Gutter News & Information

Wouldn’t it be great to bend the ear of a home improvement expert without shelling out a bunch of money?

Once again, the Internet comes to the rescue. Here are ten home improvement articles from industry specialists that can provide the advice you need to get the project done yourself. If you like what you read, you can follow these authors on Twitter as well.

1. Kevin Butters – This site has a plethora of helpful do-it-yourself tips on topics ranging from drywall to gutters to home interior – even paint. The articles are written for the layperson and the site is easy to navigate. Twitter feed: DIY_Home_Tips

Gutters seem to be one of the crucial aspects of any home.  They make your roof last longer and keep your basement dry. In short, gutters pretty much help your house last longer and with less moisture. But, is gutter always needed?

There are some places that get less than five inches of rain annually, and they’re where you’d expect: the American West.  The winner is, unsurprisingly, Death Valley, so named for its total lack of water, of which it receives just 2.3 inches, on average.  In contrast, New York City gets about forty inches in a given year, and Los Angeles usually get about twenty to twenty-five inches.

Installing and cleaning your gutters is a risky business.  We like to pretend that’s not the case, but the simple act of getting on a ladder can put you at risk of serious injury.  Here are the three most common worst case scenarios, and how to avoid them:

1. Electrical Wiring Issues

One problem any gutter installer has to be careful of: electrical wiring.  True, any halfway decent electrician has installed the wires properly, and the wires themselves are properly shielded to avoid electrocution.  But that doesn’t mean electrical wires can be ignored, or that they aren’t dangerous.

Congratulations! You’ve made it through one of those violent, scary rainstorms with your house still intact. But now that the weather has calmed, it’s time to examine the aftermath.

Certainly, you’ll want to check your fence, clear your yard of debris, and make sure that any vehicles parked outdoors do not require repairs. However, just because you don’t have a fallen tree sticking out of your roof doesn’t mean that your house made it through the maelstrom unscathed. So it’s important to take the time to inspect your house for signs of damage.

Here is your “after-the-rainstorm” checklist: