Rain gutters break! No matter what type, vinyl gutters, copper gutters, steel gutters, they all break! But for sure there are certain materials that will be more consistent and less prompt to break than others.
There are no doubts that a gutter repair cost, will be quite lower than a water damage repair cost around the house if done on time.
For this reason, you will find in this article;
- what can break,
- the repair solutions,
- the price associated with them.
We will cover particularly aluminum gutters since it is one of the most common, affordable, and efficient gutter material used in Massachusetts homes.
The first consideration before talking about gutter repair cost is to understand why a repair and not a gutter replacement.
- A gutter repair tends to be less costly because it will preserve the original gutter system in place while focusing on isolated issues, to repair them, sometimes replacing damaged parts.
- Considering the prices we will go over, if a repair will end up being too expensive, too complicated, it will be better to replace the existing gutter system. Especially considering gutter material and longevity.
Seamless Gutter Structure
The number one problem all gutters are built to prevent is a water leak. Seamless gutters are designed to run straight, with no connections or patches in between one segment and the other. The reason for that is exactly to avoid leaks in between gutters segments.
Of course, it wouldn’t be possible to make it one hundred percent seamless, unless for colonial house styles, which have roof slopes that drop only to two sides, front and back, making it possible to run straight segments to entirely cover everything.
But, there are more complex gutter systems that in order to perfectly shape around a property’s roof, it would require what we call inside and outside corners. With those, it is possible to run an entire gutter system perfectly shaped around a house or building.
Gutter Flashing
Talking about water leaks, another common issue is the infiltration of water in between the fascia board, and the gutter itself.
The absence of a gutter flashing will quickly increase the probability of water damages around the house, and even internally depending on the severity of the issue.
1. What and How my gutters can breake?
Now that you have a better understanding of a seamless gutters structure, in basic logic, the only places that would probably make sense to use gutter repairs are the corners, right? Since they’re the only ones attached to the segment. Close! Gutter corners are the number 1 place to break. But they are not the only part that breaks.
Starting with what can break
- gutter hangers – Responsible to hold the entire gutter system in place.
- corners – only connection gutters are supposed to have
- elbows – attached curved pieces of pipe that give better design and help run the water down.
- downspouts – Piece of pipe that conducts the water collection in the gutters.
- extension – usually a piece of a downspout that will extend it to dispose of the water far from the house foundation.
- downspout outlet – circled or squared outlet to fit the whole intentionally used for the water to drain properly.
How can gutter parts break?
There are a number of reasons associated with how gutter parts can break, but number one is installation issues. Water leaking problems, are more a consequences of real issues that might break a gutter system for real.
1. Gutter hangers
- Hangers too far from each other may fail to support the weight of the water or snow.
- Bad quality hangers, such as nail hangers. They start to come off because of the pressure applied while holding the gutters.
- Hangers not screwed in baseboards, only into fascia boards will not have enough support to hold it for too long.
2. Corners
- Bad gutter seal
- Gaps between connection
- puddling water, weak sealing, causing them to unglue from corners over time.
- poor quality corners will change their shape forcing spaces and causing leaks.
3. Elbows
- Poor quality elbows will pop up due to variations of weather temperatures
- wrong installation will cause water to run outside the pipes
- not enough pitch will cause the water to stuck in between the curves, causing blockages, especially in winter, when it will quickly turn to a block of ice
4. Downspouts
- Not properly attached to the wall, can come off quickly on a windy day
- same as elbows, poor quality downspouts will pop up in colder temperatures
- the wrong installation can cause the water to run outside the pipe
5. Extensions
- If too short can have the water coming back to properties foundation
- not enough pitch can accumulate water, rotting or freezing over time
- cheap extensions can pop during weather variations
6. Downspouts outlet
- When not sealed right, causing water leak around
- if too small according to the size of the gutter, the water will not drain on time, causing overflows
2. Gutters clean is the first solution
In the end, keeping water away from your property’s undesired areas is the only and most important goal! So thinking about that, it might be better to search for gutter cleaning costs before. Frequent cleaning resolves 85% of the time these problems freeing clogged gutters, leaving the other 15% to problems related to poor installation.
When is the right time for a gutter repair job?
Leaks, watermarks in the fascia board or siding, overflowing during heavy rains, are all signs that it’s time to repair.
When is the right time for a gutter replacement job?
When there is an accumulation of repairs, or the gutter repair cost is going to be too high, and will not cover all parts, it will make sense to have a gutter replacement done.
3. Gutter repairs - Estimating gutter repair costs
Each of the described problems will have a different approach. For that reason, a gutter repair cost cannot be associated with a per linear foot basis, since repair costs are more associated with replacing parts, time and difficulty of the job.
Although it may look a bit overwhelming, all of the described problems are related to three final problems:
- Leaks
- Overflow
- Weakness (risk to fall)
The average cost of gutter repair in Massachusetts based on our experience will vary from $120 – $1,100. As a professional gutter repair technician, I will find it hard to have a gutter repair that’s above $800, without the need of replacing. With exceptions for larger homes with multiple repair points.
Considerations may apply for each option, based on height, type of roof, and accessibility issues. The price range is based on single repair points including replacement material.
- Gutter hangers – $2-$15 per piece (+ minimum price if applicable)
- Corners – $50-$450 (sealing or replacing)
- Elbows – $50-$350 (including custom and more difficult patterns)
- Downspouts – $25-$120
- Extension – $25-$50
- Downspouts outlet – $25-$200 (rebuilding whole and replacing)
- Flashing Install – $100-$1,000
Final Considerations
It is easy to find extremely low prices based on home services websites and blogs that usually are not direct enrolled in operations and daily gutter repair services. Most gutter repair professionals will charge fairly based on the difficulties, and responsibility involved in a repair job. So be aware of price bidding, individuals with no insurance, and no experience can have negative results in your gutter system or specific area of repair.
Hands on Gutters has more than 7 years dedicated to gutters repair, replacement, and installation. If you’re looking for gutter cleaning and repair in MA, try us!
