Gutter installation in Horsham and Montgomery County

Seamless or sectional gutters: does it matter?

Sectional gutters come in short lengths that get joined together on the house. Every joint is held with sealant, and sealant dries out. After enough freeze-thaw winters, those joints drip, and the drip lands in the same spot on your siding or walkway every rain.

Seamless gutters run as one piece along each wall, so the only joints are at the corners and the downspout outlets. Fewer joints means fewer places to leak. That is why we put seamless aluminum on almost every house we do. It costs a little more up front than sectional, and on a typical house it is worth it.

When sectional is fine: A detached garage, a shed, or a short run over a back porch. If it is a short straight piece that nobody looks at, sectional will do the job and save a few dollars.

Getting the size and downspouts right

Most gutter problems we see are not the gutter itself. They are gutters that are too small for the roof, or downspouts in the wrong place, so water overshoots the front edge in a summer downpour or dumps right against the foundation.

• Gutter size. Standard 5-inch gutters handle most homes. Big or steep roof sections, or a valley that empties into one short run, often need 6-inch gutters to keep up in a heavy storm.
• Downspout size. Larger 3x4 downspouts move a lot more water than the older 2x3 size and clog less often with leaves and seed pods.
• How many downspouts. A long run with one downspout at the end will overflow in the middle. We add outlets so no stretch of gutter is carrying too much.
• Where the water lands. Downspouts should discharge several feet from the house, onto ground that slopes away. Water dumped at the corner of the house is the classic cause of a wet basement.
• Pitch. Gutters need a slight slope toward each outlet. Too flat and water sits; too steep and it looks crooked from the street.

If you already have water in the basement after storms, start by walking the outside of the house in the rain. Watch where each downspout empties. A cheap extension or splash block fixes more wet basements than people expect.

Fascia rot: the problem you find when the old gutters come off

The fascia is the board along the roof edge that the gutters hang on. When gutters overflow for years, or leak at a joint, water soaks that board and it rots. You usually cannot see it until the old gutter comes down.

We do not hang new gutters on rotten wood, because the hangers will not hold and the new gutter will sag within a season. Soft fascia gets cut out and replaced first. If we expect rot from what we see on the estimate visit, we tell you up front and price it as a separate line, so it is not a surprise on the day.

Rot at the fascia sometimes means water has been getting under the first row of shingles too. If we see that, we will show you photos and you can decide whether it needs a roof repair while we are there.

Are gutter guards worth it?

Sometimes. Guards cut down how often gutters need cleaning. They do not make gutters maintenance-free, whatever the ads say.

• Worth considering if big trees hang over the roof and you are cleaning gutters several times a year
• Worth considering if your gutters are on a second or third story and you should not be on a ladder that high

• Fine debris like pine needles and maple seeds still collects on top of many guards and needs brushing off
• Some guards can let heavy rain sheet over the top on steep roofs
• If you only have a couple of small trees, regular gutter cleaning is usually cheaper over the years

We will tell you on the estimate visit whether your trees and roof make guards worth the money, and price them separately so you can decide.

How a gutter job goes

1. We measure and look at the drainage. Footage, roof sections that feed each run, where the downspouts empty, and the condition of the fascia. We take photos.
2. You get a written, line-item estimate. Gutters, downspouts, any fascia replacement and any guards listed separately, before any work starts.
3. Old gutters come down. We check the fascia board behind them and replace any rotted wood.
4. New gutters go up. Hung with proper pitch toward each outlet, with downspouts and extensions placed to move water away from the house.
5. We run water through it and clean up. We check every outlet drains, then haul away the old gutters and debris.

Planning a new roof too? Do the gutters at the same time or right after. Replacing a roof often means pulling the gutters anyway, and it is the easiest time to fix the drip edge and fascia. See roof replacement.

What it usually costs

Price follows the footage, the number of stories, how many downspouts the house needs, and whether rotted fascia has to be replaced first. Guards are a separate line.

• Gutter Installation: $1,200 – $7,500
• Downspout Installation or Replacement: $350 – $1,250
• Gutter Guard Installation: $1,200 – $5,000
• Gutter Repair: $350 – $1,500

Questions we get asked

How much does gutter installation cost in Horsham?

Most gutter installations we do fall in a typical range of $1,200 to $7,500. A one-story house with short runs sits at the low end; a large two- or three-story house with many corners and downspouts sits higher. Rotted fascia and gutter guards add to it, and you get a free written estimate before anything starts.

Are seamless gutters better than sectional gutters?

For a house, usually yes. Seamless gutters have joints only at corners and outlets, so there are far fewer places for sealant to fail and drip. Sectional gutters are fine for a short run on a shed or garage.

What size gutters do I need?

Most homes do well with 5-inch gutters and 3x4 downspouts. Large or steep roof sections, or a valley that drains into one short run, may need 6-inch gutters. We size them after looking at which roof areas feed each run.

Do gutter guards really work?

They reduce how often you clean, but no guard is maintenance-free. They make the most sense under heavy tree cover or on tall houses where ladder work is risky. With only a few small trees, regular cleaning often costs less over time.

Why do my new gutters need new fascia?

Only if the old fascia is rotted. Years of overflow soak the board the gutters hang on, and hangers will not hold in soft wood. We replace any rotted sections first so the new gutters stay straight.

Where should my downspouts drain?

Several feet from the house, onto ground that slopes away from the foundation. Water dumped right at the corner of the house is one of the most common causes of a wet basement. Extensions or splash blocks are a cheap fix.

Related pages

• Gutter Repair: Sagging, leaking or overflowing gutters fixed before they rot your fascia.
• Gutter Cleaning: Clogged gutters cleared and downspouts flushed, with a quick look at the roof while we are up there.
• Roof Replacement: Full tear-off and new roof when repairs stop making sense. Written, line-item estimate before anything starts.
• Roof Repair: Leaks, missing shingles, flashing and vents. We fix the problem and tell you honestly how much life the roof has left.
• Siding: Vinyl and board-and-batten siding installation and repair.
• Horsham: Home base. Our shop is here.
• Ambler: Older borough homes with steep roofs and plenty of flashing.
• Hatboro: Borough homes and older twins right next door to Horsham.
• Willow Grove: Post-war Capes, ranchers and splits on their second or third roof.
• Blue Bell: Larger homes with complex rooflines and lots of valleys.
• Montgomery County: Where we do most of our work, from Horsham out across the county.
• Bucks County: Warminster, Doylestown, Newtown, Yardley, Chalfont and everywhere in between.