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3 Important Questions You Should Ask When it Comes to Home Ownership

Posted on October 26, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning

There are literally hundreds of important aspects that you need to focus on as a homeowner. There are plenty of obvious ones, sure, including grocery shopping, household cleanliness, and general maintenance care; but there are lots of other things you need to focus on that might not come to mind right away.

Here are some important questions you should be aware of when it comes to first-time home ownership:

How often should gutters be cleaned? — Clogged gutters are actually the number one cause of basement water problems. Since an inch of rainfall can pour nearly 1,500 gallons of water onto your roof, each gallon weighing eight pounds, your home is in serious danger of suffering from major damages. Therefore, when it comes to answering how often should gutters be cleaned, it’s recommended to have your gutters cleaned at least two or three times a year. Keep in mind, it’s best to consult with a professional gutter cleaning service provider to ensure that you’re properly handling your roof and gutters. Cleaning out a few leaves can be done by yourself, but hiring a professional gutter cleaning company is a much better idea if you need a thorough cleaning, gutter installation, or gutter replacement work done as well.

How can I keep my windows looking great? — If you truly want to have beautiful windows on your home, you need to keep them clean at all times. In fact, it’s recommended to thoroughly clean your windows close to once a week. Plenty of homeowners wash the inside of their windows but ignore the exterior, where the majority of window grime is located. Grab a squeegee, a bucket of soapy water, and some dry towels and get to work turning your dirty windows into amazing-looking fixtures.

Who is going to tend to the landscape? — If you’re unable to perform various landscaping duties like lawn mowing, gardening, and similar tasks, you should have an idea of who can assist you so your landscape doesn’t deteriorate over time. Either work with a professional landscaping service or ask a family member to help you out. If you can perform these outdoor tasks, get to work!

If you’re still unsure of how often should gutters be cleaned and want to work with professional gutter cleaning service providers, give Gutter Maid a call right away.

4 Common Gutter Cleaning and Installation Mistakes to Avoid

Posted on October 24, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning

As a homeowner, you might not spend all that much time thinking about gutter installation, maintenance, and cleaning — but you probably should. Gutter issues are structural issues and can even cause molding and similar water-damaging problems in your basement and throughout the rest of your home.

Properly tending to your gutters isn’t as easy as it sounds, either. There are so many things you need to be aware of because a few incorrect moves and you’ll end up spending a significant amount of money on maintenance and repair work.

Here are some common gutter installation, cleaning, and maintenance mistakes that homeowners should avoid at all costs:

Installing gutters with an incorrect pitch — Miscalculating the pitch can lead to serious foundational damages over time, which is why it’s recommended to work with professional gutter replacement and installation services, as well as gutter cleaning services. These professionals can help ensure that the pitch is installed correctly and not too level in order to mess up water flow.

Not adding enough downspouts or correctly placing them — In order to increase the capacity of your home’s gutter system, you need to add more downspouts. It’s recommended to add another downspout for about every 30 to 40 linear feet of your gutter.

Hugging the edge of the roof — Gutters should be placed alongside the roofline, but not directly on top of it. They need space so they can perform properly. Positioning them a few inches below the roof overhang ensure that runoff water will evenly flow into the gutter and head towards the downspouts without spilling over.

Working without a net — Any time you go onto your roof, for whatever reason, you need to ensure you’re being as safe as possible. Netting can help protect you from serious fall damage. Give a neighbor or family member a shout before you begin your rooftop work, too, so someone is aware you’re on the roof.

If you want to learn more about properly tending to your gutters or are considering hiring a professional gutter cleaning company for gutter installation, replacement, and cleaning services — give Gutter Maid a call right away.

Homeowner Preparation: Make Sure Your Gutters are Clean Throughout the Fall

Posted on October 2, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning

The summer and the brutal heat are finally on their way out! Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that your responsibilities as a homeowner have to take a back seat until the winter. You need to keep your home secure and clean during the fall in order to prevent all kinds of issues.

