Installing Gutters

When you are building a house, you will be installing gutters after the house has been bricked and after the top coat of paint has been complete. At no point do you want to rush installing gutters and have them installed prior to bricking the house or painting the exterior of the house.

Material for the gutter installation is going to be supplied by the contractor. The material typical used when installing gutters includes seamless aluminum gutters, downspouts and nails. All of this should be supplied by your gutter subcontractor.

It is important to know the exterior color of paint that you anticipate using. This is going to help you make a color selection when you meet with the gutter contractor. You should also be prepared to make a decision as to if you want to install gutters all the way around the house, or if you wish to only install gutters along the front of the home.

The installation process for installing gutters is a rather simple process. Typically the contractor is going to come out and lay out the gutters on the ground around the perimeter of the home, caulk the joints of the gutters, and nail them to the fascia board. He will the work to install the downspouts and secure them to at least two points on the wall, depending on the wall height.

Checklist for Installing Gutters

• Confirm that the gutters have been secured to the wall as well as the fascia board.
• Confirm that all gutters have some downhill slope
• All joints in the gutters should be completely caulked or soldered shut.
• Confirm that no damage has occured on the brick, siding, or fascia board during the installation.
• It is a best practice to run all downspouts into concrete surfaces where possible. This is going to help avoid erosion and the additional cost of taking extra measures to prevent erosion.
• The bottom of the downspout should be no higher than the top of the slab surface to prevent water from penetrating the home