When Is It Time to Replace Your Rain Gutters?
Nobody likes having to pay to have their rain gutters replaced, but there comes a time when it becomes unavoidable. So, how do you know that it’s time to replace your rain gutters? Well, there are usually some obvious signs that you should always be on the lookout for. But, even if you see these signs of damage it doesn’t necessarily mean that your gutters need to be replaced. In fact, there’s a good chance they simply need to be cleaned and repaired. This would be great news because gutter installation isn’t exactly cheap.
The thing is that unless you are an expert, you probably have no idea if your gutters can be repaired of they actually need to be replaced. That means that you really should call a professional out if you suspect that you have a problem. In fact, you really should have a professional come out and inspect your gutters on a regular basis even if everything seems fine. This will not only keep your gutters in better shape so they will last longer, it will also help you to monitor for small problems that may not be readily apparent.
Getting back to the original issue, what other obvious signs are there that you probably have a rain gutter probably in addition to drooping gutters? If you have gutters that are leaking at the seams, this is another bad sign. As is a rain gutter that has water pouring over the side of it. As a general rule of thumb, if things seem out of place with your rain gutters, the best thing you can do is call a professional out to inspect them. Then, they can tell you what the problem is, and then advise you as to whether or not you need to replace your rain gutters.
Risks Associated with Having Damaged Gutters
If gutter cost has got you second-guessing your decision to have new gutters installed, then this could turn out to be a very expensive mistake on your part. Those rain gutters aren’t just on your house for show, they are there to do an important job. That job is to protect your home from water damage. Without rain gutters, rainwater would just flow off of your roof and end up wherever the path of least resistance takes it. If that path is inside of your home, then so be it. Rainwater doesn’t care where it ends up, but you definitely should.
Rainwater can be incredibly damaging to a home. From toxic black mold to foundation damage, if your rain gutters aren’t doing their job then you could end up with all sorts of expensive problems. Did you know that faulty rain gutters can actually be dangerous? That’s right, rain gutters can be a hazard. When you think about it this really does make perfect sense.
Rain gutters are attached to the roofs of houses, which means they are pretty high in the air. So, what happens if they fall on someone? Or, worse yet what if they get clogged, then form an ice dam during the winter that ends up falling on someone? The point here is that ignoring your gutter problem won’t make it go away and it could and probably will actually make things much worse.
Investing in Higher-Quality Gutters Is Usually Well Worth It
Once you realize that ignoring your gutter problem is a terrible idea, and if repairs are not possible, then it’s time to get down to business and pick new rain gutters. Your first instinct might be to choose the cheapest option you can find, and that would be traditional vinyl gutters that have seams. While this can save you money up front, in the long run, it’s much more likely to cost you money.
Vinyl gutters will not last as long as gutters made from stronger materials. They have seams in them as well, which is a weak point that tends to attract debris and leads to leaks, sagging gutters, and also collapsed gutters. Now, if vinyl is all that you can afford then it’s certainly better than having no gutters at all. But, if you can afford a more durable material then you should definitely invest in doing so.
When you are choosing your new rain gutters and may be looking at spending more money to get a better product, the prospect of gutter guards may be presented to you. Gutter guards are various types of devices that are all designed to help keep debris from getting trapped in your gutters. In theory, they sound great. But, in reality, they leave a lot to be desired.
There are basically two types of gutter guards. Type one uses a solid barrier, like a cover, that is designed to keep debris from entering the gutter. Type two uses some type of mesh that sits in the gutter that is supposed to trap debris can keep it from entering the gutter.
The barrier type of gutter guard does work pretty well at keeping debris out, but it also reflects away quite a bit of water, which kind of defeats the entire purpose of having gutter guards. The mesh type of gutter guard doesn’t reflect away as much water, but it does tend to collapse as debris builds up in it.
The point here is that you are much better off investing in a higher-quality rain gutter than you are wasting your money on something like gutter guards. Not only are the ineffective, and an up-front cost you don’t need to incur, they will likely end up costing you money long-term as well.
That’s because you still need to hire a professional to clean your gutters on a regular basis, and they are going to charge you more due to the labor involved with removing and then re-installing gutter guards. On top of that, gutter guards can actually shorten the life of a rain gutter system, which means having to replace it sooner, which of course, costs you more money.
