Exterior
Gutters and Gutter Guards in Pittsburgh, PA
Oak and maple leaves on a Wexford lot, tired aluminum gutters on a 1960s ranch, ice at the eaves every winter. We hang new gutters and guards that keep water moving.
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Gutters and Gutter Guards for Wooded Lots and Hard Winters
Gutters have one job: take the water off your roof and put it somewhere that isn't your foundation. When they clog, sag or pull loose, that water pours down the walls, soaks the soil by the basement and backs up under the roof edge. Straight A Exterior Renovations installs new gutters and gutter guards in Pittsburgh and the North Hills, from our Warrendale office.
Trees are the big reason people call. Wexford, Franklin Park and Bradford Woods sit on wooded lots, and every fall the oaks and maples fill gutters in a weekend. Shaded roofs there also grow moss, and storms bring down limbs that bend runs off the fascia. A guard won't stop a falling branch. It will stop a season of leaves from turning your gutter into a planter.
Then there's age. A lot of post-war homes in McCandless, Ross Township and Shaler still have their original aluminum gutters, patched at the seams and pulling away at the corners.
Winter makes all of it worse. A clogged gutter holds water, the water freezes, and the ice adds to the dam at the eaves. Gutter work starts at the roof edge for that reason, and as roofers, that's where we start.
Why Straight A
Why our gutters keep up with the trees
Because we size and place them for the roof and the lot they serve. Big roof, big trees and a sloped yard each change the plan.
Downspouts placed by roof area
We look at how much roof drains to each run and place downspouts so a July downpour doesn't overshoot the corner.
Gutter guards matched to your trees
Oak leaves, maple seeds and pine needles behave differently. We pick a guard style for what actually lands on your roof.
Gutter hangers set for snow and ice
Hangers go into solid wood, so a gutter full of wet snow and ice at the eaves stays on the house.
Fascia checked behind every gutter
Before new gutters go up, we check the fascia board and drip edge. Rotten wood behind a new gutter is money wasted.
Two years on how the gutters hang
If a run sags, leaks at a joint or pulls loose because of how we hung it, our 2-year workmanship guarantee covers the fix.
Old gutter runs hauled away
Old gutters, hangers and the gunk inside them leave with us. We don't leave a pile by your garage.
What's included
Gutter and gutter guard work we do
From one sagging run over the back door to a whole new system with guards, here's what's covered.
Gutter replacement
We take down old, leaking or sagging gutters and hang new ones pitched toward each downspout. On older aluminum systems, that often ends years of patching at the same seams.
Gutter guards for leaf-heavy lots
Guards cover the top of the gutter so leaves, seeds and twigs stay out while water gets in. On a wooded Franklin Park or Bradford Woods lot, they cut the ladder trips way down.
Downspouts on hilly lots
On a sloped yard, water leaving a downspout wants to run back toward the house or into a neighbor's yard. We place and extend downspouts so it heads downhill and away.
Fascia and drip edge repair
Soft fascia or a missing drip edge lets water slip behind the gutter. We point it out and include the fix in your quote when you need it.
Gutters on new homes and additions
New construction in the subdivisions around Cranberry and Pine, plus additions and porches anywhere, need gutters planned to the roof above them.
Box gutter inspections on city homes
Many older city houses have box gutters built into the roof edge rather than hung on it. They fail differently. We inspect them and give you a straight written answer on what we see.
How it works
How a gutter job runs
We start by watching where the water goes now and finish by running water through every downspout. Here are the steps in between.
- Step 1
Trace where gutter water goes now
We look for overflow stains, splash marks, soft spots by the foundation and seams that drip, and note which trees load each run.
- Step 2
Check fascia and drip edge behind the gutter
We inspect the wood the gutters hang on and the roof edge above them, and photograph anything that needs work.
- Step 3
Lay out runs, guards and downspouts
We plan each run's pitch, the guard style and downspout spots, then send a written estimate with the work, materials and cost.
- Step 4
Hang and pitch the new gutter runs
Your project manager books the day. Old gutters come down, fascia gets fixed as agreed, and new gutters, guards and downspouts go up.
- Step 5
Run water through every downspout
We test the flow, adjust any run that holds water, clean up every hanger and scrap, and walk the house with you.
FAQ
Gutters & Gutter Guards questions from Pittsburgh homeowners
Do gutter guards handle the oak and maple leaves on a wooded Wexford lot?
They handle most of it. A good guard keeps oak leaves and maple seeds out of the trough, so the gutter keeps draining through fall. Fine stuff like pollen and needles can still collect on top, so a look from the ground after leaf drop is smart. What changes is that you're no longer scooping a full gutter twice a season.
My 1960s house still has its original aluminum gutters. Repair or replace?
It depends on what we find. If the runs are sound and only a seam or two leaks, we'll quote the repair. If they're sagging, pulling off the fascia or patched in a dozen places, which is common on post-war McCandless and Shaler homes, new gutters usually make more sense. We'll show you what we see and let you decide.
Can clogged gutters make ice dams worse?
Yes. A clogged gutter holds water, that water freezes, and the ice builds back up the roof edge. Meltwater from above then has nowhere to go but under the shingles. Clear gutters with the right pitch won't stop every ice dam, since attic heat matters too, but they take away one of the biggest helpers.
My city house has gutters built into the roof edge. Do you look at those?
Yes. Those are box gutters, common on older city homes, and they're built into the eave instead of hung on the fascia. When they leak, the water often shows up inside the wall or the soffit first. We'll inspect them, photograph what we find and give you a written answer on the options before you commit to anything.
Where should my downspouts drain on a hilly lot?
Downhill and away from the foundation, walkways and basement windows. On a sloped lot, we follow the water after it leaves the downspout, not just where it exits. Sometimes that means a longer extension or moving a downspout to the other corner so the water doesn't run straight back at the house or into the neighbor's yard.
Can you add gutter guards to the gutters I already have?
Often, as long as the gutters are sound and pitched correctly. If they're sagging, leaking at the seams or pulling away from the fascia, guards won't fix that and we'll tell you so. We'd rather put guards on a gutter that will last than sell you a cover for one that's on its way out. The estimate is free either way.
Where we work
Gutters & Gutter Guards across Pittsburgh
We provide gutters & gutter guards for homeowners throughout the City of Pittsburgh. Find your neighborhood below, or call with your address and we will confirm right away.
