You Can Finally Get Rid of Your Poorly Designed Fascia Gutters and Have Regular K-Style Gutters Installed Instead
What are Fascia Gutters / Omni Gutters?
Diagram
Sometimes called fascade gutters, a built in gutter, fascia gutters, or the Omni gutter system, this guttering product was specifically designed for the new construction market to save Chicagoland builders money. The Omni gutter replaces the need for a K-style gutter, a wood fascia board, and aluminum wrap.
Basically the Fascade gutter is an aluminum, flat faced gutter that attaches directly to the roof rafters of a new home. It is generally deeper than a regular gutter so it covers the entire area that would normally be aluminum covered wood fascia. It also has a channel on the rear so soffit panels can be installed directly into it.
There are several problems with this type of design and application. To start, no fascia board is installed at the ends of the roof rafters. A wood fascia holds the roof rafters in place and
The Bottom of the Omni Product Holds the Soffit Panels in Place
keeps the boards from tilting and drifting out of place. In a fascia gutter installation, only the aluminum of the gutter is holding the integrity of the roof rafters in place.
Because of the nature of the extruded aluminum and the fact that the omni gutter is being installed in place of a fascia board, the Fascia gutter can not be pitched to ensure proper water flow. An improperly pitched gutter will cause standing water, ice build up, and poorly functioning gutters.
Repair issues are one of the most frequently complained about aspects of the Omni gutter. If any part of the gutter run is damaged the entire run needs to be replaced, which is the
Top View of Omni System
same for a regular k-style gutter. The issue is the way the gutter is attached to the home and finding someone to actually do the work.
Replacing a fascia gutter requires extra work because you have to remove all of the soffit panes connected between the gutter and the house, you need to detach the fascia covering at each end of the gutter run, and in essence you have to remove the entire fascia of the home. Replacing the gutter is the same time consuming process in reverse.
More difficult than doing the actual work is finding a contractor that will install them. Very few gutter contractors have access to or the experience needed to install a fascia gutter system properly. The Omni gutter system is extruded from stock aluminum coil through a proprietary roll form machine. You can find folks that do install this system but they are few and far between and tend to be very expensive.
And finally, unlike the crown molding look of a traditional k-style gutter, the fascia gutter has a flat front which is less attractive, looks cheap, and takes away from the curb appeal of
The Gutter that Looks like a Fascia. Not Good.
your home.
How to Convert a Fascia Gutter into a Regular Gutter
The conversion process takes place in three stages, removal of the existing Omni gutter system, installing fascia wood and aluminum wrap components, and installing the new gutter system.
After removal of Trough, No Fascia Board.
After the existing fascia gutter is removed you can see that there is no fascia board helping to keep the roof rafters in place. Also note that the fascia gutter needs to be detached from the aluminum covering in order to remove it.
Soffit Panels no longer supported by the bottom of old omni gutter.
Another Picture showing the fascia board is missing. Not having to purchase and install a fascia board saved the builder money at the time, but unfortunately cost the homeowner in the long run.
A new fascia board is installed into the roof rafters. This will stabilize the rafters making the home stronger and gives us a
New Fascia Board is Installed.
platform to attach the new gutters.
The New Board is then wrapped in aluminum covering.
New aluminum fascia covering is installed over the new wood. This serves a few purposes. One it will protect the wood from rotting. Two it gives the home a finished look that needs very little upkeep.
And thirdly, the new aluminum fascia covering holds the existing aluminum soffit panels (that were held by the old gutter) in place. The home is now ready for new gutters to be installed.
New Fascia wrap now supports from of soffit panels
For this house we installed our Gutter Shutter full replacement gutter guard system. This homeowner will have clog free, fully functioning gutters for years to come.
Finally, new gutter system is installed.
Here is the final product. Now instead of a flat fronted fascia gutter that holds water, this home has the crown molding look of a k-style gutter.
You don’t have to live with the ugly, poorly functioning fascia gutters your builder used to save money. Innovative Home Concepts can convert your built in gutters to a traditional k-style gutter system or clog free system like the Gutter Shutter.
Finished Product
