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.