While the weather is nice, it is probably time to look at the condition of your home’s exterior. Summer is a great time to get your home in shape to stand up to the next round of severe winter weather. The gutters are the first place that you should start. They are there to protect your home, but if they are not working properly they can cause more problems than you might want. Window Outfitters are able to come out inspect the gutters for you if you’re unsure of what you’re looking for. Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to your gutters.
Healthy Gutters
You shouldn’t have any debris stuck in the gutter system. Alignment should be right next to the side of the home, while also being attached securely to it. There shouldn’t be sagging, pulling or falling of the gutters. The gutters should also be free from holes, dents, rust or cracks. You want them to be in one piece and connected together so water doesn’t leak from the breaks. (While the picture at left shows a couple on the roof cleaning out their gutters, we do not recommend you attempt this yourself unless you are very experienced with working on a roof. You may want to call a professional to handle this for you.)
Make sure all downspouts are properly connected and working so that water flows away from the home and doesn’t seep into the ground around your foundation. Downspouts should extend out from the house to direct water flow away from your home.
Importance of Gutters
Gutters might be a simple thing to overlook as you’re keeping up on the exterior maintenance around your home, but they are important in so many ways. Gutters are there to protect your roof from pools of water, and they remove the moisture that might sit on the roof and cause further problems. In the winter, these standing pools of water can create ice dams. This water and ice can cause costly damages that will need to be repaired when the weather warms up. But often those repairs can be avoided with the proper rain handling system on the home. Working gutters help prevent water damage inside the home (especially the basement), the structure of the home, and your roof, as well as the landscaping around your foundation.
Spotting a Problem with Your Gutters
There are many problems that can occur with gutters, and there are a number of ways to spot them. The best is by having an inspection by a professional who is trained to detect signs of improperly functioning gutters. You may also be able to spot some troubles yourself. If the area around your home is swampy and wet after a rain storm and it seems to be leaking around the basement area, then there could be a problem with the gutter system. If there is peeling paint or even mold around the inside and outside of the home, it could be that your gutters are not adequately moving water away from the home.
If leaky and damaged gutters are causing problems around your Minneapolis MN area home, perhaps it’s time to call us here at Window Outfitters. We are a full-service exterior home remodeling company serving the greater Minneapolis St. Paul metro area, including the Dakota County communities of Burnsville, Apple Valley, Prior Lake, and Savage. In addition to roofing, siding, and replacement windows, we also install seamless gutters. For a gutter inspection or to get an estimate on a new rain handling system, call us at (952) 746-6661.
Window Outfitters is a premier Window Replacement, doors, siding contractor and installer. As Contractor in the St Paul, Minneapolis, (Twin Cities) Minnesota (MN) metro, we proudly serve, but are not limited to, the following areas: Minneapolis Energy Efficient Vinyl Windows, Replacement Window Contractors Minnesota, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Savage, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Eagan, St Paul, Hastings, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Farmington MN, Chaska, Shakopee, Chanhassen, Victoria, Mendota Heights Anderson Windows Minneapolis, Marvin Windows Minneapolis.
