Downspouts & drainage

Downspouts & Drainage That Protect Your Foundation

A gutter only collects water. The downspout and what happens at the bottom of it decide whether that water ends up away from your house or soaking the stucco and slab.

2×3, oversized 3×4 and round downspouts
Extensions, splash blocks and rock swales
Downspouts under canales and scuppers

Call (505) 596-3814Free on-site measure · Written price

Downspout extension carrying monsoon rain away from a stucco wall

Formed on siteSeamless runs cut to your roofline
Free on-site measureExact footage, no guesswork
Written priceNo surprise charges on install day
Pitched & flat roofsGutters, canales and coping

Placement

Where downspouts go matters

Each downspout drains a section of roof, typically 30 to 40 feet of gutter. Too few downspouts and the gutter overflows in a monsoon burst. Downspouts in the wrong place dump water onto walkways, patios, or the corner of the slab.

We place downspouts where the water has somewhere to go: toward a yard, a rock bed or a slope away from the house. Read how many downspouts you need.

At the bottom

Getting water away from the house

Extensions

Rigid or hinged extensions carry water 4 to 10 feet past the foundation.

Downspout with a splash block on river rock

Splash blocks

Concrete or stone blocks spread the flow so it does not dig a hole at the wall.

Rock drainage swale carrying runoff away from a home

Rock swales

River-rock channels carry water across the yard, perfect for xeriscape.

Bigger downspouts

Oversized 3×4 downspouts

A standard 2×3 downspout handles most roofs. But where a valley sends a large part of the roof to one corner, or on a big two-story home, a 3×4 downspout moves almost twice as much water and is much harder to clog.

We often pair 6-inch gutters with 3×4 downspouts on large homes in North Albuquerque Acres, Four Hills and Los Ranchos.

Installer running a hose through new gutters to test drainage

Stucco

Why New Mexico homes need this most

Stucco walls wick water up from wet soil, and water splashing at the base stains and cracks the bottom of the wall. Expansive clay soils in parts of the metro swell when soaked and can move slabs and footings.

Keeping roof water at least four feet from the foundation is one of the simplest ways to protect both. It costs a fraction of a stucco repair.

Clogged gutter overflowing onto a stucco wall during a storm

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How far should a downspout drain from the house?

At least four feet, and farther where the ground slopes back toward the house.

Can downspouts be buried?

They can be connected to underground drain pipe that outlets downhill. In much of the metro a surface rock swale is simpler and easier to keep clear.

Can you add downspouts under a canale?

Yes, with a scupper box or conductor head. See canales and scuppers.

What we do