Seamless gutters, formed on site

Why seamless matters

Sectional gutter comes in pre-cut lengths joined with connectors, and every one of those joints is a future leak. Seamless gutter is rolled from a coil on site in one continuous piece for the entire run, so the only seams on the whole system are at corners and outlets.

We form on site, which means the run is cut to your actual fascia length rather than to the nearest stock size. Available in aluminium in a range of colours, and in copper where the architecture calls for it.

The specifications that decide performance

Most failed gutters were installed wrong, not worn out. Four things determine whether a gutter system works for twenty years.

• Slope. A gutter needs roughly a quarter-inch of fall for every ten feet of run toward the outlet. Too flat and it holds standing water and breeds mosquitoes; too steep and it looks wrong and overshoots.
• Hanger spacing. Hidden hangers every 24–32 inches on centre. Wider than that and the gutter sags under wet leaf load, which permanently deforms the front lip.
• Sizing. Five-inch K-style handles most homes. Steep pitches and large roof planes concentrate water volume and need six-inch with oversized outlets — this is common on WNC roofs and routinely under-specified.
• Downspout placement and discharge. A downspout that dumps against the foundation has moved the problem, not solved it. Extensions, splash blocks or buried discharge get the water away from the structure.

Gutter guards under tree cover

Every guard product on the market claims to be maintenance-free. Under mature hardwood and pine in Western North Carolina, none of them are. What a good guard does is change the maintenance from a twice-yearly obligation involving a ladder into an occasional rinse.

What we have found holds up: micro-mesh over a rigid frame, mounted so it does not lift the shingle course. What we steer people away from: foam inserts, which pack with pine needles and hold moisture in the gutter, and reverse-curve designs, which overshoot in heavy rain — and heavy rain is the condition that actually matters here.

Cleaning and maintenance

If you have not put guards on, WNC gutters generally need clearing twice a year — once mid-autumn after the hardwood drop, and once in late spring after the pollen and seed load. Properties under heavy pine may need a third pass.

We photograph the gutters before and after so you can see what came out, and we flag anything we notice about the roof edge, drip edge or fascia while we are up there. It is the cheapest roof inspection you will ever get.