Gutters are a cheap ticket item when compared to the cost of a new roof installation. Gutters are like the tires to your car. There is nothing glamorous about them but the car will not work without tires. The same goes for your new roof installation. Without gutters your roof will be vulnerable to adverse weather conditions, snow build up on the roof and can cause foundation deterioration in low spots where you don’t want water to drain.  

Here are 3 major issues that can come up if your home does not have properly working gutters.

1. Foundation degradation:

You just invested $10,000 into a new roof installation but you decided to save $1200 to keep your old sagging gutters. Bad move hotshot. With a new roof installation and everything draining off the roof where it should be, you are going to see overflow. Pooling will start in areas where your landscaping slopes towards the building, water will work its way through old foundation cracks and now you have water in your basement. Water in the basement can be mitigated but it’s the freezing and thawing months we are concerned with. When the ground water freezes and melts the soil against your foundation heaves and contracts. This frost heave cycle is what can really cause costly damage to your foundation. Now your $10,000 investment in your new roof installation just costs you another $20,000 in foundation repair all because you wanted to save $1200 to not install a proper drainage system.

2. Roof Damage:

Improperly pitched gutters will build up with water and eventually freeze in the winter months. This is where you will see direct damage to your new roof installation. Ice will build up thawing during the day and re-freezing at night working its way up the eave line and under the shingle course. This will cause warping and granulate deterioration along the first few courses of shingle. Damage to your brand new roof installation can easily be avoided by installing new gutters.

3. Fascia and Soffit damage:

Fascia and soffit damage can be very difficult to fix and will lead to water entering the interior of the property if proper actions are not taken to fixing damaged areas right away. Just like an ice dam’s damaging effects to a new roof installation,  the same thing will happen to fascia and soffit. It all starts with a clogged or improperly pitched gutter. The gutter overflowing with solid ice and leaves now weighs 3 times its load capacity and starts to cause the fascia board to separate from the rafter tails. Now there is a gap for water to rush into. This is where you start to see soffit degradation and interior intrusion. Avoid costly damage simply by having a professional inspect your gutter system to ensure you have properly distributed drainage. Call Mountain Reach, your local roof installation and gutter specialist today! (720)-443-5386