Today we share a few pictures of some wonderful seamless gutter system installation, copper roofing and other types of copper work in the South West Florida coastal area including Naples and Ft Myers. The corrosive salt air environment being right on the Gulf of Mexico makes copper gutter systems and other architectural copper work the longest lasting and best solution due to copper's excellent corrosion resistance, durability and weatherability. Copper is also a very green building material and all the copper can be recycled 100% at the end of it's up to 90 plus year lifespan.

Copper has many qualities which make it an ideal interior design material. Copper has a warm, elegant, luxurious appearance and harmonizes especially well with wood, natural stone, glass as well as virtually any material and color. Copper has a timeless quality, not affected by changing styles and fads, remaining desirable and growing ever more beautiful with age. Copper comes in many hues, having many possible shades of natural patina and still more human treatment such as heat-fired and forced patination effects. Copper may also be alloyed with other metals to create even more shades of bronze and brass. In addition to many color variations, copper surfaces may appear with a wide range of textures and finishes, including polished, brushed, pebbled, hammered, quilted, patterns and even integral murals or art work created by copper artisans.

Roof domes are one of the most visually striking and appealing architectural structures around. Domes have been around for thousands of years. Ancient cultures constructed mostly corbel or arched dome dwellings using locally available materials such as mud, clay or adobe. The earliest discovered domed structures may date from around 15,000 to 20,000 years ago in the Ukraine, constructed from mammoth bones and tusks. In ancient times people lived in such domed structures and in more modern times Native Americans constructed wigwams from curved branches and hides and much farther north, igloos from compressed blocks of snow. Pygmies in Africa used mango leaves to cover their similar dome shaped structures. Ancient domes discovered in the Middle East were used for modest structures, such as tombs. The early Romans while constructing smaller domed structures for villas, palaces, baths and tombs also constructed very large, advanced true domes over large interior spaces such as temples and public buildings. True domes are traditionally considered to be a self-supporting hemi-spherical shape structure or roof. Half a hemispherical dome is called a semi-dome and other variations of that are generally called false domes. All of the different types of domes essentially still have a curving or rounded top. Over hundreds of centuries domes have been constructed from a large variety of building materials including mud, clay, stone, brick, wood, concrete, metal, glass and in recent times even plastic. Next we look at some early, historic or notable domed buildings and feature especially those with copper roof domes.

The European Copper in Architecture Awards are biennial awards which recognize excellence in design for European architectural projects incorporating copper roofing, copper wall cladding and other copper architectural design elements. The 15th iteration of the awards will officially be launched in September 2010 for architectural projects completed between April 2009 and May 2011 with the judging and presentation of awards occurring in 2011. The previously concluded 14th European Copper in Architecture Award competition celebrated the use of copper in architecture in all of it's forms and selected the best in contemporary copper architecture from across Europe. Some of the European Copper In Architecture award winners are described and shown below.

Green, green home, green building, going green, sustainability and LEED are all catch phrases that seem to be catching steam and quickly building momentum these days. What does go green and green building specifically mean? Green building is the philosophy, design and implementation of the most efficient use of resources, that are both environmentally responsible and positively affect our health throughout the building's entire life cycle. The building's life cycle starts with siting, includes design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and then finally demolition. The total long term environmental cost of all building components is calculated and factors into green building design. Green building extends traditional building's short term concerns of economy, utility, durability and comfort with long term goals of sustainability, high performance, human health and environmental impact. The environment is impacted by the production and consumption of materials, natural resources, energy, water and land. Our environment is adversely altered by the building's inhabitants generation of waste products, water pollution, air pollution, heat and noise. Ultimate effects may include harm to human health, degradation of the environment including the atmosphere and loss of natural resources. Green building's goal is to reduce or eliminate any adverse health and environmental impact for every kind of building including residential, public, governmental, religious and commercial.

Copper Kitchen describes kitchen design utilizing copper work either extensively or strategically to achieve a very elegant, warm, hospitable and decorative kitchen. Kitchen copper usage may include copper hoods, range hoods or island hoods. Also kitchen copper sinks, copper countertops, copper backsplash, copper light hood canopy, copper pot racks, copper sculpture, copper accents, copper pots and pans. Even copper clad appliances, wall copper vents, copper fixtures (lights and fans) and other hardware such as cabinet and door handles, wall switchplates, etc. Given the sheer elegance, warmth and beauty of copper, it is near impossible to overuse copper in kitchen design, especially with the endless hues of copper available, from it's gleaming raw state to countless variations of patinated copper. Decorative kitchen design to personalize a kitchen, establish a design theme or create a designer kitchen may incorporate the use of kitchen art, such as kitchen wall art, kitchen murals and other themed kitchen artwork, including standalone accent pieces. Almost every copper kitchen has a copper range hood or island hood which has a large surface area ideal to incorporate copper art work into your kitchen design. You may view your copper hood, copper backsplash and copper kitchen sink as a blank canvas to which you can add your own unique design, personal expression or promote a kitchen design theme.

