Gutters are the cheapest thing to leave off a storm claim and the most annoying thing to pay for afterwards. Dented, dimpled or pulled loose, they are low value per foot, easy to overlook, and they are the component homeowners most often find themselves buying out of pocket six months after a claim closed.
Four things worth knowing before you accept a scope that does not mention them.
The evidence
Hail leaves dents and dimples in aluminium that are clearest in raking light, early or late in the day. At midday they can be close to invisible, which is a genuine reason inspections get timed rather than an excuse. Photographed properly they are unambiguous.
Why it gets skipped
A gutter run is inexpensive relative to a roof, so it slips out of a scope without anyone objecting. Then the roof gets replaced, the new drip edge meets old dented gutter, and the homeowner pays retail for the thing that should have been on the claim.
Doing it in the right order
Drip edge, fascia and gutter all meet at the eave. Gutters go on after the roof and after any fascia work, not before, and not as a separate call three months later when the crew has gone.
Freeze-thaw
Snow melts off a warm roof and refreezes at the cold eave. Gutters do not cause ice dams, but they make the damage worse when they are full. The real fix is ventilation and insulation, and we will say so rather than selling you gutters.
New seamless systems, guards, drainage, and the repairs that are worth doing versus the ones that aren’t.
Photographed in the right light, by elevation, so gutters make it into the scope.
Formed on site to the exact run length. No seams means no seam leaks.
Where roof area or valley discharge calls for it. Not necessary on every home and we will say so.
Replaced rather than covered where the wood has gone.
Extensions and discharge points that get water away from the wall rather than beside it.
Where there is real tree cover. On an open lot we will tell you if you do not need them.
On a covered claim, gutters are frequently the difference between a scope that restores the house and one that leaves you with new shingles above dented aluminium. Get them documented before the claim closes.
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Yes, and it is the component most often left off. Gutters are inexpensive relative to a roof, so they slip out of a scope without anyone objecting — and then you are paying retail six months later to replace dented aluminum under a brand new roof. It costs nothing to have them documented while the claim is open.
Light angle. Dents and dimples in aluminium are close to invisible at midday and obvious in raking light early or late in the day. That is when the documentation needs to be shot, and it is a real reason inspections get scheduled at particular times rather than whenever is convenient.
After, always. Gutters are frequently removed for a tear-off anyway, the fascia should be inspected and repaired while it is exposed, and the drip edge is part of the roofing work. Hanging gutters first means taking them down again or working around them badly.
On most Evansville homes, no. Six-inch matters where a valley concentrates a large roof area into a short run or on an unusually large roof. On a standard roofline, correctly hung and sloped 5-inch with an adequate downspout is genuinely fine and we will tell you so.
No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling. Ice dams come from heat escaping into the attic, melting snow that refreezes at the cold eave. Gutters make the resulting damage worse when they are full. The real fix is ventilation and insulation, which we also do.
Get your free, no-obligation inspection today.
