How to stop roof runoff from missing the gutter and hitting the deck
Water streaming off the corner of a gabled roof often misses the gutter entirely and trickles down onto a lower deck or patio. Over time, this runoff causes leakage and water damage around the building corners.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 31.4× more often in r/Roofing than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using half a tube of tar as a diverterDid this help you?
- 2Sticking an L-shaped metal piece to divert water onto the roofDid this help you?
- 3Get an extender piece, a ladder, and a splash guard and do it for 50 bucks or just leave it.Did this help you?
- 4Leave it be and not mess with anything.Did this help you?
- 5Search for a downspout hinge or gutter hinge on Amazon, Home Depot, or Menards to flip the downspout up during yardworkDid this help you?
- 6Find a 3D printable downspout hinge model on MakerworldDid this help you?
- 7Using a downspout extender across the sidewalk for a temporary fixDid this help you?
- 8Running the downspout into a pipe, under the sidewalk, and draining into the lawnDid this help you?
- 9Extending the downspout to wrap around the front of the house and release down the drivewayDid this help you?
- 10Trenching underneath the sidewalk and running a pipe to the street with a pop-up outletDid this help you?
- 11Using cheap plastic downspout extendersDid this help you?
- 12Leaning boards against the house to pitch water away from the foundationDid this help you?
- 13Pacing around with a flashlight every hour to monitor water levelsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'm debating what to do regarding this downspout (see picture). Currently runoff of water from the 2nd floor roof and 1st floor roof just flows down the shingles into gutters. Over the years it has caused some leakage on the corner.”source ↗
“What can I do to redirect that water into the gutter vs trickling off onto my covered cedar deck below?”source ↗
“My detached garage has a gutter downspout that goes right into the grass. Mowing around it is super annoying.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 15Why are my new gutters leaking from behind?
- 10Water leaking from roof corners and sidewalls
- 3How to connect a second story gutter to a first story gutter cleanly
- 15How to stop roof water from overflowing and rotting the window sill
- 4Why are my roof shingles lifting near the gutters?
- 3How to route roof drainage without underground pipes