How Much Do Leaf Gutters Cost?

How much do leaf gutters cost?

Owning a home is often considered one of the most significant investments and accomplishments you can make. However, as rewarding as owning a home is, it can also come with a list of responsibilities you're required to manage throughout the year. This is to help ensure your living space remains comfortable, but to also help ensure that your home is functioning properly on the inside and outside to help avoid unexpected renovation costs.

As you may already know, your home's gutter system is an important exterior feature located just beneath your roof. Its purpose is to collect water that drains from your home's roof as it rains and help divert it into the downspouts installed vertically against your home and away from your property. However, if you have a traditional, open-faced gutter system, your gutters may be prone to collecting fallen leaves, twigs, pine needles, and other debris throughout the year.

Over time, if you do not clean your gutters out regularly, it is possible for the system to clog. In turn, this could prevent water from draining away from your property. This water could pool throughout your gutter system, which can cause more damage to your home. Water-related damage that could affect your home include:

• Erosion and flooding of your surrounding landscaping
• Leaks and drywall staining in the upper levels of your home
• The growth of mold, mildew, and rust on the sides of your home
• Flooding in your basement
• Insect and pest infestations
• Staining on the sides of your home
• Cracks in your pavement
• Instability in your home’s foundation over time

Nonetheless, if you are worried about water damage that could be caused by clogged gutter systems, there are many solutions. This might include installing gutter guards or a leaf gutter system. Therefore, you may be thinking, what is a leaf gutter system and gutter guards? And how much does a leaf gutter cost?

If this is you, then no need to worry because today, we will be helping you answer some of these questions. Therefore, keep reading to learn more about gutter protection options.

What are gutter guards?

Gutter guards are a common secondary gutter feature installed on top of open-faced gutter systems to help prevent fallen leaves, twigs, pine needles, and other debris from collecting in the bottom of a gutter channel and clogging it. There are several types of gutter guards available:

Screen gutter guards

Screen gutter guards feature a grid design typically constructed from metal or plastic. These screens are installed on top of open-faced gutters and secured by sliding the ends of the screen underneath the first row of shingles on your roof. The grid-like design allows water to drain into your gutter channel when it rains while preventing large pieces of debris from falling in. However, while it helps keep large debris out, smaller pieces such as pine needles might still seep through to cause clogging. Therefore, you may need to ensure that your gutter system is clear throughout the year to help avoid water damage and blocking from happening.

Brush gutter guards

Brush gutter guards are another method to help prevent debris from getting into your gutter system. Brush gutter guards fit right into your gutter channel and feature metal wire bristles that extend outwards. The goal of a brush gutter guard is to allow water to flow through your system while catching leaves and other debris. Although this type of gutter guard is easy to install, you might still run the risk of having smaller pieces of debris getting caught and clogging your gutter system. This option could potentially require you to still clean your gutters throughout the year.

Hood gutter guards

Hood gutter guards are typically metal pieces that sit on top of your open-faced gutter system. They also feature a small opening that runs along the length of the hood to help water to drain from your roof and into the gutter channel. Generally speaking, hood gutter guards often snap in place onto the top of your gutter system or need to be screwed into your home's fascia. Further, while hood gutter guards work to help keep debris out, they don't guarantee protection from leaks. Additionally, they are often not customizable to your home and may require maintenance throughout the year.

Foam gutter guards

Like a brush gutter guard, foam gutter guards sit directly in your gutter channel. This foam acts like a sponge to absorb rainwater while helping prevent debris from entering your gutter system. Again, foam gutter guards can be easy to install and may not require as much installation work as a screen gutter guard might. However, similarly to other gutter guard options listed above, debris may still collect at the bottom of your gutter channel. Therefore, it may still require some maintenance throughout the year.

LeafGuard® Gutters Systems

While gutter guards may provide some protection from large pieces of debris and clogging, they can still require maintenance and upkeep year-round to help prevent water damage from happening to your home. Therefore, keeping these disadvantages in mind, let's look at the benefits of installing a LeafGuard® gutter system instead.

Clog-free one-piece design

If you didn’t already know, LeafGuard® gutters are a patented one-piece gutter system specifically designed to prevent debris from entering into your gutter system when it rains. In fact, you'll be happy to know that LeafGuard® comes with a clog-free guarantee. This can save you the trouble of maintaining your gutter system throughout the year. Still, it also helps ensure that your home can be protected from water damage caused by clogged gutters.

How exactly does this work? LeafGuard® gutters utilize an innovative, scientific liquid adhesion principle. This process allows the rainwater that drains from your roof to adhere to the top of the gutter system before draining into your gutter channel below, all while keeping debris out. This not only helps protect your gutter system from clogging, but it also helps ensure that your home is protected from water-related damage.

Less maintenance throughout the year

In addition, this innovative design also helps prevent you from having to maintain your gutter system throughout the year, which could save you time and save you the trouble of hiring a professional company to help clear out your gutters. As a homeowner, you may already have a lot of responsibilities on your plate. Therefore, why not eliminate the task of gutter upkeep altogether with LeafGuard® gutters?

Custom-fit to your home

Unlike conventional gutter systems that often come pre-measured, LeafGuard® gutters are measured to the dimensions of your home. This helps ensure you are protected against leaks and dripping water at connection sites that might otherwise deteriorate over time due to weathering. Additionally, as gutter guards are a secondary gutter feature, they could put your home at risk of damage, especially during severe weather conditions.

