Ask the Builder?

I've seen Ask the Builder's Tim Carter show up a lot in searches for gutter covers and on youtube. If he only knew as much about gutter protection as he knows about getting position in the web.

I happened across his analysis of the cost difference between getting gutters cleaned by a roofer and the cost of having gutter guards installed. Click here to read the article.

"I think you should call and get gutter cleaning estimates before you buy gutter protection.

Run the numbers and see if it doesn't make better sense to hold onto your money...."

Tim reasons that if you spend $2000.00 for gutter protection you probably will be better off financially after 10 years if you had a roofer clean your gutter twice a year.

Do you only need your gutters cleaned twice a year? In the fall most of our customers needed their gutters cleaned three to four times and in the spring one to two times. That changes the finances somewhat.

But when do you call to get your gutters cleaned? When you notice them overflowing, right. And when is that? After the damage has already begun to happen with soil erosion, basement leaks, etc.

And how quickly does your a roofer get to your house to clean the gutters? Does he drop the job he's on and come the very next day to do an hour's worth of work on your home for only $75.00? No, he gets to you within a week or so unless you want to pay for an emergency service call.

And did you now that every time you have someone on your roof you have insurance exposure issues?

Wouldn't it better more sense to have your gutters clean all the time, not just twice a year. I don't think Tim considered the cost of cleanup and repair of water damage, caused by gutters that were clogged, that happened while you were waiting for the roofer to clean your gutter.

Quality gutter protection isn't just an expense it's also an insurance policy on your gutters.

If you're the kind of person who thinks it's cheaper to pay for doctor visits instead of getting health insurance because your in good health then you'll probably continue to have your gutters cleaned.