Key Questions to Ask When Ordering perforated gutter guard

Why, you ask?

Because there are dozens upon dozens of gutter guards on the market.

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Some work well, and many don&#;t.

What may work well for your friend, relative or neighbor, may not work well for you.

This article will help you understand the most important considerations to drive your buying decision, regardless of type of gutter guard, cost, and any one company&#;s claims of selling the best gutter guard.

You don&#;t need to look any further than your yard and the exterior of your home to determine what the best gutter guard will be for your home. If you&#;re planning to invite gutter guard dealers and contractors to your home to show you their offerings; before you call to set up those appointments, grab a pencil and paper and head outside. We&#;ll help you find your best gutter guard before you ever meet with a gutter guard contractor or visit your local home improvement store.

(By the way, if you live anywhere in Ohio and want your gutter guards or gutters installed right once and for all, we can help. Based in Dayton, we serve greater Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and beyond. Contact Gutter Guards Direct today for a fast quote and for a gutter system that finally works and protects your home all the way.)

There are very practical things you must address in order to find the best gutter guard. Follow these steps to help drive your decision: 

First, walk around the entire perimeter of your home and write down the types of trees in your yard and any trees in your neighbors&#; yards that blow leaves into your gutters.

I understand that you may not be an arborist, so if you don&#;t know the names of the trees, take note of the types of leaves, seeds, needles or tassels that the trees produce.

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Here&#;s a quick overview of 3-types of trees that will give your gutters fits:

Maple Trees:

Maple seeds, aka helicopters and whirlybirds, spin to the ground in the spring followed by large 3 point leaves in the fall;

Oak Trees:

Long, stringy, light brown tassels fall from the trees in the spring. While they may fall individually, they often clump together and get weighed down by moisture and may stay put until they have dried out. Most oaks produce large 6 pointed leaves in the fall; and

Pine/Fir Trees:

There are several types of pine and fir trees. Some produce long needles that fall throughout the year and blow from one end of your yard to the other, while others, like Blue Spruce trees, drop short, heavy needles that don&#;t fall too far from the tree (no pun intended).

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Blowing Leaves Travel

Once you have an idea of the types of trees you have in your yard, jot down or sketch the proximity of the trees to your home. The closer trees are to your house, or the taller the trees are, the more problematic they&#;ll be to your gutters.

While you&#;re still looking at your trees, where do the prevailing winds come from?

For instance, if trees are located on the west of your home, wind blows the leaves from the west towards your house. The intent here is to get a basic understanding of how the leaves travel from the trees to your gutters. What you may find is that certain gutters clog regularly, while other gutters are less affected. The key takeaway here is that leaves can travel an incredible distance and land on your roof and inside your gutters, so prevailing wind direction matters.

Okay, now that we&#;ve looked at the types of trees, the types of leaves and debris they drop, how the proximity of the trees to your home and wind affects the path leaves blow, we can move on to your gutters.

What size are your gutters?

If you&#;re saying, &#;I have no idea,&#; let me help you out. If your house is more than 20 years old and the gutters are original to your house, then there&#;s a good chance you have 5&#; gutters. If your gutters have long nails, also called spikes and ferrels, odds are you have 5&#; gutters. If your house is big and newer, hopefully you have 6&#; gutters, but, sadly, this is no guarantee.

If it&#;s easy to access your gutters and you want to check the size, grab a tape measure or ruler and measure the distance from the rear edge of the gutter to the outer edge of the front lip. It&#;ll either measure 5&#; or 6-inches. If you live in California or if you have half-round or a gutter shape other than K-style, you may find the size falls slightly larger or smaller than 5 or 6 inches.

Gutter size is important as it relates to how water flows off your roof. If you have a ranch house, gutters will be located across the front and back of your house or all the way around the house if you have a hip roof.

If you have a larger, 2 or 3 story house, it&#;s not unusual for water from upper gutters to spill onto the roof and then into lower gutters. If you have multiple tiers of gutter moving water down to gutters below, take note. The amount of water flowing off your roof can easily overwhelm the gutters downstream as well as any gutter guard you&#;ll install.

Where are you having gutter issues and what, specifically, is occurring?

Is water overflowing? 

Are your gutters sagging or have they pulled away from your house? 

Are there spots where the gutters clog more often than other areas?

Knowledge is power

Now that you&#;ve walked around your house and taken copious notes, head inside, grab a beverage, and get ready for Round 2.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of perforated gutter guard. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Reach out to friends, family and neighbors who have had gutter guards installed on their homes to ask them about their experiences. As you are absorbing their insights, keep in mind that they may have different trees in different locations than you do. They may have fewer or more trees. Their homes may look different than yours. Their gutters may be larger or smaller.

In other words, the &#;environment&#; in which they live is different than yours, and the specific gutter guard they purchased and installed may or may not work well for you.

Their best gutter guard may not be your best gutter guard or your best bet!

The benefit of talking to them is finding out what worked well, what issues, if any, they&#;ve had, and would they recommend the contractor who installed their guards?

Once you have this information, you can begin to understand what will be the best gutter guard for your home.

Rain gutters help prevent water from pooling around your home and damaging your all-important foundation. But clogged gutters can be a pain to clean, and if left unchecked, they can cause damage as water trickles through cracks in the siding. That&#;s a problem you seriously want to avoid.

A gutter guard is designed to prevent gutters from getting clogged by pesky leaves and debris, keep your home dry and safe, and avoid costly foundational repairs. They&#;re easy to install and can reduce the cleaning and maintenance.

What Are Gutter Guards?

