DIY gutter installations exist throughout the Tri-Valley area. We get it. Homeowners like to handle their home improvement projects themselves because it saves them money and gives them a sense of accomplishment. But from our perspective, rain gutter installation is best left to the professionals.
We won't hold it against you should you decide to install new rain gutters yourself. It's your home, and you have to do whatever makes sense for you. But at least consider the following reasons why we believe professional installation beats DIY:
Volume is an important calculation when choosing new rain gutters. In other words, the gutters you choose need to be able to handle the volume of water the entire system has to accommodate during a typical storm.
Too many DIYers purchase gutters based on price alone. It never occurs to them that size really does matter. As professionals, we know what it takes to offer adequate protection in the Tri-Valley area. The same goes for our competitors. We are not going to try to sell you a gutter that's too small.
Every new rain gutter installation requires complex calculations to ensure proper placement. One of the things we need to account for is pitch. What is pitch? It is the angle at which a gutter section is tilted.
Rain gutters need to be pitched to ensure that water actually flows through them and to the downspouts. Moreover, precise calculations are mandatory. If a gutter's pitch is too high, water can flow too quickly and forcefully through the system. If the pitch is too low, it may not flow at all.
When you are dealing with sectioned gutters, you're also dealing with seams. Here's the thing: seams are the enemy. They are the weakest link in any gutter installation; seams are where leaks occur; it is where sagging usually starts.
Gutter installation professionals know how to install sectioned gutters with the fewest seams possible – and without unnecessarily wasting material. The DIY homeowner may not. And when that's the case, the result is almost always too many seams.
Gutter hangers are essentially the supports that hold gutters in place. They need to be spaced properly to ensure that sectioned gutters do not begin to sag. What happens if they are spaced too far apart? Sagging instantly becomes an issue. If it's not corrected, the gutters could eventually pull away from the house altogether.
Unfortunately, a lot of installers try to cut corners by using fewer hangers. That's not good. In fact, it is better to have too many hangers spaced too close together then not enough spaced too far apart.
The biggest concern of all is your home's foundation. Gutters are installed specifically to protect the foundation by not allowing water to run off the roof and erode the soil. But if gutters are not installed properly, they may not do the job they are intended to do.
Your home's foundation is too important to risk to improperly install gutters. It's too important to trust to a DIY installation done half-way. To ensure water is channeled away as it should be, either learn how to install gutters correctly or leave it to the professionals.
If you are looking for a new gutter installation for your home or business, feel free to contact us for a quote. We would be happy top rice out the job based on your specifications and needs. Then you can choose whether to hire the professionals or go the DIY route. We recommend professional installation.
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