Plop, Plop, Fix, Fix
The great El Nin~o debate--will it or won’t it unleash its full fury?--fascinates me. But I’ve fallen behind on the latest predictions because my own El Nin~o drama is playing out right in my own backyard. It blew in on the tails of that pre-Thanksgiving rainstorm--the one that was at first refreshing, then pounding, then making its way right into my garage.
Wet tires, you say. So what?
But my garage-turned-office houses two computers, a printer, a copy machine, a phone, a fax and, during working hours, my son’s dog, who cringes when he has to walk by a sprinkler. So after hoisting the computer cables and phone lines out of the slosh and dispatching the pooch to drier environs, I sought long-distance counsel from my remodeling-construction consultant.
“It sounds like a gutter problem,” Dad said.
He means a lack of gutters, of course. There’s not a single one on the house or garage-office.
So I begin to call gutter guys (from the Yellow Pages’ “Gutters and Downspouts” section) for the requisite three or four bids. Suffice it to say I’m not the first to do this. One company can’t say when it might be able to take a look. One can come for an estimate in three weeks but can’t start the work for six or so.
Persisting, I eventually end up with appointments with four gutter guys. Each questions me about where the water puddles, settles and seeps before he casts a vote about what he thinks the problem is. Surprise! Three to one, this is not a gutter problem after all but, rather, a driveway drainage problem. (Dad’s No. 2 guess.)
So now I need to find three or four drain guys, because gutter guys don’t do drains.
But it seems a shame to let all this good gutter info go down the downspout (yes, it’s a whole new language). Especially because Californians,
at least according to my biased sources, are notoriously uninformed about gutters, making them ripe, especially this year, to be taken in by unscrupulous gutter folks, who are expected to be out in El Nin~o force.
So here’s a pool of information gleaned from my four gutter guys. The four you call, of course, may beg to differ on the fine points.
* The basic purpose of a gutter is to divert water off the roof and away from the home’s foundation and exterior walls. This, in turn, will prevent leaks, preserve the foundation and minimize water damage to the stucco or other exterior finish.
* Gutters are less common on houses here than elsewhere in the country, partly because Southern California has less rainfall than other areas, said Dan Baisley, a salesman for EdgeWater RainGutter Co. in Glendora. But he said they’re more crucial for home and foundation preservation than people may think.
* Gutters and downspouts--the vertical sections that channel the water away from the house--are the main components of a gutter system.
* Gutters are either aluminum, galvanized (also called steel), copper or plastic, the latter most likely to be sold at home improvement centers and installed by do-it-yourselfers.
“We don’t install the plastic ones,” said Michael Reed, an estimator with A-1 Rain Gutters in Glendale. Least common and most costly, he added, are the copper models.
* Gutters are attached to the home’s fascia board (at the edge of the roof line covering the rafter tails).
* Costs vary but are typically quoted by the linear foot, including materials and labor. In the Los Angeles area, aluminum gutters cost about $3 to $4 per linear foot. Galvanized run about $4 to $8. Copper can run $12 to $16.
But there’s a wide price range; one of my bids quoted $10 a linear foot for aluminum.
Plastic gutters at home improvement centers are often less than $4 for a 10-foot length.
* Guarantees vary too. Some companies offer a one- or two-year guarantee on labor for aluminum gutters and perhaps a lifetime guarantee on paint. But the guarantee on galvanized gutters, which the customer usually paints or has painted, is usually on the labor only. Some companies advertise 40-year guarantees or even lifetime warranties on materials and workmanship.
* If you decide to tackle the project yourself and are just adding on to existing gutters or replacing parts of a system, use the same type, Baisley said. Putting aluminum and galvanized together is not wise, he said, because the materials “eat” each other.
* Comparison shopping can help contain gutter costs, but only if you have time on your side--or a strong hunch that El Nin~o is fabrication. The minimum charge varies, for instance. One company’s was $250, another $300. Right now, some companies are doing business only within certain ZIP Codes.
Because of increased business this winter, “everybody is shrinking their area,” Baisley said. “But next summer, they’ll go anywhere.”
And maybe for less. Summer discounts are also common.
* Once installed, gutters must be maintained. Thorough cleaning at least once a year to remove dead leaves and other debris is recommended. Many installation companies also offer cleaning and repair services.
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Finding a Gutter Guy or Gal
Homeowners can increase the likelihood of finding a reputable firm to install their gutter systems if they:
* Get the names of prospective companies from friends or from other service providers, such as general contractors or plumbers.
* Check out a company or contractor with the Contractors State License Board of California, (800) 321-2752. By following voice prompts to enter the contractor’s license number (find it on his or her business card), callers can find out whether the license is current and active. The same information is available on the state board’s Web site, https://www.cslb.ca.gov.
* Know who does what. Sheet metal contractors and metal products contractors often do gutter work, said Lynette Blumhardt of the Contractors State License Board. Roofing contractors can also put in gutters if it is part of a roof project, she said.
As of Jan. 1, a general contractor is allowed to sign a contract just to do gutters (and no other services) for a homeowner (previously it was not allowed) but must subcontract it to a person licensed to do gutters if he or she does not have a specialty gutter license. The specialty gutter license can be either a sheet metal or a metal products license.
* Get a complete bid in writing, including costs per foot for materials and labor, and any guarantees. A sample bid: Install 22 feet of white aluminum gutter and 27 feet of downspout for it. Guaranteed for one year.