A gutter guard is a device that keeps rubble like dry leaves and pine needles out of your rain gutters. That rubble can build up and even become a fire hazard, especially if you live in a wildfire-prone area. Gutter guards can also keep critters like mice, bats, and birds from nesting in gutters, reducing the risk of water damage to your home.

Let&#;s look at a few types of gutter guards, including prices.

Image: HouseLogic

Brush Gutter Guard

These inserts resemble pipe cleaners or bottle brushes that lie in your gutters. The stiff bristles catch larger twigs and leaves while allowing water to pass through undisturbed. These are easy to install and relatively cheap, at $1.25 to $4 per linear foot. However, since the bristles of the brush guards trap debris that can build up over time, they may be less effective than alternatives and still require regular cleaning.

Foam Gutter Guards

Foam gutter guards also sit in the gutter, allowing water to pass through while trapping debris. They are easy to install, but be wary of low-end products. Poor-quality foam gutter guards aren't a good choice. They can trap small debris leading to decay, which can become a hotbed for mosquitos. Expect to pay about $1.50 to just under $5 per linear foot of foam for your gutter guard installation.

Reverse Curve Gutter Guard

Also known as a surface tension gutter guard, this device features a sheet of metal that curves over the gutter opening, leaving only a small gap accessible. The curved guard allows water to flow into the gutter while dead leaves roll off the sheet and fall to the ground. These gutter guards cost around $3.50 to $6.50 per linear foot.

Mesh Gutter Guard

A mesh guard sits on top of your gutter and prevents rubble from entering. You can choose from materials like aluminum or steel and opt for different mesh sizes. Micro-mesh tends to be the most effective, but installation is more tedious. Prices range from 46 cents to $4 &#;per&#;linear foot based on the type of metal, the type of mesh, and whether the mesh is precut or on a roll.

Perforated Screen Gutter Guards

This sheet of perforated plastic or metal blocks objects from entering your gutters while water flows in easily. You can choose from materials like PVC plastic (51 cents to 86 cents per linear foot), aluminum (99 cents to $4 per linear foot), or steel (about $1 to $4 per linear foot).

How Much Do Gutter Guards Cost?

The national average cost to install a gutter guard is $335, and the average range is $69 to $600. Professional contractors may charge around $82 to $149 per hour for installation.

Labor costs vary depending on the type of home you live in. A single-story ranch home with a medium pitch roof may be a simple installation. On the other hand, a multi-story home with climbing vines or steep roofs may require safety equipment, extension ladders, or scaffolding, which will increase labor costs.

What Are the Downsides of Gutter Guard Installation?

Nothing is perfect, including gutter guards. Here are some of the potential downsides you&#;ll need to consider.

Gutter guards:

• Aren't foolproof: Shingle dust, fine leaves, and other debris can still find their way into your gutters and cause clogs. A gutter guard may give you more breathing room between gutter maintenance and cleaning jobs, but you won't be rid of them.
• May obstruct your view: While debris is building up over time, a screen or mesh gutter cover could obscure your view. That makes it harder to see when it&#;s time for a cleaning, which could lead to leaks or overflow.
• Make it harder to clean gutters: If you've installed mesh or screen covers, you'll have to remove them every time you need to clean your gutters. This may require professional help.

How Do I Install Gutter Guards?

Installing foam or brush guards is simple enough for most people, as long as you&#;re comfortable on a ladder, since this type of installation is a matter of laying the guard into the existing gutter. If you're looking for a more permanent solution, like screens or mesh, you'll need experience. Measuring the gutters, cutting the mesh, choosing the right materials, and attaching the covers are all important steps in the task. In most cases, this is a job best left to the experts.

Let's look at a few key questions to ask before hiring a pro.

How to Find the Right Contractor

If you're considering hiring a professional to install a gutter guard, it&#;s a good idea to verify their expertise. These questions can help you make an informed decision.

• Do you offer a warranty or guarantee?
  A warranty protects you from faulty or inferior quality materials. A guarantee from a reputable contractor may entitle you to a refund if their work proves shoddy.
• Can you provide references?
  An experienced contractor will have a strong portfolio of work and will be willing and able to share images of completed gutter guard installations. They'll refer you to previous clients who can talk to you about their experience working with the contractor and how the work has held up over time.
• Are you a licensed contractor?
  Make sure your contractor is licensed to perform work in your state. Licensed contractors must carry general liability insurance and workers compensation, so you're protected if any accidents occur on your property.

FAQs About Gutter Guard Installations

How Well Do Gutter Guards Work?

Efficiency depends on the type of gutter guard you've chosen. Brush and foam guards won't work as well as micro-mesh screen guards. All gutter guards can reduce the collection of foreign objects in your gutters.

What Is the Best Type of Gutter Guard?

Micro-mesh gutter guards tend to do most effectively prevent clogged gutters, which means you can spend less time unclogging your gutters. That said, they're not ideal for everyone, since cleaning them will likely require professional removal of the guards to access the gutter.

What Should I Consider Before Installing Gutter Guards?

Before jumping into a gutter guard installation project, think through your home, property, landscape, and needs.

How often do you usually clean your gutters? Can a cheaper DIY with foam serve the purpose? If you live in a relatively dry area, pricey gutter guards may not be worth the spend.

On the other hand, a gutter guard system may be worthwhile if you have a water drainage problem, you&#;re facing potential water damage from neglected gutters, the climate is more prone to precipitation, or leaf-shedding trees are located near the home.

The Final Word on Gutter Guards

Gutter guard installation may be a great idea if you don't have time to clean your rain gutters regularly. They'll help keep your rain gutters functioning well and your home free of water damage. But you'll still have to clean your gutter occasionally, and mesh or screen gutter guards will probably complicate the task. You may want to try a cheaper option and decide later if you need a lasting solution.

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