How Much Is It Going to Cost to Have New Rain Gutters Installed?
If you need to have new gutters installed then gutter cost is probably going to be a primary concern for you. The following is a list of cost per foot of gutter based on material, labor is going to be an additional charge.
• Vinyl $3 to $5 per foot.
• Stainless Steel $4 to $8 per foot.
• Aluminum $4 to $9 per foot.
• Copper about $20 per foot.
As mentioned before, it’s going to cost more money for a higher quality material, but once again, a higher quality material will last longer in most cases. That means that a higher up-front investment will generally be worth it. Now, as far as labor goes, that’s going to depend on the type of gutter you are having installed. Labor will run you around $1,000 on the low end, to upwards of about $2,500 on the high end when you opt for seamless gutters.
While you may be tempted to try to cut your labor cost by hiring a handyman instead of a professional, this is never a good idea. A handyman will likely perform a lower quality of work, and they also won’t be licensed, bonded, and insured. Choosing the right company for gutter installation is just as important if not more so than choosing the right materials. After all, do you really want to spend a lot of money on new rain gutters and downspouts only to have a handyman damage or ruin them during installation?
What Led to Your Rain Gutters Needing to Be Replaced?
After seeing the costs associated with gutter installation, you may be wondering what brought you to this point. While it’s true that there are times when replacing your rain gutters can’t be avoided, in many cases, rain gutters need to be replaced because they haven’t been properly cared for. Like any other part of your home, if you want to keep it in good condition and help it to last as long as possible, your rain gutters need attention.
When rain gutters are neglected the number one threat to them involves the weight from the debris that is allowed to accumulate in them. Rain gutters are attached to the roof of your home securely, but they aren’t attached with the intention that they will be supporting a lot of weight. So, what happens when you add a lot of debris to the equation? Well, this puts additional strain on the gutters. This additional strain can lead to gutters sagging and even collapsing.
Debris tends to build up in the seams of traditional segmented gutters which can lead to not only sagging and collapsing but also in the seams cracking and leaking. Not only will neglected rain gutters likely fail sooner than they should, they will also end up causing damage to your home. The bottom line is simple, rain gutters need to be cleaned, inspected, and maintained if you want them to last and do their job.
How can you ensure that your rain gutters don’t end up neglected so that they fail on you? You need to hire a professional to clean and inspect them on a regular basis. There’s really no other way to effectively protect your gutters. You can clean them yourself, and that’s certainly a better option than doing nothing, but you won’t be able to inspect them for damage the same way that a professional will. You won’t be able to spot hidden dangers and other potential problems before they become major problems.
When choosing a gutter cleaning company, you should have the same mindset that you have when you are choosing a gutter installer. That is, you should only consider hiring a professional. A professional gutter cleaner will not only do a better job than any handyman you could hire, they will also give you the all-important benefit of their expert eyes taking a close look at your gutters.
This is the key to preventing gutter damage. So, how do you choose the right gutter cleaning company? You make sure they are licensed, bonded, and insured. You also make sure that they have a history of satisfied customers. That means you need a company like We Get Gutters™.
Why Hiring We Get Gutters Is the Best Option for You
When you are looking for a professional gutter cleaning company that you can trust you don’t need to look any further than We Get Gutters. They are an experienced company that takes great pride in what they do. Sure, gutter cleaning isn’t the most glamorous job in the world, but it’s a very important job.
The expert technicians that they employ treat each job as if they were working on their own home. They thoroughly clean your gutters and clean up the mess that is made in the process, so when they leave your gutters will look and function as good as they did when they were new.
Not only will We Get Gutters™ do an outstanding job at cleaning your gutters, they also make it a point to carefully inspect them while they are cleaning them. If they spot a problem they can often fix the problem without too much difficulty. If they spot a major problem then they will inform you about it so that you can arrange to have it fixed.
Your home is a major investment for you, which means you need to take care of it. The rain gutters on your home are there to protect your home from water damage. So, you need to take care of them. The cost of hiring a great gutter cleaning company like We Get Gutters is minimal compared to the cost of replacing your gutters and dealing with potential water damage. What you need to do is make the smart and responsible decision, and that decision is to hire We Get Gutters to clean and inspect your rain gutters on a regular basis.