A leader
head can make or break the image that your home projects in general.
An appropriate leader head can
make “upgrade” it value beyond your moderate expectations. Choosing the right leader head can be compared to an
artist applying the finishing touch to his creation. It puts everything in
perspective, with its colour, design, and placement. It blends with the façade
and provides a complimentary boost to the appearance. It lifts the image of the
home from that of an ordinary traditional one to that of one with class.
A leader head or conductor
head is primarily used to channel water from the rooftops safely to
the underground drainage system. These serve the dual purposes of saving on the
plumbing required and preserving the aesthetics of the building. They give an
impression of orderliness and safety from dirty streaks forming across the
surface, due to leaking joints. Market research has shown that in general
people are ready to pay more for a house that may differ from others mainly in
the design of the leader head
installed. Along with the paint, the garden and the look of the building such
individual pieces of art go a long way in making a statement about the
architecture. Even a person, who is unable to appreciate art, will readily
point out the mismatch between an ornately designed house and a PVC or aluminum
leader head. A variety of leader heads are available in the
market, which match with different types of traditional as well as contemporary
architecture.
The leader heads
contain different percentage levels of copper, which lead to difference in
shine and durability. Modern ones have ultraviolet light stabiliser material
incorporated in them, for preventing damage by long exposure to sunlight. This
is important, since the gutters and downspouts can be replaced, but a uniquely
designed leader head may be hard to get. These conductor heads are either molded using casts or formed out of
sheet metal by stamping. Molding offers single items with no joints and
fixtures. Stamping provides more variety in design, variations in sizes and
freedom to manufacture within a short notice. The shape of the downspout,
whether square or round will also influence the design of the leader head. Buy and install a conductor
head that matches with the material and colour of the gutter fixed
along the roof edge. Do not buy one just because you like it. Do a good
research about the structure of your home, and categorize it into a suitable
time period or style of architecture. For example your home may be built
according to Moorish or the French way of design. This will help in short
listing the designs that may be suitable. It is always better to foresee the
type of gutter, gutter guards and leader
heads to be fixed before beginning the installation.
Generally, the cost of leader
heads increases proportionately with the size. However, the intricacy of
design involved also influences the price. While the polyethylene, ones are far
cheaper; they are mostly valued for their durability and lightness. Copper or
lead coated copper are the ideal ones for a traditional home. The look of class
and coppery shine lend a traditional look to the structure.
Hence, if you want to have an image
makeover or a better price for your home, adding an appropriately designed conductor head may be the final piece
for everything else to fall in place.