Famous “Jelly Bean” Houses

I landed under a grey sky in colourful St John’s, Newfoundland with autumn approaching. Even on vacation, professional experience requires that a new country being visited automatically includes a market analysis of local gutters. Conclusion: The North Atlantic region certainly deserves a brief description.

Scarcity of Aluminum Gutters

To the despair of my passenger, the first findings appeared to me at the wheel of our rental car    when I exited the highway to get a better view and examine the homes. Rainwater management systems of coastal homes on the Avalon Peninsula are mostly minimalist. Less than 50% of homes in villages with creeks have gutters and a major portion of them use PVC gutters. Even St John’s coves districts manage their water with 4-inch PVC gutters.

Minimalist Installation

Functionality vs. Aesthetics

To the expert eye, a plastic gutter hanging with outside hooks is far from a recommended choice. However, this seems to satisfy owners of these houses who are more likely concerned with water infiltration in their boats. Their often rugged, coastal properties also provide valuable help in removing water from their foundations. The underlying bedrock that is less favourable to flowerbeds and coupled with their relatively mild winters without snow on the ground, significantly reduces their worries about water infiltration. Therefore, they can live easily with open gutters that are rolling or without connectors.

Brown mounts for a white PVC gutter

Why Have Aluminum Gutters Arrived Late?

Building construction in the 2000s has caught up with the delay in gutter installation technology. Most homeowners have opted for 5″ aluminium K profiles, so they’ve made sure they’re more durable. My visits to museums and the number of driving hours to Bonavista have helped me formulate some hypotheses about the causes of this technological shift:

• The high cost of shipping on the large island of Newfoundland has definitely slowed down the creation of gutter installation companies. Transporting an aluminum gutter machine by sea was an expensive investment at the time. The majority of villages that were not serviced by a professional installer had to deal with “do it yourself” products or had to forget about the idea altogether.
• Homeowners who were determined to install gutters then turned to the 10-foot-long (in bulk) gutter. PVC lengths were easier to install and more resistant to shocks sustained during cargo ship transportation, making them the logical choice.

“More or less” spaced aluminum gutters with hooks

Construction Features

In addition to the difference in gutters used, a multitude of other variations such as the bright colours of the houses to break the monotony of the cityscape and octagonal trash bins at the entrance of each yard to help eliminate wind load, are very interesting to discover. How one can be completely taken away in awe within our great country! Follow Mr. Gutters in his other adventures.