5 questions to reflect on before replacing your gutters
Looking to replace your old rain gutters or to install new gutters in your house? Keep reading and discover 5 questions you should ask yourself before you start your project. These 5 simple things will help you define what is the best gutter system for your house or even if a gutter protection system would be a good option for your home:
1. How is your house ROOF?
What is the pitch of your roof?
Roof pitches go from 1/12 to 12/12, being 1/12 flat and 12/12 super steep. A steeper roof will make the water run faster, what means the water has more chances to go over the gutters. You might need a bigger size gutter in this case.What material is it made of?
The most common roofs are composite roofs made of shingles, however there are many other options. Depending on the material, these are some of the consequences for your gutter project:
- – Water can run faster, meaning it can go over the gutters. This is something that usually happens in metal roofs, that usually need bigger gutter sizes to compensate.
- – Some materials make snow slide faster and might need extra strength in the gutters that can be achieved by using more hangers, installing certain gutter covers or installing snow guards or snow retainers.
- – Another important point in which the roof material is important is in the difficulty to walk on the roof for the technicians. This can slow the job down and increase the price of the project.
- – Does your house have big or long gutters?
2. Where is your house LOCATED?
Location can have an important role on the maintenance, can also influence the size of the recommended gutter, may be a factor on deciding how many hangers and how separated they are and even in the price if there are areas with difficult and/or risky access. This is also key when deciding if a gutter cover could make your live easier and your gutter system healthier. Ask yourself:
a. Does it snow a lot?
b. Are there many trees around? What type of trees?
c. Are all the gutters easily accessible?
3. Where is the water FLOWING TO?
Some downspouts are connected to underground drains while others just take the water away of the house. In this question is important you know: Cleanouts, clean drainages, water far from the house basement.
a. Does your house have underground drainages? Are those drainages functional and clean? Houses with underground drains are great candidates for downspouts cleanouts to prevent them from clogging.
b. Where is the water flowing? Is it close to the house? Is it causing any damage? If so, this might be something to correct to avoid further damage.
4. How important are AESTHETICS for your project?
a. Do you want a specific color?
b. Is the house going to be painted? What about the gutters?
c. Is the design of the gutter important? And what about the downspouts? You can customize your gutters as much as you want, from different profiles, materials or colors, to details in the face of the gutters or event figures in the downspouts.
5. Is the contractor licensed, bonded and insured?
Verify the contractor: Last but not least, don’t forget to go to the LNI verify a contractor tool to make sure the company is licensed, bonded and insured.