For example, remember how screen gutter guards are installed underneath the first layer of your shingles? Well, if installed incorrectly, you could run the risk of breaking your roof's water barrier, and potentially putting your home at risk of leaks if you live in a region of the United States that experiences significant amounts of rainfall throughout the year.

LeafGuard® gutters are built with sturdiness in mind.

Furthermore, LeafGuard® gutters are built out of durable aluminum 20% thicker than its competitors. In addition, LeafGuard® gutter downspouts are 30% larger than other gutters available, which means that they can withstand heavy rainfall with ease and without overflowing to help ensure your home is protected. Therefore, although gutter guards may prevent some debris from falling into your gutter channel, they may not provide as reliable protection against severe weather conditions as LeafGuard® gutters can.

Heavy-duty paint options

Moreover, another valuable benefit to choosing LeafGuard® gutters for your home is that they come sealed with customizable paint that is guaranteed to not crack, peel, rot, or rust. This can help you maintain the curbside appeal of your home without having to replace or touch them up in the future. You can also choose a color that complements your home's exterior to help provide an ultra-seamless finish.

Fully customizable to your liking

Again, as we briefly mentioned above, LeafGuard® gutters are fully customizable to your home. From the length of each piece that is measured to the dimensions of your home to the color you choose to have your gutters installed in, homeowners can select elements that work for them.

Easy to Install

Since LeafGuard® gutter systems are constructed to be seamless, the installation process is generally quick and efficient. This often means that your gutter installation will likely only take one day, so you may get back to your daily routine quickly without further renovation disruptions.

Help Save Money in the Long Run

Another reason why LeafGuard® gutters are a good investment is because they can help save you money in the long run. While it may be more of an upfront investment to install LeafGuard® gutters over another type of gutter guard, this option may help increase your home's overall property value. Additionally, because LeafGuard® gutters require less maintenance throughout their lifespan, you could save money on hiring a professional cleaning and replacement company.

Can handle heavy rainfall

Furthermore, LeafGuard® gutters have been tested and proven to withstand 32 inches of rainfall per hour which is three times the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the United States. Therefore, you likely won’t have to worry about your gutter system overflowing, leaking, or dripping during storm season. This makes it a valuable option for homeowners who live in areas with heavy rain and severe storms during the year.

More stability along your gutter system

Lastly, conventional gutter systems are typically supported every couple of feet with hardware to help ensure they remain stable against your home. However, LeafGuard® gutters are supported every two feet, which is twice the industry standard. This not only helps ensure that your gutter system can be able to handle heavy amounts of water collected, but it could also help prevent your system from detaching from your home due to excess water weight and high winds. Ultimately, saving you from having to pay unexpected repair costs.

How much do gutter guards cost to install?

Ultimately, like all home renovation projects, the cost of installing gutter guards will vary between households. Therefore, while it is not possible to provide you with an exact price, several aspects will factor into the cost of installing gutter guards on your home. Let's take a closer look at what these factors are below.

1. How much material you require to complete the project

One of the first aspects that can factor into the cost of gutter guards is how much materials you might need. This includes the gutter system or gutter guards themselves, along with the hardware required to install and secure them tightly to your home. Thus, how much material you need may be influenced by the size of your home.

2. What type of material you choose

The next factor determining the final price of your gutter guards is the type of material you choose. For example, gutter systems are generally constructed from:

• Aluminum (mid-priced)
• Vinyl (inexpensive)
• Zinc (expensive)
• Steel (expensive)
• Copper (expensive)

On the other hand, with gutter guards, you can choose between aluminum, nylon mesh, plastic, foam, bristled brush, and stainless steel. Again, the price of each material may range from inexpensive to expensive.

3. Whether you opt to install by yourself or with the help of a professional contracting company

The final factor that might determine the cost of what you may pay is whether you choose to do the installation yourself or hire a professional team to help you. While homeowners might have several home renovation projects to tackle, working with a gutter system could be tricky, especially if you have never worked on a similar project before.

Therefore, rather than possibly risk creating damage to your home, you may choose to hire a professional contracting team to do the work for you. Not only may this help ensure that the installation is done correctly, but it may also help prevent injuries from occurring. Furthermore, using a professional team instead of doing it yourself can help eliminate the possibility of mistakes occurring, which could cost you more in the long run.

Are gutter guards worth it?

Furthermore, as mentioned above, while gutter guards can provide some protection against debris, they could still cause damage to your home from leaking water and detachment. Therefore, when considering whether to install gutter guards or opt for a seamless gutter system like LeafGuard®, you may want to weigh the pros and cons that each system may provide you. Remember, while LeafGuard® gutters may be more of an investment up front, they may also help save you money on repairs and professional cleaning services later down the road.

In addition, if you live in an area of the United States that experiences heavy rainfall, you may wish to consider how gutter guards vs. LeafGuard® work at regulating the flow of water away from your property. Again, determining whether gutter guards are worth it may depend on the homeowner. However, as demonstrated through this article, the benefits of LeafGuard® gutter systems may outweigh the benefits of a traditional gutter guard.

Do gutter guards really work?

Lastly, gutter guards could effectively prevent large pieces of debris from falling into your gutter channels. However, depending on their design, they may not be as effective in preventing smaller pieces of debris from getting caught in your gutter system. Because of this, you may still need to clean out your gutters throughout the year to prevent clogging from occurring.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are numerous benefits to installing leaf gutters such as LeafGuard® gutters in your home. Therefore, to find out more about the cost of LeafGuard® gutters in your area, book a free consultation with the experts at Local Home Pro and our trusted, professional gutter installation contractors.