Your gutters, for instance, are in serious jeopardy during the fall. If they are left unattended, they can cause major issues as soon as the winter snow arrives. Even an inch of summer rain can result in approximately 1,500 gallons of water falling onto your home’s roof and inside your gutters. On top of that, each gallon of that rainfall weighs eight pounds, and that doesn’t include the added burden of falling leaves and branches. As a result, clogged and overflowing gutters can cause serious damage to your home. Overflowing gutters can pull away from the home, damaging siding and roofing. Plus, all that water can end up causing water damage to your home’s interior and foundation.

Your best bet for taking excellent care of your home’s gutters during the fall, winter, and summer is to consult with professional gutter cleaning services. Hiring a professional gutter cleaning company can help you avoid some of these costly and damaging problems that can occur due to overflowing and clogged gutters. From gutter replacement to leaf guard installation, these gutter cleaning services can help prepare your home’s gutters for any season.

There are, however, a few extra steps you can do to take better care of your gutters. Here are some fall steps to keep in mind that should help keep your gutters clean for a while:

Remove all your gutter covers and start clearing all the leaves, water, and debris out. It’s best to wear gloves during this step, as well.

Flush the gutters using a garden hose to wash out all the other smaller particles.

Inspect your downspouts for clogs if water isn’t flowing properly.

Keep in mind, you need to always be focusing on safety when performing any tasks on your home’s roof. Wear the right safety gear, have a friend or family member nearby as a spotter, and never go onto your roof if you’re not feeling well or are impaired.

If your home isn’t ready for the upcoming fall season and you’re in need of working with professional gutter cleaning services, give Gutter Maid a call right away.

It’s Not Just Your Mind That Should Be Out of the Gutter — Get Leaves and Debris Out Too!

Posted on September 28, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning

Gutters are one of those things that are usually regarded with disgust — they just signal more work and another task to check off a homeowner’s list. However, your gutters play an important role in keeping your home in good condition. Taking care of them can help you avoid other problems down the road. If you don’t have gutters, you should really start thinking about gutter installation, especially if your area is prone to heavy rain. And if you already have gutters, but aren’t cleaning them out regularly, you should consider scheduling regular gutter clean outs, to avoid gutter replacement and having to do another gutter installation. We’ll talk about what functions your gutters serve, how often gutters should be cleaned, and what to look for if you need gutter installation services or are hiring a professional gutter cleaning company.

What Do Gutters Do For My House?

Gutters help direct water flow away from your house and keeps it from settling on your roof or getting into the material of your home, which can lead to mold or rot, neither of which you want inside or outside of your home. The most common types of gutters these days are the half-round and K-style types of gutters. After the gutter collects the water, it’s directed to a downpipe which deposits the water away from the house and its foundation, to be either absorbed into the soil or collected.

Gutters can help keep your foundation solid, reduce the likelihood of flooding in your basement, prevent dampness, mold, and other issues caused by dampness from happening inside or outside of your home, reduce water damage and erosion, among other things.

How Often Should My Gutters Be Cleaned and Why?

You should be cleaning out your gutters at least twice a year. However, if you live in an area that has a lot of trees, is windier, or has bad winters, you might want to consider doing it more often. If you live in a wooded area or have a lot of trees in your neighborhood or yard, some of those leaves will inevitably end up in your gutter, clogging it. And wind can bring even more debris in. Harsh winters — with heavy ice and snow — can take a toll on your gutters, which are external, and you’ll need to clear out snow and ice from the gutters to lessen some of the weight placed on them and keep things moving along.

Though gutter cleaning never sounds like a fun job, it’s an important one. Clogged gutters are the main reason that people face issues with water in their basement. Furthermore, too much water around the soil of your foundation can lead to soil erosion or cause the soil to shift around, making your foundation potentially more unstable.

And a home that has clogged gutters that are overflowing could be holding thousands of pounds — each gallon of rainwater weighs about eight pounds. That puts a strain on your gutters and you might have to face gutter replacement sooner than you like.

What Should I Look For With Gutter Installation Services and Gutter Cleaning Companies?

