You’re a homeowner, not an exterior contractor. So we get it if you have a few gutter questions pertaining to your home!
Whether you are looking into how to clean your gutters, what your options are when it comes to replacing your home’s gutters, or you simply just love learning – about gutters – in this article we aim to help you accomplish the following:
- Become informed when it comes to gutter care and gutter replacement
- Answer all of your most common and FAQ gutter questions
- Determine whether or not gutter guards are needed and more!
Let’s get right to it by answering the most common gutter questions!
The Most Common Gutter Questions Answered
Other Gutter info you might find resourceful!
1. Why do I need gutters in the first place?
Gutters are not something you notice unless there is a problem. Your home’s gutters take the “Out of sight, out of mind” saying to a new level simply because we don’t pay attention to them.
However, your rain gutters are vital when it comes to protecting your home from rainwater. In fact, your home’s rain gutters protect your home by preventing rainwater from draining down the side of your home and causing leaks. They (gutters) also prevent erosion and flooding around the base of your home!
Your gutters work with your roof system to be sure that your home stays dry. Common gutter problems like clogged or missing gutters lead to more issues than you might imagine.
On our Facebook page we have a video of gutters that were leaking and causing erosion on the homeowners driveway!
2. What are rain gutters?
Let us first start by asking the most basic question, what are rain gutters?
Rain gutters at troughs that are mounted on the fascia boards of your home where your roof meets. They are installed flush against your home to collect and distribute rainwater from your roof during storms.
Gutters are essential for rainwater management during storms and they are commonly made out of aluminum, which is hardy and inexpensive overall. Most gutters are “Seamless” meaning they are custom fit for your home and this prevents leaking!
3. How do I know if my gutters need to be cleaned?
If they look dirty from the ground, it’s probably worse when you get up there! Cleaning your gutters is not always simple but as a general rule of thumb, if you see the following, they need to be cleaned:
- Leaves sticking out of gutters
- Rainwater flying off the roof
- Sticks in gutters
- Plants growing in gutters
It is best to make sure you check your gutters at least 1x per year, but ideally 2x to make sure they’re not getting clogged, especially if you live in an are with mature trees!
Bonus Gutter Question: Do I need a gutter repair?
So let’s say you go to clean your gutters and you notice they’re in a state of disarray. You might think to yourself you need a gutter repair. However, in most cases, a new gutter is the better option.
There are some cases where a gutter repair is warranted, but in most cases, once the problem is to the point of repair, it’s simply better to replace the gutters. And as you will see below, they’re not very expensive to replace:
4. How much do new gutters cost?
New aluminum gutters and downspouts are pretty reasonable – $5.50 to $6.50 per linear foot. Slap on Raindrop Gutter Guard for $10 a foot and now you have a lifetime no-clog, self-cleaning gutter system!
On average a seamless aluminum gutter will run the average homeowner anywhere between $5 to $10 per linear foot depending on size, and sometimes color.
At Top Dog Home Pro we offer custom aluminum gutters in the 5” and 6” variety, running homeowners $5.50 per foot and $6.50 per foot. That means if you needed 150’ of gutters your costs would be:
| 5 Inch | $5.50 x 150 Feet | $825 |
| 6 Inch | $6.50 x 150 Feet | $975 |
| Guards | $10.00 x 100 Feet | $1,000 |
You can use this gutter calculator tool for free to estimate your costs. Gutter guards are only installed on the gutters, not the downspouts, and keep in mind these prices are with the gutters installed!
5. Where can I go to buy seamless gutters near me?
You can’t buy seamless gutters at the store, but you can have a local gutter contractor like Top Dog Home Pro install them for you. Seamless gutters are made on-site and are custom fit to the appropriate dimensions.
Unlike their sectional counterparts, seamless gutters require at least two people to install in most cases and they’re installed with screw-in hidden hangers to prevent them from pulling off the house (this was common with old school gutter spikes).
If you want to get a quote for new gutters, simply estimate your approximate linear feet and downspout length and use this gutter calculator to get a quote!
6. How do I find gutter installers near me?
Obviously, if you’re reading this article and you live in the Northern Virginia area you have found yourself a gutter company near you! The steps to finding a gutter contractor near you are simple.
- Click here and contact us if you’re in the Northern Virginia region
- If you’re not, go to a search engine and type in “Gutter Company near me”
- Go to Facebook and “Ask for a recommendation”
- You can also use this article which ranks gutter companies in the Northern, VA area!
7. What are the cheapest gutters?
The cheapest gutters in both quality and price are vinyl gutters. Vinyl gutters are not much cheaper in price, but they are typically the lowest since the material is weak and breaks easily.
That is why we recommend aluminum gutters. Aluminum gutters are fairly priced ($5.50 to $6.50 per linear foot) and they’re extremely durable when installed by gutter professionals.
More expensive gutter options do exist such as cooper or steel gutters!
8. Do gutters come with a warranty?
Some gutters come with a warranty, others do not. When it comes to new gutters installed by Top Dog Home Pro, we offer a lifetime warranty on our gutters.
Our lifetime gutter warranty includes a labor and material warranty. Additionally, we offer a lifetime guarantee backed by a no-clog warranty when we also install gutter guards.
That said, warranties have stipulations and terms detailed here under our warranty information here because gutters do need to be cared for and regularly cleaned to qualify for a warranty.
9. What color gutters are there to choose from?
You name the gutter color – we got it! In all all seriousness, gutters come in a wide variety of colors and we have over 16 seamless aluminum gutters to choose from.
Most of the time the gutter colors are simple; either white or eggshell. However, black gutters are very popular too. Just remember, if you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, color changes have to be cleared according to most HOA by-laws.
10. What sizes do gutters come in?
The seamless sections of gutters are custom made in two sizes:
- 5 inch gutters
- 6 inch gutters
The downspouts are subsequently matched, with 2×3 inch downspouts connecting to the 5 inch gutters and 3×4 inch downspouts connecting to the 6 inch downspouts.
We always recommend the bigger gutters – 6 inches – because they come with the larger downspouts, thus they can displace more water and do it faster during storms! In fact, the extra inch on the downspouts leads to 400% more water volume, thus preventing gutter issues!
11. Do I need gutter guards?
We are biased, but we always say YES to gutter guards, and here is why:
- Gutter guards (like Raindrop) that work are worth every penny
- Raindrop Gutter Guards are self-cleaning meaning you don’t have to clean them
- You can do away with cleaning but also having to clean the cheap gutter guards others will install
- They’re durable
- They come with a lifetime no-clog warranty!
But don’t take out word for it, read this entire guide that analyzes the pros of gutter guards! We also have this awesome video to help!
Gutter Questions (Final Take):
We understand that most homeowners want to make the MOST INFORMED buying choice when they’re buying anything for their home. This includes gutters!
Knowing this, we hope this article helped you with all of your questions and we encourage you to check out our Gutter Learning Center here. Our learning center contains more articles and videos to help you learn everything about your home’s gutters/exterior needs!
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