Seamless Gutter Covers

There are many gutter covers to choose from. How do you know which one is the best for your gutter system? There are a couple of factors that go into that decision:

1. What kind of trees do I have around the gutters that I want to protect?

If you have any small leaf trees around the property then a Perf Lock, Leafree, or the Midwest Solid cover would be your best options. If the area is saturated with trees that drop larger leaves the Fast Screen or the Step Lock would be the wise choice. Now just a reminder that no cover for your gutters is absolutely 100% going to eliminate all the debris that can get into the gutters. However, these covers will reduce what does enter the gutter and they do eliminate twigs, branches and birds from clogging/ restricting water flow and causing your gutters to overflow.

2.How many pieces of these covers do I need for my system?

You can take measurements from corner to corner, and you don't need a ladder to accomplish this. First, get a piece of paper and a pen. Next, get a 30-35 foot tape measure and an extra set of hands to help with the tape. Then stand under one corner and have the other person walk towards the next corner to get that measurement. Continue to do this section by section to complete the measurements around the house. If you have dormers or gables that are on the second story or out of reach, you can try to see if you can safely get up there to measure. If not, take your best guess as to what it is and mark it with your other measurements. Remember, if you want to put gutter covers on the second story or higher you will need to be feel 100% safe and comfortable standing on a ladder or the roof. Call All Pro Gutter Service and we can have those delivered and/ or installed for you if you would like.  

3.Why do I want to invest in these when I can just clean out my gutters?

Well that is up to you the consumer. Cleaning out your gutters is great. Regular maintenance on your gutters is recommended and allows you to see what is going on with your gutter system. Many times you can save $ by checking you gutters and not wasting it on a service charge to a gutter cleaning company. How many times are you gong to be dragging the ladder out in the rain when you notice that your gutters are failing? Are you gong to be up on a ladder every time the wind blows leaves or branches into the gutters? Probably not. There are pros and cons for any home improvement and simply put that ladder falls are quite common and account for many emergency room visits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYISTHStYho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iy9h6I28NM&feature=related

Here are the variations that All Pro Gutter Service offers and all of these are available to D.I.Y.

You can also call All Pro Gutter Service to get your free estimate today (713)943-3069. Ask for me, Omar and I will come to your home or business and take care of you.

  http://allprogutterservice.com/

Gutters

 I'm in the gutter business and I visit with a lot of unhappy homeowners and business owners on a daily basis. Their problems with their gutter system range from a contractor who did some fascia replacement and re-hung the gutters and now they don't work to needing new gutters because they assumed the whole house had gutters when they moved in. I realize through my conversations with these clients some have knowledge of gutters and some don't, so I have started posting blogs to try and educate and further educate these clients.

Some projects you can D.I.Y. but a novice gutter installer is your worst nightmare.Here are some pictures of a home that has D.I.Y. gutters form the Big Box Stores. As you can see they are "seamed" gutters which come in 10 foot sections that need to be joined together then sealed. Chances are that this gutter isn't installed underneath the drip edge flashing. This will allow water to get between the back of the gutter and the fascia board which will ultimately result in wood rot to your fascia. 

The next picture is of the garage door trimmer and the trim piece that are getting damaged as a result of the gutter system failing. With a gutter system like this you are setting yourself up for failure. These issues can be avoided by spending a little bit more $ upfront for a professional gutter installation and all your worries are gone.

 This is how your investment should be protected. A professional gutter installer will have all the correct tools and materials to complete your job, sometimes in a few hours. The first step is to measure the areas where your gutters are going and "pull" the drip edge flashing. This allows the gutter to fit nicely up against your fascia boards and it doesn't allow water to get in between the gutter and the fascia boards.

 

The next step is to take those measurements and go to the gutter machine to custom fabricate the seamless gutters.

After the pieces are cut, it's time to secure them to your home. Once the gutter is sandwiched between the flashing and fascia, and the hangers are spaced out every 2', it's time to screw them in. The gutters should show a slight pitch towards the downspouts to assist the drainage of water.

Above are D.T. and JR taking measurements for the gutter installation.

The picture to the left is the gutter being run-out for the installation.

Below left is how the finished gutter is installed, under the flashing, and how the hangers are secured every 2'.

This picture to the right gives you a good example of how a downspout can blend into a column and the brick base. That's about it for now. We can be seen at http://www.allprogutterservice.com/ or followed on twitter http://www.twitter.com/allprogutters and at http://www.facebook.com/allprogutterservice.com

Gutters: Helping lower your utility bills

There are many ways that homeowners are looking to lower their utility bill. With a little help from Mother Nature and some well designed rain barrels we all can reduce our utility costs with very little effort. This is a relatively inexpensive way and a good starting point for all homeowners that are going "green". Depending on you taste or creativity there are many options out there, choose what works best for your situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFDlkJOdaM

Spruce Creek offers a variety to choose from that are attractive and require little to no tools to assemble:

http://www.sprucecreekrainsaver.com/rainbarrels.html

For those D.I.Y. types here are a few links to construct your very own. These do require many tools and research to locate all the parts, but if you have a few hours and are ready for a father/ son, husband/ wife, or just a solo mission have fun and be safe.

http://www.marc.org/environment/water/buildrainbarrel.htm

With more options out there on the web and in your head you are going to have a great time using clean, fresh rain water to nourish your garden and lawn.

Managing your gutter system

Here is a helpful article for all the homeowners out there who have gutters. As well as those who are in the market for gutters. http://senox.com/homeowners/121

You can also check us out at http://allprogutterservice.com/

We specialize in all gutter projects: new install, repairs, cleanout, fascia board replacement (wood and Hardie) as well as drainage projects.