3 DIY Gutter Installation Mistakes
Gutters have a straightforward function: to direct rainwater from your roof away from your home. They should be easy to install as well, right? Wrong. Without the right knowledge, skills and experience, you are likely to make mistakes installing your own gutter system or doing your own gutter repair.
These include:
- Choosing the Wrong Gutter – Gutters come in a range of material, size, style and gauge options, each with their own pros and cons. For the most part, there is not one best gutter choice. Rather, what’s right for you will depend on your preferences and where you live. Homes in rainier climates, for instance, will do better with half-round gutters than their K-style counterparts, as well as thicker gauges to withstand extreme weather events.
- Incorrectly Calculating for Pitch – Gutters may look like they’re completely level but they have a slight pitch that facilitates water flow through troughs. Not properly pitched, gutter systems run the risk of ponding. This can lead to premature deterioration, prompting gutter and roof repair sooner rather than later.
- Improperly Placing Gutters – Given gutters are tasked with catching rainwater from roofs, it makes sense that they will be located at the edge of a roofing system, right? Unfortunately, this is wrong. Instead, gutters have to be located a few inches below your roof’s edge. This is because water doesn’t just fall off the edge of a roof, experiencing capillary action that pulls it into a roof’s underside first before completely falling off.
To make the most of getting new gutters, trust only the experts from Sprague Construction Roofing LLC for all your installation needs in Billings, MT, Cody, Wyoming, and the surrounding communities. To learn more about what we can do for you, simply give us a call at (406) 534-1222 or fill out our contact form. Ask us for a FREE estimate today! We also offer restoration services.
