Gutters or rip rap?

[rbstern]

Our log cabin home doesn't have gutters. Run off from the roof is beginning to erode the soil next to the foundation. The slope from the front of the house to the back is fairly steep. We don't have basement water issues; the water flows down and away pretty quickly, but that's where the erosion is becoming a problem. The roof lines are simple and gutters wouldn't be much of a project and would solve the problem. But I prefer the look of the house without gutters.

Can I solve this problem with rip rap along the foundation to control the erosion? What type of rock would suit best? Any reason I shouldn't go this route?

[yourname]

I have 3/4 crushed stone at my house

[Norminn]

We have areas around our condo - not on a hill - where runoff is direct from the roof without downspouts/gutters, and sections of flat roof that drain with downspouts. Erosion was making a mess and splashing dirt all over white building. For areas that would not grow anything, hubby and I put down landscape cloth with river rock on top. For a steep slope, you might be able to combine river rock with something crosswise so the rock doesn't go down the hill. Ours is large enough to use leaf blower without disturbing it. You would want to make sure soil can't wash onto the rock/cloth, or it will get weedy. You might also want to put in something that will redirect or slow the water at the bottom of the slope so it doesn't wash out a new gully. We are in FL, and with heavy rains, the downspouts really make a deluge. I planted thick, tall grassy plants to help disperse the water. In a couple of places, I dug out a shallow hole, put in a couple of plastic trays (that nurseries use for small seedlings) at bottom of downspout, filled 'em with rock. It slows the water and disperses it better than the concrete thingies made for downspout drainage.

[steve]

the small stone will wash out with a heavy rain, use 1 1/2 size stone and it wont move!

[Deke]

I'd do a walk way about 24 in wide completely under the drip. That acid stain designer concrete looks great but any stone will do.

[C & E]

Around our cabin gutters and the resulting flume of water coming out of the downspout would cut a drought through the clay so we thought that would be a poor choice. We tried to use stone which was as close in appearance to the surrounding soil and rock as possible. In our case the area around the cabin is clay and slate so we didn't use the easily accessable limestone - we used sandstone in large sized chunks (1 or 1.5 ?). Works great. Good luck!