Rain gutters, also called downspouts, are very important to have at your home. They are there to prevent rain from dripping onto the side of your house. As useful as rain gutters are though, they can look boring and can make your house look drab. Thankfully, there are some solutions. Today I will be going over some easy ways to make rain gutters look more aesthetically pleasing. From rain chains to landscaping underneath rain gutters, these ideas will most likely inspire you to make your rain gutters have more curb appeal.
How to Blend Rain Gutters into Your Landscaping
Sometimes all you need to do to make your rain gutters look nice is landscape around it. There are so many different ways you can landscape around rain gutters. One such way is to add rocks underneath it, and have the rain drip down from the rocks. This will make it look like a waterfall or a river. Of course, planting trees and plants around your rain gutters improves your curb appeal. Not only does it look nice, but the rain will come down and water your plants. Here are some creative ways to landscape around your rain gutters:
Stacked Rocks
These rain gutters look so much more beautiful with the stacked rocks underneath them. In the first picture, it looks natural with the moss growing around the rocks. In the second picture though, pretend insects and mushrooms were added to make it look more creative. Both ideas are nice looking and definitely make your rain gutters look better.
Image Source: Woo Home
Creek Drainage Canal for Rain Gutters
This is another great idea for landscaping around rain gutters. It also allows proper drainage so that there isn’t a large puddle where the rain comes down. The water is suppose to flow down the rocks until it is far away from the house. Because this “canal” looking drainage twists and turns and is not evenly straight, it looks as though it is a river with water flowing down it.
Image Source: Prairiebreak
Plants Planted Around Rain Gutter
If you happen to have the right soil to grow plants and trees, you can make a nice little garden similar to this one. What makes the little garden stand out is the lawn edging, which helps separate the grass from the plants. Right underneath the rain gutter is rocks for drainage. If you don’t have the right soil to make a garden like this one, you could easily make a rock garden by placing rocks in it instead of plants.
Image Source: The Local Shed
Rocks and Plants Under Rain Gutter
The combination of rocks and plants makes this rain gutter look so much nicer. Some of the plants are in pots, but you could easily plant the flowers directly into the soil so that they get watered from the rain that comes down.
Image Source: Tangly Cottage
Using Barrels to Collect Rain
While you may be thinking that a large barrel wouldn’t look nice in your yard, barrels actually create a unique and creative look. You’ll also be collecting free water, which can be used to water plants and trees. If you are thinking of adding a barrel underneath your rain gutter, here are some ideas for you to try:
DIY Wooden Barrel with Flowers
This adorable wooden barrel is a great addition to your yard. The flowers on top make the barrel look extra nice, but even without the flowers this barrel would still give your home a nice curb appeal. You can easily make this wooden barrel by following the tutorial here.
Image Source: HGTV
Giant Stock Tank
Are you wanting your home to stand out and collect free rain water? Try adding this giant stock tank to your yard. Even if you don’t get a stock tank this big, it is a great idea to use a stock tank as a rain barrel. One thing is for certain: You can collect a lot of water in this.
Image Source: Woo Home
Brick Planter Box
Unlike regular rain barrels, this planter box is a box-shaped barrel filled with plants. Instead of collecting water, all the rain that comes down waters your plants.
Image Source: mechanicsburgborough.org
Rain Chains: What Are They and How Do They Work?
You may have heard about rain chains before. If not, you may be wondering what they are. To begin, rain chains are made to attach to your rain gutter, although they can also be attached to the roof or anywhere else where water comes down. They hang down from the rain gutter, and either are a foot or so above the ground or they are anchored to the ground. There are two different types of rain chains: cup style and link style. Both types are effective and can add beauty to your rain gutter. The difference between the cup style and link style is that the cup style collects water like a cup, hence the name, while a link style looks exactly like a chain and cannot collect water.
This leads us to our next question: What do rain chains do? After all, if they cannot collect much water they may not seem to be beneficial. Well, the first beneficial thing about rain chains is that they help direct the water to where you want it to go. As the water comes pouring down, the rain chain helps bring the rain down towards the ground. However, if you have extra large rain gutters it may be hard for the rain chain to bring all the water down. Another reason to install a rain chain is because they are pretty to have. Whether it is raining or not, the rain chain can look similar to some wind chimes and will give your home a nice look. Lastly, as the rain comes down onto the rain chain it makes a calming noise. The noise is not loud, but it is noticeable and very calming.
DIY Rain Chains to Try
Now that you know what rain chains are, let’s take a look at some easy DIY rain chains that you can make for your house.
Copper Link Style Rain Chain
This copper link style rain chain is easy to make and looks gorgeous on a rain gutter. When the rain comes pouring down, this rain chain will guide the water to the ground. This rain chain is made to hook to the roof as an alternative to rain gutters, but you can easily hook it to a rain gutter if you wanted to. Find out how to make this rain chain by clicking here.
Image Source: Instructables
DIY Spoon Rain Chain
Do you have old spoons that you’re not sure what to do with? Consider making this DIY rain chain. It is recommended to use spoons that are thin so that you can easily bend and drill them. Because the spoons collect a small amount of water, this would be considered a cup style rain chain. Get the tutorial by clicking here.
Image Source: Birds and Blooms
Neon Zip Tie Rain Chain
Looking for an easy-to-make rain chain? Try making this DIY neon zip tie rain chain. It only requires three supplies (one of those supplies being zip ties), and it only costs a couple of dollars. You can get the tutorial by clicking here.
Image Source: Dollar Store Crafts
Terra Cotta Rain Chain
This cup style rain chain is the perfect way to make your house gutters look nice. At the bottom there is a dish full of rocks that collects the water. This DIY rain chain is very easy to make. All it requires is some pots, a Terra Cotta saucer, chain, and rocks. The pots are slightly tilted so that the rain falls into the bottom dish. You can find the tutorial by clicking here.
Image Source: All Things Heart & Home
Final Thoughts
I hope this article has inspired you to try some of these unique ideas for your rain gutters. Whether you decide to try rain chains or if you landscape around your rain gutter, these creative ideas are guaranteed to improve your curb appeal. In this article you learned all about the different ways to landscape around your rain gutter, as well as some ideas for using barrels to collect rain water.
Another creative way to improve the look of your rain gutter is to attach a rain chain. Rain chains are well known for being attached to rain gutters and roofs for directing the rain away from your house. Not only does a rain chain help protect your house from getting wet, but it also makes a calming sound and is very beautiful to look at. There are two different types of rain chains, which are the link style and cup style. The cup style is shaped more like a cup and collects a small amount of water, while the link style rain chain looks like a regular chain. Both types work well and look nice. Now the only decision left to make is which idea you are going to use for your rain gutter. Decide which idea you like the best, and move on from there. You will most likely be very pleased with the results.
I skipped reading the article after the first line because a gutter and a downspout are two different things.