Problem areas - Gutters
Gutters are simply a water diversion system whose sole job is to transport the water collected by your roofing system away from your home’s structure and foundation. If gutters leak at end caps or corners/miters, they just need caulking. Caulking has a limited life span (related to environmental exposure) and needs to be replaced.
A leak behind the gutter, rotted facia, and such need more investigation but likely have straightforward solutions once the cause is identified. Leaks around your windows, walls, and doors are often workmanship defects - and so have little to do with your gutters - but we can fix those too.
Let our experts decide what you actually need rather than self-diagnosing solutions to your leaks. We’ll diagnose all the things your Realtor’s favorite inspector won’t tell you.
We don’t recommend gutter screens. Many popular options compromise the integrity of your roof by “slipping” under your shingles, those are bad products. Some products, properly installed, can last the lifetime of your roof (10-30 years) however you’ll pay for the privilege of slightly reduced maintenance. You’ll reduce your need for maintenance from 6-12 months to 12-36 or so (the data isn’t clear). We think your money is better spent on annual maintenance as it’s ultimately less costly AND doesn’t require an upfront payment amid that uncertainty.
Our general advice is that foam and plastic products disintegrate and are bad products. 5” Aluminum is sufficient for most houses if they’re properly installed.
Ferrule screws put into the studs are best, but require significantly more labor (possibly increasing cost by as much as 30%) and therefore only worth it if done by the most skilled technicians with the triple the regular gutter hanging crew, but that’s a job that that might outlast your roof and our lifetimes with regular maintenance. Gutter hangers are easy and can be installed by 2 basic laborers in most instances.
In all cases custom flashing that goes down into the gutter and under the shingles minimizes water to intrusion into the home's structure. Seamless gutters are optimal, and can often be contracted at a reasonable price.