gutter material question

[affordablehousing]

We're in our addition project up to the point of getting the roofing on and there's yet another change to consider. Our project has a 21' single run of gutter off of a shed roof, and the gutter will be "hidden" by soffit underneath, and metal drip edge leading into it from both sides, with fascia on the outside. The contractor noted that while it looks really cool, it will be hard to replace should the gutter inevitably rust through or fail. Would it be worth it to buy a new length of gutter out of copper with a matching downspout so I could leave it for my child to deal with after I'm dead? Do they make copper drip edge too or is there another way to prevent galvanic action between the drip edge and a copper gutter?

[Sibley]

Yes, you can find copper drip edge. It's probably not easy, and would not be cheap. But restoration work calls for it sometimes, so it is out there.

Would aluminum gutter work? Aluminum doesn't rust. If your gutter is protected from the elements so it's not being crashed into, and is properly cleaned it shouldn't get damaged.

[bacchi]

Not sure I quite understand but...

Copper painted aluminum? Like so, https://www.guttersupply.com/shop-by-material/copper-penny-aluminum. Be sure to buy a can of touch up paint. :)

Or if it's just corrosion you're worried about, can you glue a piece of rubber or plastic between the copper and the aluminum?

[sonofsven]

No, I don't think it would be worth it, since it's going to cost a lot for copper.
I had to deal with an old place with that detail that had leaked for a long time. We just eliminated it, roofed over it, put on a normal fascia and hung a standard gutter on it.
Also, when a contractor says things like this sometimes it's to really save you from trouble down the road and sometimes it's because they're lazy and don't want to deal with something different than what they're used to.
Besides, with your user name you really shouldn't be buying copper gutters ;-)

[MyAlterEgoIsTaller]

No, it's not worth buying a spare gutter to bequeath to your child. 
Concealed gutters look nice, but they need a lot of maintenance, and even so they're prone to leaks and rot.  The copper is the most long-lasting part of this system: it really shouldn't corrode through for 50+ years.  During that time the soffit and fascia will probably need to be repaired/largely rebuilt somewhere between 2 and 5 times (depending on level of upkeep/maintenance, climate, exposure, etc.) and one can also expect 1 to 4 re-roofing projects (depending on roofing material, roof's slope, etc.)  Assuming that your child still owns the house in 50 years, the chances are pretty good that during one of those projects they will decide the concealed gutter isn't worth the hassle and will rip out the whole thing.

[Fishindude]

If there are other ways around this scenario, I would never recommend or install an interior gutter.