If you drive through the southern United States, you will see many homes without rain gutters.
At first I could not understand why this was so.
It all comes down to one thing-no basements.
So many homeowners in those areas opt to go without gutters.
It is easier but has it's drawbacks.
Gutters protect landscaping.
So, if a house goes without gutters, there will often be trenches in the landscaping where the water falls.
This also kicks up debris and dirt which cover the lower sections of the house's walls.
Ugly! The other thing gutter do is protect the house itself.
No gutters often leads to stained fascia(that wood where gutters go) and siding.
Or worse, the water over time can rot wood and cause mold.
In areas where there is rain, ice and snow(like where I am based in Madison, WI.
) gutters do a lot more.
Here they also protect the basement from flooding.
Flooded basements can cost a lot of money to repair and add a lot of stress.
Some homeowners are able to protect their basement with creative landscaping.
They put extra dirt around the entire foundation of their home and then slope it away from the house.
Then when water comes off the roof and lands on the ground, it will run away from the house.
Landscaping that is pitched toward the house is definitely a trouble spot-water will run to the foundation, sink into the ground, and then find a crack in the foundation and enter the basement.
I have found that in most cases, it is best to have good pitch away from the house with the landscaping and to install gutters.
The landscaping is often not adequate and still has the aforementioned problems.
So, no gutters is definitely easier up front, but can cause problems.