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Items To Consider When Guttering Your Home
This is a list of some of the common concerns that affect every homeowner and contractor and should be
addressed with an open mind by both parties. Homeowners should have a general idea of what to expect
when preparing their home for gutter installation.
Safety - The first concern should be safety. Never allow children, pets or even adults to walk around the
construction site. For the crews' safety they must stay focused on what they are doing on the roof and
ladders.
Weather - Inclement weather generally delays scheduling and construction because of safety concerns for
the installers. Guttering also needs to be dry to insure proper adhesion of sealants in the comers and end
caps.
Access - Crews will need access to the entire yard. Make sure gates are unlocked and neighbors notified
if necessary. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed back and should never be allowed to touch your roof
and home. Access to the interior of the home is unnecessary. Identify and protect any items that could be
damaged by vibration and turn alarms off. Crews will need electrical power; if there are no outside outlets
an extension cord should be run under a window or garage door. Contractors should be given daytime
phone numbers in case they need to contact the homeowner for any reason. Homeowners should also
have contractor's cellular number.
Clean Up - All trash and debris should be cleaned up and hauled away by your contractor.
Rooftop Items - If you have house numbers, flag holders, basketball hoops, antennas, satellite dishes,
solar panels, patio covers, fences, telephone, power, tv cables, or other items that may interfere with the
gutter installation, consider who will have responsibility of handling this equipment.
Sprinklers - Your sprinklers should be turned off and lawn watering avoided a few days before and during
the installation. Wet yards can be a safety hazard for crews and will increase the potential of stress to
landscape and yards by installer traffic.
Removal of Old Guttering - The removal of old gutter material may loosen caulk, open wood joints, peel old
paint, cause minor paint and wood scratches. Although care is taken by the contractor he should not be
held responsible for minor cosmetic blemishes. Remember this is a major undertaking and minor wear is
unavoidable. Consider painting your home when you regutter. Galvanized gutters have a life expectancy of
15 to 20 years depending on maintenance and original installation. When guttering is removed it is a great
opportunity to paint the boards the same color as one of the many gutter colors available. When the
painting is completed, the pre-painted guttering can be installed. This can give your home a complete new
look.
Pre-existing Conditions - Older homes will generally show minor examples of pre-existing conditions
such as uneven rafters, decking, boards, eaves, overhangs, deteriorated bricks, mortar etc.. It is not the
standard practice of the gutter industry or considered cost effective by homeowners to replace these items
that are still considered serviceable. A new gutter system will not hide or correct these conditions. These
pre-existing conditions should be addressed by the homeowner before they sign a contract if they are
concerned.
If during the removal of old guttering rotten or water damaged wood is exposed, neither the homeowner nor
gutter contractor is at fault for these unexpected surprises, but it is the property owner’s responsibility. If you
question your contractors responsibility, ask yourself would this situation happened even if I had hired a
different contractor? If the answer is yes, it was probably a pre-existing condition.
Gutter Sloping-It is AllGutter's policy to slope gutters toward the downspouts to the best of our ability with
the structure I have to work with (not all structures are level). This allows for faster flow, less standing water
and cleaner gutters. Most sloping is a 1-inch drop from the center or high end opposite the downspout.
Sloping more than this amount will increase the risk of water getting between the gutter and fascia board,
risking wood rot. Sloping on a structure that is not level is often a compromise between function and
aesthetics. The next option is adding more downspouts.
Downspouts - Downspout location obviously depends on roof area, the house layout and aesthetics.
Florida rains require a minimum of one downspout for every 30 feet of rain gutter. It is AllGutter's policy to
get by with as few downspout's as possible. The idea is to get water to the areas of the house where it can
drain and dry quickly. This also saves the owner money by eliminating unnecessary downspouts. It is
sometimes a better option to place downspout's where they will handle the majority of the water the
majority of the time. Adding an extra downspout to eliminate overflow during an occasional very heavy rain
usually means that downspout dumps water in an undesirable location during more frequent light rains.
Trial and error is another option; downspouts can always be added later. AllGutter will come back and add
downspout's at the original cost of the downspout; this is normally around $50 dollars for a 1-story
downspout.
Special Concerns -Every project should be looked at individually. If anything needs special attention or a
verbal commitment was made, make sure it is added to the contract. The more information that is put into
the original contract, the less likely discrepancies will occur during the course of the project. This protects
both the homeowner and the contractor.
We hope these examples of some common concerns will help prepare you and your home for this
improvement project.
