I've finally reached the limit of my patience with our poor gutters and
downspouts. Bad drainage angles (gutters angled to flow inefficiently),
small downspouts, constant clogging, and guaranteed ice damming in the
gutter due to the bad drainage angling of the gutters (it's not a true heat
ice dam, but meltage that doesn't flow and then freezes).

What the heck do I look for to find a gutter contractor or what do I want in
new gutters? Beyond knowing what the problem areas are, I'm kind of naive.
I do know I want the larger sized downspouts (4" over 3"?). What about
those gutter guard systems -- which one and why?

And is it a good time to replace my soffits? We have perhaps the original
(1954 house) plywood soffits which are definitely showing their age. Is it
even the same trade as gutters, or am I now entering the realm of general
home improvement (in which case I should tackle some window replacement)?

The gutters and gutter guards on the market are numerous. I'll let
others comment on them. However, I like the idea of increasing the
downspout size and the gutter size as well to carry more volume.
The gutters and soffit work are trades that are tangent to the roofing
industry. How old is your roof? If you are anywhere ready for a roof
you should consider your whole roof system, which includes the roof
itself, attic insulation, and ventilation including the soffits. It all
works together. An increase in insulation saves energy. An increase in
insulation requires more ventilation to make the roof last and prevent
condensation. The soffits should have increased ventilation. Then the
gutters and downspouts go on last. If you are leaning in this
direction, you need a construction company that will consider the whole
system for you rather than a "shingler" that only applies roofing
material.

"Al Bundy" wrote in message
oups.com...
The gutters and gutter guards on the market are numerous. I'll let
others comment on them. However, I like the idea of increasing the
downspout size and the gutter size as well to carry more volume.

I'm curious if larger gutters and downspouts aren't enough extra carrying
capacity that I don't really have to worry about gutter guards.

The gutters and soffit work are trades that are tangent to the roofing
industry. How old is your roof? If you are anywhere ready for a roof
you should consider your whole roof system, which includes the roof
itself, attic insulation, and ventilation including the soffits. It all

While I recognize that it all works together, I'm trying to limit scope
creep and stage the projects so I don't have to pay for them all at once.
I'm grasping at straws, but I figure soffits and gutter work is probably a
$2500 job, and the roof probably similar. Are there any economies of scale
for doing a project of this scope?

works together. An increase in insulation saves energy. An increase in
insulation requires more ventilation to make the roof last and prevent
condensation. The soffits should have increased ventilation. Then the
gutters and downspouts go on last. If you are leaning in this
direction, you need a construction company that will consider the whole
system for you rather than a "shingler" that only applies roofing
material.

I'm not terribly sure I need a whole lot more insulation in my crawlspace;
it already has blown in fiberglass higher than the ceiling joists, and when
we remodelded the contractor had to replace some insulation and didn't make
any comments about the current amount being inadequate (they were good at
pointing out "weak spots" in our house, even if they were outside the scope
of the remodeling).

Either way, I'm dubious on the marginal value of increased insulation. I'd
prefer replacing a number of our older windows first, even if the only
return there was improved function.

"Howard Beale" writes:
I've finally reached the limit of my patience with our poor gutters and
downspouts. Bad drainage angles (gutters angled to flow inefficiently),
small downspouts, constant clogging, and guaranteed ice damming in the
gutter due to the bad drainage angling of the gutters (it's not a true heat
ice dam, but meltage that doesn't flow and then freezes).

What the heck do I look for to find a gutter contractor or what do I want in
new gutters? Beyond knowing what the problem areas are, I'm kind of naive.
I do know I want the larger sized downspouts (4" over 3"?). What about
those gutter guard systems -- which one and why?

And is it a good time to replace my soffits? We have perhaps the original
(1954 house) plywood soffits which are definitely showing their age. Is it
even the same trade as gutters, or am I now entering the realm of general
home improvement (in which case I should tackle some window
replacement)?

FWIW, my gutters, soffits and downspouts were all replaced by the guy
that did my siding and he did a fine job.

I opted to not go with a gutter guard system. I no longer have trees
near my house, and there are drawbacks to most if not all systems
under high load anyway, and gutters are a lot easier to clean without
anything on top of them. If I had more trees around, I'd have
researched them more carefully. Oversized downspouts are a good idea
I think.

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:42:27 -0600, someone wrote:

What the heck do I look for to find a gutter contractor or what do I want in
new gutters?

I know a great gutter guy, too bad he works in my neighborhood not
yours. He also does metal roofs and architectural sheet metal
(copper, etc.) work.

This is a very local thing.


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