Planning for Chicago gutters installation

Author: Aiden Finlay

Whether you have a new construction or are upgrading your existing home, planning for Chicago gutters installation has to be done carefully. It isn’t as easy as picking up the phone and calling a contractor to install the gutters, you need to pick the gutters as carefully as you pick the contractor too. There are now many options available to you. Depending on where you live in the Chicago area some might be better than others for you to have. Here is a brief overview of what you need to consider when planning for Chicago gutters installation.

What do you need the gutters to do?

Surprisingly, this is a question that most homeowners don’t think to ask. They have a general idea that they want gutters to redirect rain run-off from a roof, but there is more to it than that. You need to ask yourself where you want the rain to go, if your gutters also need to protect your roof from debris, and if the run-off is really the type you should be having with your style roof. That last is very important. There are a lot of factors that influence the amount of run off a roof has from the type of roofing material used to the overhanging branches allowed. You also need to define if your gutters have to withstand high winds and moisture (such as in the Lakefront district), or if they need to deal with heavy amounts of fall leaves (as is common in the areas around the universities). If you aren’t sure, talking with a Chicago gutters installation contractor will help. They know the area and can identify what the common gutter needs to do.

What type of gutter would be best for your home?

Gutters come in a lot of shapes and sizes from the traditional white metal channel to the newer plastic gutters with sieved caps to prevent plugging. Not every type of gutter is going to work for every house. If you have a french drain system you will also need to make sure your gutter type can tie into that drain well.

Where are your gutters going to go?

Figuring out where your gutters are going to go is another way of calculating how many linear feet of gutter that you need. Gutters shouldn’t wrap around every inch of your roof unless your home is completely exposed on all sides. There are cases where this is appropriate, but in many Chicago neighborhoods there will be sides of your home that will be protected enough not to have to have a gutter. Not only will not installing gutters on this side save you money, it can also save you the trouble of dealing with squirrel nests and gutter lengths that are weighted with leaves which can pull on your roof structure.

Finding a Chicago gutters installation contractor

Now that you have an idea of what you need in gutters it is time to find the gutters contractor to install them for you. While many roofing contractors can install gutters, you want one that specifically lists Chicago gutters installation as one of the services they offer. The reason for this is that gutters installation does involve specialized tools. You want the contractor that is prepared to do the job as efficiently as possible - and who has experience doing it to work on your gutters. Once you have identified the contractor you want, now it’s time to make sure they will be the right fit.

Planning the job is a two way street

The worst thing you can do is set the project according to the contractor’s schedule only. Scheduling is a two way street and you do have a say in it. Gutter installation can be disruptive to your life so you don’t want to set yourself up for failure by not looking at your schedule and figuring out when this is going to happen. This may require some back and forth until you reach a time when it is good for both of you, but it is worth it. Once you have a date scheduled, make sure you and your Chicago gutters installation contractor go over the finer details of the contract. The area that causes the most problem is defining what goes into the clean-up, so figure it out before you get there and you won’t have a problem at all.

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