Some have drip rails; but to give your home a finished look, prevent waterborne stains, and protect your landscaping, you need gutters. Once they’re installed, gutters take minimal maintenance. Clean out leaves and trash twice a year. Tighten bracket screws then. Paint the gutters before they look shabby.
Professionals usually install gutters best. Yet, there’s no reason you can’t do it yourself. Check your tool box for an electric drill and a hacksaw or tin snips. You’ll also need plenty of waterproof sealant.
Measure the length of your home. A 50×1 2 foot home needs about 125 feet of guttering. Don’t forget to add more for pullouts and porches. You’ll want to install downspouts at downhill corners. Measure the height from ground to roof seam. Buy preformed end pieces for each downspout.
Call your mobile home dealer or manufacturer before you drill into top wall studs. Make sure it’s safe. Hang guttering with a gradual slope for drainage. If you have a downspout at each end, make the middle of the gutter ½ inch higher than the ends.
Begin at one end and hang the corner piece. Drill ¼-inch holes for the brackets. Space brackets 2 feet apart for aluminum gutters, 3 or 4 feet apart for galvanized. Overlap the ends of each length of guttering, with the piece toward the middle on top. When you reach the halfway mark, go back and put up the other end or corner piece. Work toward the middle from there. Where you meet the other gutter, cut one piece to size with a hacksaw or tin snips. Seal all the joints.
When you have finished the roof guttering, slide the downspouts into the corner pieces. Anchor downspouts with brackets also. Provide a trough long enough to carry water away from landscaping and walkways.

Whether you live in a mobile-home park or set your home on your own residential lot, mobile-home living today is as good as you want to make it. Despite all the care and maintenance described in this book, mobile homes demand less care than conventional housing. But that does not condone neglect. You have seen the simplicity of adequate mobile home care. You know your home needs good maintenance, and you know the why as well as the how-to. Preventive care seeks out and remedies potential repairs before they turn into costly service problems. Your home soon reflects the effort, time, and money you put into maintenance. Homes built according to standards provide you with basic quality housing. But the challenge of retaining and improving on that basic quality is yours alone. Enjoy it!