Gutter Installation & Repair

Why gutters matter here

Gutters do one job: move water off the roof and away from the house. When they overflow, sag or pour water next to the foundation, that water can soak the soil, find its way into the basement and wear away the fascia boards and soffits behind the gutter. In many parts of the metro area the soil swells when wet and shrinks as it dries, so keeping roof water away from the foundation matters more than people expect. Summer cloudbursts can drop a lot of rain in a short time, and spring snow melts off the roof all at once.

One-piece aluminum gutters

Most homes here use continuous aluminum gutters, made in one piece per run. We form them on site from a coil, cut to the exact length of each run, so the only joints are at the corners and the downspouts. Fewer seams mean fewer places to leak. Gutters come in different sizes, and on larger or steeper roofs, or where two slopes drain into one corner, a larger gutter and bigger downspouts handle heavy storms better. We hang them with hidden hangers set close together, which helps them carry the weight of snow and ice.

Slope, downspouts and where the water goes

A gutter needs a slight, steady slope toward each downspout. Too flat, and water sits and freezes. Too steep, and it overflows at the low end. Downspouts should empty several feet away from the foundation, onto a splash block, an extension or a drain that runs to a safe spot. We look at where every downspout empties, because a perfect gutter that dumps water against the house does not solve the problem.

Ice, snow and heat cable

Gutters along the north side of a house, and under valleys, often fill with ice in winter. Ice in the gutter is a symptom. The cause is usually heat escaping from the attic and melting snow on the roof, which then refreezes at the cold eaves. Better attic insulation and ventilation fix the cause. Where that is not practical, heat cable in the gutters and downspouts can keep a channel open for meltwater. We install it on a dedicated outlet and show you when to switch it on.

Gutter guards and cleaning

Homes under mature trees fill their gutters with leaves, seeds and needles every year, and roof granules collect in them too. Gutter guards cut down on cleaning, but no guard is maintenance-free, and some types block snowmelt or overflow in heavy rain. We recommend guards only where they make sense and explain the trade-offs. We also repair what you have: resealing corners, rehanging sagging runs, replacing dented sections after hail and adding downspouts where the water needs somewhere to go.