How to Install Gutter Drains Around the House

Unscrew the brackets holding your old gutters in place. Remove the gutters and lay them out on the ground next to your new gutters. Use the old gutters as a template to cut your new gutters to size. If you're installing gutters for the first time, measure the fascia boards around your house beneath the roof eaves. This is where you will install your new gutter drainage system.

Slide the end caps over the ends of each gutter. Affix your power drill with a 1/8-inch drill bit. The gutter end caps come with a pre-drilled hole. Locate the hole and drill through it -- making a hole in the gutter. Twist an aluminum rivet into the hole to secure the gutter and its end cap.

Apply a line of gutter seam sealant in the seam where the gutter channel and the end cap meet. Gutter seam sealant further secures the two pieces and prevents your seams from leaking.

Measure the height of your home's fascia board. Snap a chalk line across the fascia board marking the bottom of each gutter. The gutter channel must slope downward 1 inch every 20 feet. For example, if you have a 10-inch fascia board that is 40 feet long and 5-inch gutters, you must snap a chalk line 5 inches from the bottom of the fascia board for the first 20 feet and connect it to a chalk line 4 inches from the bottom of the fascia board for the remaining 20 feet.

Clip fascia shim over the gutter channel's edges at 2-foot intervals.

Position the screw housing inside the gutter channel adjacent to the fascia shim. Drill a screw through the opposite side of the gutter channel through the screw housing and into the shim. Your housing screws should exceed the width of the gutter channel by about 2 inches. For example, a 5-inch gutter channel requires 7-inch housing screws.

Affix a hole saw attachment to your power drill. Measure the gutter connector for your downspout. Transfer the measurement to the sloping end of your gutter channel with a permanent marker. Drill the hole. Even out the hole's edges with sheet metal shears.

Position the gutter channel over the chalk line on the fascia. The bottom of the gutter must line up perfectly with the chalk line. Screw the gutter channels into the fascia.

Fit the downspout connector into the hole in the gutter channel from above. Secure the downspout connector with four sheet metal screws. Caulk the connector's seams with aluminum sealant.

Slide an elbow joint over the connector. Secure the elbow joint with a sheet metal screw on one side. Screw a second elbow joint against the house beneath the fascia. Measure the distance between the two elbow joints. Cut a length of downspout to bridge the gap with a circular saw.

Attach the ends of the downspout to each elbow joint with sheet metal screws. Measure the distance from the second elbow joint to the ground. Subtract 6 inches from your measurement and cut a second length of downspout. Attach the downspout to the second elbow joint with sheet metal screws.