Gutter Installation

You may have noticed that many homes in the Dallas, Plano, and Frisco Texas areas do not have rain gutters installed. Rainy Day Roofing & Exteriors is here to change that. Our goal is to install gutters on every home in North Texas.

As with anything else, you have options when it comes to rain gutter materials. Although in the past, contractors used galvanized steel to fabricate gutters (and even wood), the most common material today is Aluminum. Other materials used are Steel, Copper and Plastic.

Example of wooden gutters

Ever wondered where the term “seamless aluminum gutter” came from? The aluminum starts out as a large roll or coil.

We load the roll onto our gutter forming machine. And then, at the push of a button (and much like a Play-Doh machine) the roll of aluminum is transformed into a gutter. In fact, our gutter machine is so fast that we can create a 300’ section of gutter (football field size) in about 5 minutes! Every pound of aluminum will create 2 ½’ of seamless gutter.

Besides being seamless, another nice feature of the aluminum gutter is that the colors are baked on enamel. The benefit here is that you don’t have to worry about the paint chipping or bubbling. And, if you are thinking about painting the exterior of your home, you can match the paint to the gutters for a “seamless” paint job…

If you are looking for luxury gutters, copper gutters are a great choice.

Our Gutter Installation Method…

We rely on a very simple principle when installing gutters – water runs downhill. Although this is common knowledge, you’d be amazed at how many gutter installers don’t install their rain gutters correctly! Looks can be deceiving, so even if a gutter appears to be sloped correctly, it may not actually be that way. To make sure your gutters work every time it rains we use a specialized level. This helps us determine the right pitch and avoid having to come back later to work on the gutter system.

We use “hidden hangers” to secure our gutters to the fascia. These small brackets clip on the inside of the gutter. We then drill a 1 ½” screw directly into the fascia material. Because everything we do is designed to make your home look beautiful, we feel the long nails (or spike and ferrel method) that some contractors use are a thing of the past.

Example of spike installation

Not only do hidden hangers make the front of your gutter look nice and smooth, but if you ever need to remove the gutter for some reason (i.e. build on a patio cover) the screws are easy to remove and reinstall later…without damaging your gutters.

At each of the corners we install a strip miter to create a smooth transition to the next length of gutter. The strip miters are screwed in place and we fill the interior joint with professional gutter sealant – made specifically to bond to the materials we are installing.

Gutter installation is a mixture of art and skill, but knowing where to install the downspouts is more of a science. Without the right amount of downspouts your gutters will overflow, back up, or fall off the house. Neither option is a good one.

There are two sizes of downspouts for residential purposes: 2”x3” and 3”x4”. The round downspouts come in 3” diameter and 4” diameter.

Here is a basic method of determining downspout location:

A 5” gutter system with 2”x3” downspouts needs a downspout every 20’-25’.

A 5” gutter system with 3”x4” downspouts needs a downspout every 30’-35’.

A 6” gutter system with 3”x4” downspouts needs a downspout every 40’-45’.

As the roof gets steeper and higher, the speed and volume of water increases. Homes with decorative touches or architectural elements might also impact the size, location, and number of downspouts we can install. Our specialists take all these things into consideration when designing a rain gutter system for your home.

Other Gutter Installation Materials…

The price scale ranging from least to most expensive rain gutter installation materials is: plastic, aluminum, galvanized steel, and copper.

Galvanized steel is thicker than aluminum, but it doesn’t come in a painted finish and it also rusts over time.

Although plastic gutters are available, we don’t install them for two reasons: They become brittle over time and they are only available in 10’ lengths. This means that you have potential for leaks every 10’. To top it off, the joint pieces are difficult to align properly which leads to poor drainage and standing water.

leaky plastic gutter

Click on one of the following links to learn more:

Gutter Repairs

Leaf Protection

Rain Collection Systems

Gutter Maintenance Plans