If you’re a homeowner, then one of your least favorite aspects of DIY home maintenance is likely to be the act of gutter cleaning. Over the course of the year, leaves, twigs, and other such debris can fall from the sky and collect in gutters. Add in a degree of snow melt or rainwater, and you’re looking at one grimy accumulation of dirt and muck that you probably have no choice but to scoop out by hand.
Not only is gutter cleaning fairly disgusting, in some cases, it can also be downright dangerous. The use of a tall ladder is often necessary to allow people to reach their gutters and remove any built-up gunk accordingly. And since ladders can easily shake and fall, those brave homeowners who choose to clean their own gutters are essentially subjecting themselves to a serious degree of injury each time they attempt the process.
In many cases, the idea of gutter cleaning can constitute such a turnoff that some homeowners might choose to go the route of ignoring their gutters for extended periods at a time. However, this is a truly bad idea. Since gutters work by collecting water that lands on the roof and diverting it from the home, by ignoring his gutters, a homeowner could find himself faced with water damage, roofing problems, and foundation issues – matters that can all end up being fairly costly in the grand scheme of home repairs. Therefore, it’s important to clean out your gutters as needed.
The extent to which gutter cleaning is necessary varies by region. In some areas, most homeowners might find it sufficient to clean their gutters once during the spring and once during the fall. In other cases, a home’s gutters might need to be cleaned four to six times a year. Generally speaking, the more trees around a house, the more often its gutters will need to be cleaned. And while gutter cleaning companies are available to spare homeowners the unpleasant task of gutter cleaning, such services do tend to come at a cost.
If you’re tired of dealing with the danger and disgust inherent in gutter cleaning but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars each year on a gutter service, then you might want to consider an option that more and more homeowners have been embracing in recent years – gutter protectors. Also known as gutter toppers and gutter guards, gutter protectors are screen-like devices that sit on top of the gutters to protect them from the accumulation of dirt and debris. Since gutters do need to be able to deflect water as necessary, most modern-day gutter protectors are efficiently designed to allow water to enter the gutters while preventing leaves and twigs from getting in. While there is a debate on their effectiveness, most homeowners would at least be willing to try gutter protectors if it weren’t for the significant cost involved. However, given the rather prohibitive price tag for these nifty devices, many can’t help but wonder if they are actually worth the money.
While some types of gutter protectors are better than others, A.W. Ross, the controller of Charlotte, North Carolina’s Lundberg Roofing, Windows & Siding, thinks that on a whole, gutter protectors can take the majority of the hassle out of gutter cleaning by preventing most forms of debris from getting sucked into and caught up in one’s gutters in the first place. However, he also warns that gutter cleaners aren’t maintenance-free. Even with gutter protectors, you’ll still need to clean out your gutters twice a year on average, although such grime-removal sessions shouldn’t be nearly as intense and horrible as most standard gutter cleaning endeavors.
From a cost perspective, gutter cleaners don’t tend to come with an immediate payback period, but rather, an eventual one. While the price of gutter cleaners can vary from region to region, homeowners can expect to pay anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 for gutter toppers on a one-story, 2000-square foot home. And the larger the property, the higher that price is likely to climb. Considering the fact that most people don’t tend to spend more than $500 per year on professional gutter cleanings, it can take awhile to recoup the upfront costs of gutter protector installation. And for those who prefer to tackle gutter cleaning alone, the idea of shelling out so much money can be financially unsettling. On the other hand, paying for gutter protectors is basically akin to paying for the convenience of not having to deal with muck and grime on such a large scale. And while it’s hard to put a price tag on this particular benefit, you have to admit that it certainly sounds tempting.
