Gutters are an essential feature on a home because they prevent water from running off the roof and eroding the soil away near your home’s foundation. This will eventually lead to severe damage to your home’s foundation.
Manage Water Off Your Roof and Safely Away from Your Home With New Seamless Gutters.
Many clients ask about how gutters play into the process of replacing siding or roofs. Many people view these pieces of their home as individual items, but the most important way that any client can understand how and when to replace their gutters is to view the entire process as an ecosystem.
Your roof, gutters, and siding work together to insulate your home and displace water. By stopping water ingress (and keeping the home well ventilated and dry), you will seriously extend the life of your roof, siding, and gutters. A single fail point can bring down the whole system over time and cost you a lot more money.
At Proven Contracting, we are home systems specialists. We know how important maintaining every aspect of your home is to its value and longevity. Here are the important things you need to know about gutter replacements when doing a home update.
Who Replaces Gutters?
Like roofing and siding, gutters are replaced by specialists. As contractors, we work with the best in New Jersey to ensure that every piece of your home is updated for value and lasting impact. At Proven Contracting, we are full service.
If you are interested in replacing your gutters (or doing other updates that include gutters), all you need to do is speak with us. Before sending someone out to measure, evaluate, and price the job, we will happily discuss any questions you have.
You’ll be able to talk through the options, learn about the process, and discuss the best needs for your home.
Gutters are technically independent of the siding and roofing, but it does make the most sense to replace them when you are doing other work to the facade of your home.
How Long Does It Take To Replace Gutters?
The amount of time it takes is typically less than one day. This will obviously depend on the size and location of your home. Larger homes, multiple stories, rotten fascia, or a steep grade might require more time to access and replace.
If you are updating multiple segments of your home, the process is much more efficient than replacing one alone and is always done last. The entire process (from consultation to finishing) can take a few months, depending on material choice, availability, and crew scheduling. But it’s okay to just update your gutters for a little facelift that can go a long way to protecting your home (and adding value).
The job involves removing the original gutters, checking the fascia boards, trim, soffit (the piece of your roof that is on the underside of the eaves and allows passive air ingress without allowing water, which helps the r-value of your roof system), and any contact points of the gutter system.
Once every piece is deemed sturdy, the new gutters can be quickly installed, often in less than a day.
What Kind Of Gutters Are There?
There are multiple styles of gutters, but for most homes, seamless gutters “K Style” are the most expedient, affordable, and easily customizable option.
But so you know the full range of options, we have outlined some of the most popular ones.
Overlapping Traditional Gutters:
These gutters are brought in precut segments that are joined along your roof and cut to fit. While at one time these were de rigueur, today almost everyone uses seamless because they are more efficient and easier to install in custom lengths.
Half-Round Gutters:
These rounded gutters look exactly like they sound but are mostly a thing of the past. They are not as deep as “K style” gutters and are being replaced for more efficient gutters on most homes.
Seamless:
Seamless gutters are really the best option for almost every home. During seamless gutter installation, a box truck comes with flat metal sheets (in the style of your choice and gauge, with .032 and .027 as standard) that are put through an extruder to shape the metal into a gutter system. What most people love about these gutters is that they have fewer failure points than traditional gutter systems and come in a variety of styles and sizes, although the “K Style” is the most efficient.
How Customizable Are Gutters?
Gutter systems are highly customizable and can be made to match any home. Aluminum is the most used gutter material, but some choose to use copper on their homes.
Copper gutters are high-end. They are the Rolls Royce of gutter systems. Over time they will develop a beautiful patina, but unfortunately are incredibly expensive and hard to source. Careful installation is a necessity with copper gutters as they are very prone to dents.
But after choosing a material, the customization options are almost endless. Black and white are the most used, but some people choose to match their siding. The more custom a color choice, the more expensive it will be.
Other options you can choose from include size. 4″ and 5″ will work for many roofs, but some (especially bigger and steeper roofs that collect more volume of water in a rainfall) benefit from 6″ or 7″ “jumbo” gutters. A 6″ gutter will collect 40% more water than a 4″.
When Should I Replace My Gutters?
There’s no right or wrong time to replace pieces of your home, and it’s okay to want a facelift to improve the facade visually or to protect it. However, we believe it’s most effective to replace siding, roofing, and gutters simultaneously because they operate as a full system.
But sometimes things happen, and extreme weather or outside circumstances can cause you to need an early and small replacement. If a gutter is clearly damaged by a tree limb, severe weather, or an accident, if they look bad and are oxidized (they’ve gone from shiny to chalky), or start falling off the siding, it’s time to speak with a contractor about replacing your gutters.
The longer you leave outdated gutters on your home, the more likely you are to need extensive repairs.
If you are worried about your gutters or want to explore updating your home, contact us at Proven Contracting today, where we’ve served New Jersey residents for over five years.
We offer:
- New seamless gutters & downspouts
- Gutter protection systems to prevent leaf clogging
- Wide variety of colors to complement roofing and siding colors
