Safety
- The first concern should be safety. Never allow children, pets or even
adults to walk around the construction site. For the crews' safety they must stay
focused on what they are doing on the roof and ladders.
Weather
- Inclement weather generally delays scheduling and construction because of safety
concerns for the installers. Guttering also needs to be dry to insure proper adhesion
of sealants in the comers and end caps.
Access
- Crews will need access to the entire yard. Make sure gates are unlocked
and neighbors notified if necessary. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed back and
should never be allowed to touch your roof and home. Access to the interior of
the home is unnecessary. Identify and protect any items that could be damaged
by vibration and turn alarms off. Crews will need electrical power; if there are
no outside outlets an extension cord should be run under a window or garage door.
Contractors should be given daytime phone numbers in case they need to contact
the homeowner for any reason. Homeowners should also have contractor's cellular
number. If the contractor can not be contacted promptly consider a different contractor.
The homeowner should have evidence of contractor promptness and reliability from
conversation, referrals, appointments, etc.
Clean
Up - All trash and debris should be cleaned up and hauled away
by your contractor.
Rooftop
Items - If you have house numbers, flag holders, basketball hoops,
antennas, satellite dishes, solar panels, patio covers, fences, telephone, power,
tv cables, or other items that may interfere with the gutter installation, consider
who will have responsibility of handling this equipment.
Sprinklers
- Your sprinklers should be turned off and lawn watering avoided a few days before
and during the installation. Wet yards can be a safety hazard for crews and will
increase the potential of stress to landscape and yards by installer traffic.
Removal
of Old Guttering - The removal of old gutter material may loosen
caulk, open woodjoints, peel old paint, cause minor paint and wood scratches.
Although care is taken by the contractor he should not be held responsible for
minor cosmetic blemishes. Remember this is a major undertaking and minor wear
is unavoidable. Consider painting your home when you regutter. Galvanized gutters
have a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years depending on maintenance and original
installation. When guttering is removed it is a great opportunity to paint the
boards the same color as one of the many gutter colors available. When the painting
is completed, the pre-painted guttering can be installed. This can give your home
a complete new look.
Pre-existing Conditions
- Older homes will generally show minor examples of pre-existing conditions
such as uneven rafters, decking, boards, eaves, overhangs, deteriorated bricks,
mortar etc.. It is not the standard practice of the gutter industry or considered
cost effective by homeowners to replace these items that are still considered
serviceable. A new gutter system will not hide or correct these conditions. These
pre-existing conditions should be addressed by the homeowner before they sign
a contract if they are concerned.
If during the removal of old guttering
rotten or water damaged wood is exposed, neither the homeowner nor roofing contractor
is at fault for this unexpected surprises, but it is the property owner’s responsibility.
If you question your contractors responsibility, ask yourself would this situation
happened even if I had hired a different contractor? If the answer is yes, it
was probably a pre-existing condition.
Gutter Sloping-It
is Precision Guttering’s policy to slope gutters toward the downspouts to the
best of our ability with the structure I have to work with (not all structures
are level). This allows for faster flow, less standing water and cleaner gutters.
Most slopping is a 1-inch drop from the center or high end opposite the downspout.
Slopping more than this amount will increase the risk of water getting between
the gutter and fascia board, risking wood rot. Sloping on a structure that is
not level is often a compromise between function and esthetics. The next option
is adding more downspouts.
Downspouts -
Downspout location obviously depends on roof area, the house layout and esthetics.
Alaska rains require a minimum of one downspout for every 40 feet of rain gutter.
It is Precision Guttering’s policy to get by with as few downspouts as possible.
The idea is to get water to the areas of the house where it can drain and dry
quickly. This also saves the owner money by eliminating unnecessary downspouts.
It is sometimes a better option to place downspouts where they will handle the
majority of the water the majority of the time. Adding an extra downspout to eliminate
overflow during an occasional very heavy rain usually means that downspout dumps
water in an undesirable location during more frequent light rains. Trial and error
is another option; downspouts can always be added later. Precision Guttering will
come back and add downspouts at the original cost of the downspout; this is normally
around $50 dollars for a 1-story downspout.
Gutter
screen - Gutter screens can help prevent larger leaves from getting
into gutters. They are not recommended for small leaves or pine trees, etc. The
smaller debris that falls from these types of trees will penetrate the screen
and require screen removal to clean unless the guttering is checked and cleaned
on a very regular basis. Screening cannot guarantee complete elimination of gutter
cleaning. The homeowner should be aware of this before installation. There are
many gimmicks on the market today that promise to eliminate gutter cleaning; I
have yet to find a reliable product.
Special Concerns
-Every project should be looked at individually. If anything needs special attention
or a verbal commitment was made, make sure it is added to the contract. The more
information that is put into the original contract, the less likely discrepancies
will occur during the course of the project. This protects both the homeowner
and the contractor.
We hope these examples of some common concerns will
help prepare you and your home for this improvement project.
