New Gutters tend to be one of those universally disliked features of any home. Sure, they serve a great purpose, but very few homeowners relish the idea of cleaning out gutters, let alone getting them replaced. Just like every other area of your home, gutters take a bit of maintenance, and eventually, they do wear out.
The average lifespan of a new gutters system is about 20 years (though you might be able to stretch that out with exceptional maintenance). If your gutters are getting close to that 20-year mark, you might be thinking about what it will take to get those old gutters replaced. Here’s what you can expect from a new gutter installation project by a quality roofing professional:
Remove Old Gutters
Before you can put new gutters on, you have to take the old ones off. The first step in any gutter installation project is to carefully remove your old gutters and downspouts from the eaves and fascia of your home. If you’re still looking for the right roofing contractor to complete your gutter installation project, it’s always good to ask how they plan to remove your old gutters. They should be able to tell you what steps they’ll take to minimize any potential damage to your eaves.
If you’re building a new home, or if you’re adding gutters to a house that didn’t previously have gutters, you won’t have to worry about this step! Your roofer can move right to the measurement step of the process.
Check for Damage
If your home did have existing gutters to remove, the next step is to check for any damage behind the old gutters. Depending on how long the old gutters were on your home, your roofing professional might find a few rotted boards or unusable pieces of fascia. These will have to be replaced before your new gutter system is installed. A quality roofer will do a complete inspection of your eaves and fascia, and make any necessary improvements before they move on to the next step of the new gutters installation process.
Measure and prepare
Once any troublesome boards have been replaced, your roofer can take true measurements of your home. With the old gutters off, it’s easier to accurately measure exactly where new gutters should go, where they should slope to downspouts, and what angle your roofer will have to connect the gutter corners.
The measurement process is one of the most important parts of any gutter installation. The more precise your roofer’s measurements, the better your installation project will go, and the better the performance you can expect from your new gutter system.
With measurements in hand, your roofing professional can prepare all of the materials they need for your brand new gutter system. When it comes to gutter installation, a lot of work can be done before actually attaching the new gutters to your home. Your gutter installation pro will measure and cut your new gutters according to their measurements, will assemble any necessary corners, and will make sure they cut out the appropriate holes for your new downspouts.
Install New Gutters
Now that your gutter materials are all prepped and ready to go, your roofer will do the actual gutter installation. This process will take a few crew members, but can generally be finished in a day or so, depending on the size and height of your home. Most reputable gutter installation pros will use special screws to affix your gutters to the fascia boards of your home. Screws are better options than nails because they keep the gutters more secure.
Install Downspouts
The downspouts are the last part of your gutter system to be installed. Since your gutter installation pro will have pre-cut holes for each downspout, the installation won’t take too much time but is critical. Your downspouts are responsible for carrying precipitation down and away from your home, where it can’t damage your foundation or flood your basement. Make sure your roofer installs downspouts that are appropriately directing water and precipitation out and away from your home.
Cleanup
The last step to gutter installation? Cleanup, of course! Like many roofing projects, a gutter installation can get messy. Quality roofing professionals will work hard to make sure your home is left exactly the way they found it. They’ll remove any leftover gutter pieces and components, and use a large magnet to pick up as many dropped screws and metal pieces as possible.
Looking for new gutters? SkyGuard Roofing and siding can help! We’re happy to install a variety of gutters on new and older homes. Give us a call at (502) 909-4058 or contact us online today for your free, no-obligation quote.
