Yankee style gutters, also known as built-in gutters, can look nice, but aren’t practical for high precipitation climates. The trough portion of the gutter tends to be very shallow and once they start to fail due to rust or seams opening up, the soffit underneath this sort of gutter system tends to have rotten wood…
Read MoreWhen it comes to gutter and downspout installation, hiring a professional contractor is the best way to ensure that your new gutters are installed correctly and will function properly. However, even professional contractors use shortcuts to simplify the installation process and save themselves time and money. There are two trains of thought — take your…
Read MoreDownspouts are critically important if you want a good water management system and unfortunately are the most overlooked by homeowners who are convinced that they’ve already done their due diligence. There are many differences and homeowners that stop at only one or two, make decisions they end up regretting. Here’s a short list of differences…
Read MoreGutters need to be replaced when they are not functioning to move water to a lower point in your property. However, the optimal time to replace them is when the roof is replaced but in a very specific order. Why do I make this distinction? It is because of how the gutter apron, sometimes referred…
Read MoreWater can cause damage to homes but a well-designed gutters can be a solution. How your gutter professional designs the flow of your gutters can mean the difference between having water in your basement or staying dry. Here’s a list of a few things that your gutter professional should always be looking at. Identify the slope…
Read MoreThis past spring I had a customer tell me they needed a roof but I was the only contractor who had told them that a new roof would require new gutters. Sometimes we run into situations where the original roof was cedar shake and past homeowners have added additional layers of asphalt shingles over the…
Read MoreGutters alone won’t solve problems in cold weather climates — gutter apron, sometimes called gutter flashing, is also important to prevent rot of your fascia. Fascia is that piece of wood, just behind the gutter. In most homes, the gutter is flush with the fascia. Gutter apron is a piece “L” shaped material, usually aluminum,…
Read MoreTo fix an elusive home improvement problem you have to have a stubborn determination, an open mind, and sometimes a strong stomach. That was the case when I was asked recently what caused a new aluminum gutters to fail after just a year. The answer took long to get to and in my 14 years…
Read MoreSome companies try to shortcut the details of how they’re going to do your gutters by telling you a “per foot” price. This misleads customers into thinking that a linear foot counts as a gutter foot. Be wary of companies that offer the “by the foot” pricing. Here’s why: Marketing hype sometimes sucks people into…
Read MoreDiagnosing gutter and water problems can be complex. Maryann from Cedarburg was at a loss; unable to figure out what was causing water to cascade over her gutter and come through her basement walls. THE CHALLENGE: Her challenges can be solved, but it’s going to take some changes and an understanding of why the problem…
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