Half-round copper on cast bronze brackets.

Copper is the one gutter that gets better looking as it ages, and the one that will still be on the house when the roof above it has been replaced twice. Half-round is the traditional profile for it: a true half circle, hung from the front in cast bronze brackets that are as much a part of the look as the gutter itself. Nothing is hidden, so everything has to be right.

Copper work is slower than aluminum and it is done differently. The joints are soldered, not sealed. The brackets are set to a line and to a rhythm, because on a half-round the spacing shows. On a log home or a lake house with angled fascia, the brackets are cast wedges that bring the gutter plumb against a fascia that is not. This is the work Zack likes best, and it is the reason the featured job on the home page is a copper one.

K-style copper is available too, for a house that wants the metal without the historic profile. Either way the downspouts are copper, the outlets are soldered, and a rain chain in place of a downspout is an option worth asking about.