A month ago my wife and I were attending the 2008 Sandy Springs Society Home Garden Tour. We picked up our share of unique garden ideas, including one home in particular that  was utilizing rain chains not only for function but for visual and auditory reasons, as well.

Placed in startegic locations, rain chains are very appealing if you enjoy the soothing sound of trickling rain (...who doesn't) and unusual materials fulfilling ordinary needs around the home.

HGTV's Curb Appeal recently aired an episode featuring a renovation of a city bungalow that brought it back to its' craftsman roots where it belonged.

Many craftsman style features were either added or changed altogether to enhance the homes' curb appeal.

Among one of the final touches that, as the owners put it, '..added bling that the house needed', was a copper rain chain downspout.

Konichiwa!
A copper rain chain connected to the downspout by the front porch really caught my eye on my latest visit to the English cottage-style home near Marietta, GA. I had never seen one before but, apparently, they are of Japanese origin and are known as kusari-doi in Japan. They've been around for hundreds of years and have been utilized for their architectural and functional qualities.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find yet another unique feature on this extraordinary home being built.

Seamless copper gutters were the latest addition to this English cottage style home on a recent visit to The Retreat. Rhett Bonner, builder, gave the highlights of the components of the copper gutter system. Basically, they have installed half-round seamless copper gutters with hand-cast copper hangers, downspout bands and brackets; a very rare find in the gutter business. The entire copper gutter system should last the life of the home, with proper upkeep, and will turn a beautiful verdigris patina over time. The hand-cast copper brackets are attached to the open cornice overhangs in old world craftsmanship style. A little research tells me that the gutters themselves will set you back about $13 - $18 per lineal foot installed, not including the hardware to hang them.