who does the work

Half-round and copper take different skills from standard K-style: soldering, bending rod-and-circle hangers, and cutting round outlets cleanly. Ask any contractor for photos of half-round or copper jobs they have done, ask whether joints will be soldered or sealed, and look up their license on the Oregon Construction Contractors Board website before hiring. If you live in a historic district, check with the City of Portland about any design review that applies before you choose a profile or color.

Half-round is still a gutter — the same repair rules and the same twice-a-year cleaning apply.

What to check on an original system

Before you decide to keep or replace an old half-round, look closely at four things. A pair of binoculars and a dry afternoon are enough for most of it.

1. The bottom of the trough. Brown streaks or bubbled paint along the bottom of galvanized steel usually mean rust from the inside. Copper should show an even brown or green, with no holes.
2. The hangers. Rod-and-circle brackets should hold the gutter snug. A gutter that sways in the wind, or sits away from the fascia, has loose or broken hangers.
3. The outlets. Look up from below at each downspout. A small round hole the size of a garden hose fitting is the original 2-inch outlet, and it is the likely reason the run overflows.
4. The fascia. Old-growth fir behind an old gutter is often sound, but test it with a screwdriver at the corners and outlets, where water sits longest.

If the metal is sound and only the outlets and hangers are tired, the original system is usually worth saving.

Caring for copper and half-round

Copper needs very little. Clean it by hand twice a year like any gutter, and leave the patina alone; scrubbing it bright just starts the color change over. Keep zinc moss strips and some roof treatments away from bare copper, or ask the roofer how they interact, since some metals and chemicals stain each other. Galvanized half-round needs a coat of paint every decade or so, and the inside of the trough benefits from a gutter coating when it is repainted. Aluminum half-round needs nothing beyond cleaning.

On all three, the round shape makes hand-cleaning quicker, because nothing hides in a square corner. Under heavy fir, plan on the same three visits a year that a K-style would need.

Mistakes on half-round jobs

• Keeping the 2-inch outlets. A new gutter on an old outlet overflows just like the old one did.
• Mixing metals. Copper hangers on galvanized gutter, or steel screws in copper, can corrode where the metals meet. Ask that fasteners match the gutter.
• Square downspouts on a round gutter. It works, but it looks wrong on a period house. Round or corrugated round downspouts suit the profile.
• Sealing copper joints instead of soldering. Sealant on copper fails years before the metal does.
• Hanging it level. Half-round needs the same steady fall toward its outlets as any other gutter.

Questions to ask before you hire

• Can you show me photos of half-round or copper work you have done?
• Will the joints be soldered or sealed?
• What hangers will you use, and what are they made of?
• What size will the outlets and downspouts be?
• Is fascia repair priced per foot on the estimate?
• What is your CCB number?

Get the answers on a written estimate. On a job of this size, a clear scope is worth more than a quick price.