# West Hill, Kent: Gutters and Downspouts for Sloped Lots

> Gutters and downspouts for Kent's West Hill, where steep slopes and landslide-hazard soils limit where roof water can be released on an older one-story lot.

URL: https://guttersofkent.com/service-areas/west-hill-kent/

| County | King County |
| --- | --- |
| Stormwater manual | Kent 2022 Surface Water Design Manual (based on the 2021 King County manual) |
| Permits | City of Kent Permit Center |
| Tree canopy | 29.5% |

## What brings West Hill, Kent homeowners to gutter work

The situations below are where the local conditions change the job.

### The yard drops away behind the house.

Where a downspout empties at the top of a slope, the water has to go somewhere safe. The King County manual Kent adopts limits splash-block dispersion near steep slopes and landslide hazards.

### An older run sags along a long eave.

In ZIP 98032, three in four houses are one-story and the median year built is 1967. Where an original system is still up, hangers and fascia are the first things to judge.

### Trees overhang a hillside roof.

West Hill carries 29.5% tree canopy, among the highest of Kent's regions. Heavier debris pushes toward larger outlets, more downspouts or a guard.

## Why slopes change gutter work on West Hill

[Gutters of Kent](https://guttersofkent.com/) installs and repairs gutters on West Hill in Kent, along with the downspouts that drain them. West Hill is the residential and commercial side of the city that climbs from the Green River valley toward I-5, and the work is done by licensed and insured contractors. On West Hill, the gutter is usually the easy part. The hard part is the end of each downspout, because the hill decides where roof water can safely go.

City of Kent critical areas mapping puts 13.8% of West Hill in landslide-hazard soils and 8.1% in steep slopes, the highest shares of any Kent region. That matters because the King County manual Kent adopts restricts the cheapest discharge method. Splash-block dispersion, which lets up to 700 square feet of roof drain onto a vegetated flowpath of at least 50 feet, is not used near steep slopes or landslide hazards, or on slopes over 15%, without geotechnical approval. Water dumped at the top of a bank can saturate the soil below it. So a West Hill plan starts with [where downspouts should drain](https://guttersofkent.com/guide/where-should-downspouts-drain/) on that lot. Where a downspout ties into a [buried line](https://guttersofkent.com/guide/underground-downspout-drains/), the manual requires a perforated pipe connection, and Kent City Code 7.05.070 requires a permit to build or change a drainage facility. Those changes are confirmed with the City of Kent Permit Center for the address.

## Older one-story houses under heavy canopy

King County Assessor records for ZIP 98032, which covers West Hill and part of the valley, show 74.5% one-story houses with a median year built of 1967. A long single-story eave is easier to reach than a two-story wall, but an original or second-generation system on a house that age can fail at several seams and hangers along the run rather than at one point, which is when [the repair or replace question](https://guttersofkent.com/guide/gutter-repair-vs-replacement/) comes up. Where the fascia has softened, the run sags, and [why gutters sag](https://guttersofkent.com/guide/why-gutters-sag/) explains why new screws in old wood do not hold. Age is a clue, never proof; many of these houses have been reguttered since.

Canopy averages 29.5% on West Hill on USFS and MRLC data, and 17.9% of the region falls in King County’s wildland urban interface mapping. Kent’s wettest months on NOAA’s normals, November through January at close to 6 inches each, follow the fall leaf and needle drop, so outlets that clog under trees spill just as the gutters run hardest. Larger outlets and downspouts that are easy to clear help, and [gutter guards](https://guttersofkent.com/gutter-guards/) can reduce how often the trough fills, though they still need checking.

## Services for West Hill houses

[Downspouts](https://guttersofkent.com/downspouts/) are placed for the roof area each one drains and for a discharge point the slope can take, and [downspout extensions](https://guttersofkent.com/downspout-extensions/) carry water away from the foundation where the ground allows. [Sagging gutter repair](https://guttersofkent.com/sagging-gutter-repair/) and [gutter repair](https://guttersofkent.com/gutter-repair/) handle failed hangers, corners and outlets. When the whole run is past saving, [gutter replacement](https://guttersofkent.com/gutter-replacement/) lays out a new system from the roof. Yard drainage beyond the downspout tie-in is not offered, and gutters alone do not make a basement dry.

## Neighborhoods and references in West Hill, Kent

West Hill Lake Fenwick area

**Landmarks:** Lake Fenwick Park, Green River valley edge. **Routes:** I-5, SR 99 (Pacific Highway South), SR 516 (Kent-Des Moines Road). These place the area; they say nothing about any one house's gutters.

Schematic, not to scale. [Open West Hill, Kent in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=West%20Hill%2C%20Kent%2C%20WA)

## Guides for West Hill, Kent homeowners

- [Where should downspouts drain?](https://guttersofkent.com/guide/where-should-downspouts-drain/)

- [Underground downspout drains: when to bury the line](https://guttersofkent.com/guide/underground-downspout-drains/)

- [Why do gutters sag?](https://guttersofkent.com/guide/why-gutters-sag/)

## Gutter questions from West Hill, Kent

### Can a West Hill downspout empty onto a splash block above a slope?

Often not. The King County manual Kent adopts does not use splash-block dispersion near steep slopes or landslide hazard areas, or on slopes over 15%, without geotechnical approval. Where the yard falls away, the discharge is planned with the City of Kent Permit Center instead of simply turned onto the hillside.

### Why do gutters on older West Hill houses pull away from the fascia?

Usually because the wood behind the hangers has softened or the hangers were spaced too far apart for the load. On a house from the 1960s, decades of wet seasons can rot fascia where a leaking corner dripped behind it. The board is repaired first, then the run is rehung on hidden hangers into sound wood.

### Is it safe to bury a downspout line on a West Hill slope?

It depends on the slope. The King County manual requires a perforated pipe connection for any roof downspout tied to the drainage system, keeps gravel trenches off slopes steeper than 25% and calls for geotechnical approval on slopes over 15% or within 50 feet of a steep slope. A Kent permit is required for the work.

## Nearby service areas

[Des Moines Gutters in Des Moines](https://guttersofkent.com/service-areas/des-moines/)[Kent Valley Gutters in Kent Valley](https://guttersofkent.com/service-areas/kent-valley/)[Federal Way Gutters in Federal Way](https://guttersofkent.com/service-areas/federal-way/)