My gutters are busted in one spot and water is spilling over into my front garden by the bucketload. Coincidentally, a door-to-door gutter salesman visited my house and set up an appointment for his company to give me a free assessment.
How much should I pay for new gutters on small (average-sized) house?
Is this gutter sale a likely scam?
How important is it that I fix my gutter problem?
Thanks for the help.
Important. You don't want water accumulating close to the house against the foundation.
I never buy from a solicitation. Now a days its pretty easy to check up on a company - see how long the have been around, have a store front, BBB, etc. Get three quotes and go from there.
More expensive than you think it should be. I just paid 300$ for one completely straight 40ft run. That's for heavy gauge aluminum and heavy anchors - ice and snow are pretty tough on them around here.
Like Tim said it is very important to maintain gutters - I would definitely have it seen to before the Fall. If you can get up there and look around maybe it is something you can do yourself?
I would be extremely wary of "contractors" who go door to door looking for business. I have never heard of anyone reputable doing that but I have heard many stories of scams and shoddy work left uncompleted. Ideally I would look for a recommendation from a neighbour.
Colin, for pete's sake man, turn away traveling "gutter" salesmen as you would any jehovah. Here in the ATL, any Gutter Company worth their aluminum will do a complete gutter job for about $4-$6 per linear foot. Obviously that number changes with better materials (i.e. copper) and add ons, but any standard job will fall into that range. Before you call, be sure to ask any of your neighbors or local relatives and ask around about companies FIRST before random calls. That's the best way to seek out a starting point. Second, inspect behind the broken gutter and try to determine if there is any water damage to your fascia board (water stains, rot, insects, etc.) sometimes a company will sell you a job that isn't needed ("gotta replace that rotten board", then you say, "there is no rotten fascia that I could discern, bubba" - DING - smart homeowner! If all of the rest of your gutters are in decent shape, there's no rush to replace them all at once. Just make sure that they are tight up against the roof, no leaks, no oak trees growing out of them, dents, etc. and keep them clean. Never accept a bid from some dude walking in your neighborhood selling contractor services (that goes for calling a number off a handmade sign), take it from me - a legitimate contractor (who only puts flyers on car windows @ the grocery store) no, not really...
Aye, there's nary an animal alive that can outrun a greased scotsman...
...that we should both have a look at it together before you decide to hire someone to do it. I may be able to easily fix it for you given that you are DIY challenged and save you some all-important dough in the process. Then, you could just take Ryder and I out for lunch sometime!
Randy
Cincinnati, OH
SAHD to Ryder (2 yrs)
Great spirits have always experienced violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein
Paddy's response was hot. It got me kind of worked up like some of Chef's good food and cooking advice. Or, like the time TickTock's wife gave some advice here. Nice.
Makes up for all of the mindless drivel that get's dumped here on a daily basis by guys ignoring their kids.
THE KIDS!!! I completely forgot about them!!!
I'll be right back guys...
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http://www.altparenting.com
Paddyrat is on the money saying "any Gutter Company worth their aluminum will do a complete gutter job for about $4-$6 per linear foot." Good advice regarding the fascia board as well. Many times thats where you'll get stroked by a shady gutter guy. He'll quote x amount for the gutters, you say okay, then he yanks them down and starts working you out about fascia boards, drip edge, and gutter apron. All the sudden you have no gutters on the house and extra money to pay out for "concealed conditions". Before you call the gutter guy have a look for yourself and figure out what you need. Get what you need rather than being "sold" what you need.
Joined: 2006-11-06
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