Decorative Downspouts are becoming more and more popular. Not long ago, most people had never even heard of the concept. Think back to the house your family lived in when you were growing up. Remember playing out in the rain, and hearing the water fall down from the gutter? No decorative downspouts there – just the plain white or earth-tone colors and nothing fancy about them at all. They were only viewed as a purely functional part of the house, and nothing more. If you took a walk down the street, you would see more of the same – people just did not think of “dressing up” that part of their house. The only time you may have seen decorative downspouts would be around the holidays, when there might have been some colorful lights strung around them.

That is now changing – and we are happy to be a part of this growing movement. One of the things we love about this business is that we have the opportunity to communicate with homeowners all across the country. They often tell us that not only are they thinking of ways to have decorative downspouts, but their neighbors are as well. Perhaps in the not too distant future, there may be a street in your neighborhood in which the old, traditional downspouts are actually the exception!

What are some of the reasons that homeowners are discovering decorative downspouts? Of course, each one has their own thinking on this subject, but here are a few ideas:

Affordability – there’s no doubt that decorative downspouts are one of the least expensive ways that you can add some beauty (and functionality) to your home. Sure, you could add a pool, contract for an expensive landscaping project, have pavers installed on your driveway, or a variety of other home improvements. But those things, while nice to have, are all quite costly. Decorating the downspouts around your home certainly will never require you to take out a second mortgage.

Charm – if you have some friends over for a dinner party, there is a good chance that some of them will notice. This is especially true of your decorative downspouts are Rain Chains or some other unusual, unique way of decorating. Since people usually see just the typical outdoor attachments on each corner of the house, something that is different will catch their eye. That will most likely be one of the topics of conversation over dinner that evening!

Functionality – perhaps there has been a recent ice or wind storm, and your original downspouts have become damaged or destroyed. Hail can also wreak havoc on the sheet metal that downspouts are made of. Another possibility is that your home may have never had any downspouts – the water just runs from the end of the gutter right to the ground. In that case, you would not be replacing anything – you would be creating or installing brand new decorative downspouts. They could be bamboo, copper cups, or just rings – they all serve the purpose of transporting the water from the gutter to the ground.

Sales tool – in our current economy, a lot of people are trying to sell their home. If you ask any real estate agent, he or she will tell you that when presenting a home to a potential buyer, it’s the little things that count. Prospective home buyers might look at several homes, but if they are shown your home with the decorative downspouts, there’s a good chance they will remember that. You can make your home stand out from the crowd with this one little added touch – and it could make the difference.