Rain chain or "kusari doi" in Japanese, have been used for centuries on Japanese homes, temples, public and commercial buildings as a functional yet lovely alternative to our traditional rain gutter downspouts. Rain chains have also been incorporated for their decorative beauty into many tranquil Japanese rain chain gardens. Today rain chain have become more well known outside Japan and increasingly prevalent around the rest of the world. Rain chain used in rain water drainage are typically hung from a roof's rain gutters or roof scupper box (leader head), taking the place of downspouts or gutter downpipe. Rain chain like the name implies can be as simple as chain links or a variation of chain loop styles. Rain chain can also be a visually pleasing string of cups or funnels, most often shaped like flowers or bells and hollow with open bottoms. Pictured below in order of left to right, top to bottom, are the simple link rain chain, single loop rain chain, rotated double link rain chain (or double loop), Japanese rain chain bells, Tulip rain chain, Bluebell flower rain chain, Lily rain chain and a rustic Scalloped rain chain. All the rain chains pictured here are fashioned from heavy weight pure copper. Copper Rain Chain is the preferred choice for it's timeless elegance, aesthetics, weathering ability, durability and natural beauty of copper's ever changing patina throughout the years.

Re-using old guttering or buying cheap aluminum or plastic guttering are tempting options but may perhaps not be the best option. It is recommended you stay away from any kind of painted, rusted guttering or lead coated guttering for obvious health reasons if you are growing produce. Many plastics have unhealthy emissions and plastic gutters can also break down from the weight, UV sunlight and trowel work. It is best to use a gutter made from a pure metal that does not have any chemicals or paint applied, does not corrode or rust over time, is durable, long lasting, naturally weathers well, is aesthetically pleasing and is a genuinely attractive feature of your home. Steel and aluminum are relatively low priced but most varieties require some type of coating to resist rust and corrosion and coatings oxidize, scratch, are not durable, long lasting and mostly unhealthy too for a gutter garden. Galvalume is a zinc-aluminum coated steel that is a better candidate than either steel or aluminum alone, combining the corrosion and rust resistance of zinc and aluminum with the strength of steel but with an industrial looking gray metallic appearance and you would probably be tempted to paint this material. Three even better choices for your gutter garden are zinc, stainless steel and copper. Everyone is familiar with the appearance and attributes of stainless steel and it is a viable option. Stainless steel does not rust providing it's surface is not damaged and it is generally considered a healthy, sanitary material. Stainless steel's shiny appearance may be attractive or it may not blend in or complement your home's exterior. Pure zinc is a viable, healthy option that is durable, weathers well and zinc develops an attractive protective, grey patina that is somewhat pewter like though zinc is priced higher than galvalume and stainless steel. Then we have pure copper which may be the best choice for a multitude of reasons: copper has proven itself for centuries to be the most durable and longest lasting metal; copper weathers extremely well, forming a protective attractive patina; requires little to no maintenance; copper is attractive, aesthetically pleasing, elegant and complements most home decor well; copper is EPA approved antimicrobial, germicidal, antibacterial and fungicidal; copper is a key nutrient for plant life; copper is considered eco-friendly and is a green building material. These are all attractive and most desirable traits for use in your gutter garden. Copper although being our highest rated choice also has the highest initial cost of all the metals and metal alloys mentioned above. Copper's many and unique advantages, help justify it's premium cost, especially considering the relatively short lengths required for most gutter gardens, which put copper gutters' premium price within reach and affordability.


Once you have decided on the material for your gutter, you will then likely choose between three common styles of gutter: K-style gutter, half-round gutter and box gutter. A box gutter will give you the most volume with which to garden with, and as it's name suggests, it has a rectangular box appearance or if you like a plain box planter. K-style gutters are probably the most common residential gutters used in the U.S. and are somewhat boxy as well, though with a angled stepped front for a little more pizzazz. Half round gutters do look just like they sound, like half of a round cylinder or pipe and half-round gutters also have the most elegant appearance of all the various gutter types. There are also quarter round gutters which also are very attractive with their curved front. Quarter round and K-style gutters are generally available from 5 inches to 8 inches wide, half round gutters usually from 5 inches to 10 inches wide and box gutters are usually manufactured to size. Custom widths are also available through Rutland Gutter Supply.  Compare the different appearances of K-style, box gutters, half-round, quarter round and embossed gutters, all pictured below.