Gutters are an essential component of your house as they divert rainwater from the foundation. If the water isn’t diverted, it can ruin your foundation and cause severe financial damage.
You will need a professional gutter installation in Portland to ensure that your gutters are properly installed and well-maintained. If you try to install gutters yourself, it might end up causing more problems.
You will need to have some prior DIY experience, various tools, people to help you out, and the proper materials that you might not be able to find.
Is It Worth Installing Gutters By Yourself?
Gutters are a critical component to the integrity of your house, and gutter installation professionals are knowledgeable and have the proper tools and materials available to do their work that DIY enthusiasts might not have.
For example, if you opt for a professional gutter installation, you will most likely get a seamless gutter, which is one solid piece of gutter per section. This solid piece has no weak points, which prevents water from dripping or leaking.
If you decide to install the gutter yourself, you will need to measure the sections of your roof where the gutters will be installed and determine a rough layout. Stores usually sell gutters in 10-foot lengths, and there is a high chance that you will get stuck with prefab sections, or you will need to get your gutters custom-made, which is very costly.
Apart from this, you will need to purchase several other components such as:
- Endcaps
- Inside and outside corners
- Downspout connections
- Strapping
- 45-degree elbows
- Slip joints
- Downspout and gutter sections
You may need to buy a lot of these components because it isn’t easy to predict how much you will need in the end. On the other hand, a professional will have all the necessary parts and tools.
Some of the tools you will need include a ladder, sealant, rivet gun, gutter screws, speed square, cut-off wheel/hacksaw, crimping tool, crimper, hex head driver, etc. If you don’t have someone to borrow these tools from, you will need to make additional investments to install the gutters yourself.
Is Gutter Installation Hard?
Gutter installation isn’t among the most complicated operations. If it is the first time you install gutters, or you aren’t good at DIY, you might make some mistakes. You need to consider various things to ensure that the work is well done.
A professional would be able to avoid the mistakes an amateur would make. Apart from this, it will save you a lot of time and effort. Some of the things that you need to consider when installing gutters include:
- Proper roof section measurements to determine the layout
- Buying the right pieces and amounts
- Having the right installation equipment
- Installing downspouts around every 30 feet
- Precision when cutting or drilling holes
- Hanging the gutter too high
- Ensuring the gutter sheds in the direction of the downspouts (rule of thumb, have it drop half an inch for every 10 feet of gutter length) to maintain adequate slope
- You need to secure the gutter to the fascia (line up with rafter tails of the house)
- Ensure water sheds away from the foundation
Final Words
Installing gutters on your own isn’t impossible, but you have to consider if it’s worth it because you could make mistakes that a professional would know to avoid.