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#1
Posted to ne.general,misc.consumers.house
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Gutter repair, covers, Ned Stevens, New England Gutter Kings
I'm hoping that someone out there who knows more than I about
rain gutters, who has done work on their own gutters similar to what I'm considering, or who has used one of the companies I'm considering, will be able to provide some helpful insight and advice... We use Ned Stevens (NS) to clean our gutters several times each year. The last two times they cleaned our gutters, they informed us that several of the gutters have separated from the fascia boards and need to be replaced. When I asked whether they could repair the gutters instead, they were adamant that only replacement would solve the problem. Because this seemed fishy to me, and because I try to always get multiple estimates before doing any major work on my home, I called New England Gutter Kings (GK) and asked them to come out and give me three estimates: 1. cost of repairing the existing gutters, if in their opinion they could be repaired; 2. cost of installing all new standard gutters; and 3. cost of installing their "King Cover" covered gutter system, which has a lifetime warranty against blocked gutters (i.e., they claim that we'll never need to have our gutters cleaned again, and if the gutters ever get blocked, GK will come out and clear them for free). The estimator from GK seemed very professional and said: 1. As far as he could tell from looking at them from the ground, there's no reason why our existing gutters can't be repaired, and GK will do it for $400, which includes installing new flashing everywhere to ensure that rain drips solidly into the gutters rather than leaking behind them. 2. Installing all new gutters will cost $1,652. 3. King Cover can be installed either on our existing gutters or on the all new gutters for $1,360. If we install it on our existing gutters, then repairs to the existing gutters are included so we won't have to pay the $400. All of this seemed perfectly reasonable. Then I asked NS for similar estimates. They said the following: 1. Replace bad gutters for $608 (which takes into account a 10% discount for being on their annual service plan). 2. Replace all gutters for $963 (again includes 10% discount). 3. Annual service plan, which includes minor repairs and four gutter cleanings, is $384. 4. They don't recommend gutter cover systems, because debris and small animals get into them (i.e., they don't really work as advertised) and then it's difficult to clear the blockages because of the covers. Some thoughts and observations: * I thought NS was trying to rip me off when they claimed that the gutters needed to be replaced rather than repaired, but the price they're quoting to replace them is only a couple hundred dollars higher than GK is quoting to repair them. * It's hard to say why NS is insisting on replacement rather than repair. Perhaps they saw something when cleaning our gutters that GK didn't see when inspecting them from the ground. Perhaps replacing is easier than repairing and they don't have enough crews with the expertise to do repairs. Perhaps they don't like repairing old gutters because such repairs tend to fail more often than new gutters and they don't want to warranty work that's likely to fail due to circumstances outside their control. * NS's price for installing all new gutters is much cheaper than GK's price. * Is NS telling the truth when they say that gutter cover systems don't work, or are they just trying to protect a guaranteed annual revenue stream from selling me their annual service plan? * If GK's representations and warranty for its cover system can be believed, then the covers will pay for themselves in less than four years, since I will no longer have to pay for gutter cleanings. * GK has an A rating in Angie's List, 116 reports there, and 5 "Page of Happiness" nominations. NS has a B rating, only 12 reports (which suggests that perhaps there isn't enough data for an accurate rating), and no POH nominations. What my gut is telling me at this point is (a) Ned Stevens probably isn't actually trying to rip me off, but (b) I should probably go with the $1,360 quote from New England Gutter Kings to repair the existing gutters and install covers. Does anybody have any advice to offer? |
#2
Posted to misc.consumers.house
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Gutter repair, covers, Ned Stevens, New England Gutter Kings
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#3
Posted to misc.consumers.house
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Gutter repair, covers, Ned Stevens, New England Gutter Kings
On 12/16/09 09:20, Jonathan Kamens wrote:
.... * Is NS telling the truth when they say that gutter cover systems don't work, or are they just trying to protect a guaranteed annual revenue stream from selling me their annual service plan? .... Not sure about the covers you are talking about but on my previous house we had Gutter Helmets installed and they worked perfectly. For at least the 8 years we had them when we were there. They also had the 'never clog' guarantee. Never needed it. And we backed up to woods pretty close in. We did get a bird get into one gutter on the back porch one time but that was because of an opening that was under and overhang that didn't have the cover installed there. Separated the cover from the gutter just a bit more and he got free. I'd go with the 'gutter helmet' style solution, no question. But it is pricy... Bob |
#5
Posted to misc.consumers.house
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Gutter repair, covers, Ned Stevens, New England Gutter Kings
Following up on my own posting with more information...
This morning, I got a third consultation from Stephen Frederick. Stephen has been installing and repairing gutters in the Boston area for more than 25 years and comes highly recommended by friends of ours and by everyone on Angie's List. The most important thing he told me is that the biggest risk mentioned by the other companies -- water leaking behind the gutters and causing the fascia boards to rot -- is not in fact a risk at all, because my fascia boards are covered by aluminum. Neither of the other two companies mentioned this. Either they both intentionally misled me about the risk of rotting fascia boards, or they were both too clueless to understand that it isnąt a risk when the boards are covered. Stephen also said that none of my gutters need to be replaced ("I hate to say it, but those gutter cleaning companies don't make a lot of money cleaning gutters; they make their money //selling// gutters") and that he only sees them pulling away from the house slightly in one place, which he said he could repair for about $100. Stephen strongly recommends against gutter covers for two main reasons: 1. They don't really keep everything out of the gutters. They may keep enough of the big stuff out to prevent the gutters from becoming completely clogged, but they let dirt and small stuff get through and build up at the bottom of the gutters. This has all sorts of negative ramifications, e.g., slower water flow through the gutters to the downspouts; extra weight on the nails / screws causing the gutters to pull away from the house; providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes; etc. Furthermore, in a good ol' New England deluge, the covers don't let the water into the gutters fast enough and it comes pouring over the side. 2. The supposed lifetime warranty applies for as long as the covers are attached to the house, but what they don't mention is that they put screws through the bottom row of shingles when installing them. When you replace your shingles, the covers have to be removed; say good-bye to your warranty! I called New England Gutter Kings and asked them to fax or email me a copy of the full warranty on the covers, since the informational packet they gave me contains only a "summary" of the warranty. They said they would email it to me "right away," but it never arrived. This could have been a simple email transmission problem, or perhaps it was a passive aggressive attempt to prevent me from seeing the full warranty before paying them to install the gutters. It looks like I'll soon be another satisfied customer of Stephen Frederick. |
#6
Posted to misc.consumers.house
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Gutter repair, covers, Ned Stevens, New England Gutter Kings
Jonathan, thanks a lot for all that good information. I was dealing with similar problems and got some clarifications through you now. Can you check with Stephen whether he services New Jersey? Wilko |
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