Look for local gutter installation companies and gutter cleaning companies. They’ll be on hand easily if you need something and you may even be able to have family or friends recommend a specific company to you. Check out reviews and testimonials online as well to see what previous customers have said about their services.

Don’t be afraid to ask for estimates from a few different services and do ask about insurance and other services offered. You want to pick one that suits your needs the best and is in your price point, though you should keep in mind that in many cases, you do get what you pay for.

Don’t skimp on your gutters. They’re an important part of keeping your home in good condition overall and once they’re installed, you don’t want to neglect them. Scheduling regular gutter clean outs will only ultimately benefit you in the long run.

What Happens If You Don’t Clean Your Gutters

Posted on August 28, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning

Cleaning your gutters might not seem all that important and feels more like a chore, but it’s actually essential in order to keep your home secure. If you constantly neglect your gutters, not only will your home look trashy, you’ll have to spend a significant amount of money to repair all kinds of serious damage around your home.

You can clean your gutters for the most part, but if you want to ensure they are completely clean, you should consult a gutter cleaning service provider. If you let your gutters become clogged, however, and constantly neglect them, all sorts of problems will arise:

Basement flooding — Clogged gutters are the number one cause of basement water problems. Once the water starts overflowing, water will begin to infiltrate basement walls and cause black mold, bad odors, flooding, and other water-related issues.

Insect infestation — When the debris in gutters becomes moist, this acts as a great habitat for insects. All kinds of bugs will be attracted to the inside of the house when the weather changes, and not cleaning gutters can lead to damaging insects infesting your roof and the rest of your home.

Rotted wood — When water overflows onto the side of your home, it causes serious rotting around the wood. This wood rot can spread to areas all over your home, as well. Additionally, you’ll find that your gutters are an easy point of entry for rodents and other insects.

Make sure you’re working with a trusted gutter cleaning service provider to ensure that your gutters are thoroughly clean. Gutter cleaning technicians can also offer leaf guard installation and gutter installation services, as well.

Additionally, it’s important to know how to identify these clogged gutter issues. Here are a few sings that you have clogged cutters: spotting birds or pests by the roof, water spilling over the side, sagging gutters, stained siding, and plant growth.

Don’t neglect your home’s gutters anymore. If you’re in need of gutter replacement, installation, or cleaning, make sure you’re working with experienced professionals. Contact Gutter Maid, a trusted gutter cleaning service provider, right away!

Take Care of Your Gutters: 3 Important FAQs

Posted on August 24, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning

When it comes to being a responsible homeowner, it’s important to take excellent care of your roof and especially your gutters. If your gutters are clogged, old, or damaged in any way, that could lead to all sorts of structural damages and extremely expensive repair work.

Here are some frequently asked questions pertaining to taking better care of your home’s roof and gutters:

What’s the main cause of gutter damage? — Water can cause all sorts of gutter issues. If the water has no place to go, it will become much too heavy for the gutters to hold and cracks and breaks will subsequently happen. A single gallon of rainwater weighs eight pounds and a home with clogged and overflowing gutters could be holding weights in the thousands of pounds at any moment, causing all sorts of structural and financial damage.

Should I handle my gutter replacement and repair needs myself? — No! Unless you’re fully trained on gutter installation, replacement, and cleaning services, you should let professional gutter companies work their magic. You can inspect your gutters yourself and clean out all the leaves a few times a month, but anything else might be above your pay grade. Contact a skilled gutter cleaning organization and let them handle everything.

What’s the best way to find experienced gutter installers near me? — Talk to your neighbors, family members, and friends. If they have had roof and gutter work done in the past, they should be able to refer a company to you. Hopefully, you are only receiving positive referrals, but there are plenty of instances when gutter installation services didn’t perform that great of work. Thankfully, in today’s plugged in world, you can simply Google: “gutter installers near me” and a large list of quality organizations will come up. Check out the reviews on each of them and find one that specializes in gutter installation, debris removal, and damage prevention.

If you’re still searching online: “gutter installers near me,” and want to ensure that you’re hiring an experienced gutter cleaning company, give Gutter Maid a call right away.

Taking Care of Your Home’s Gutters: Part 2

Posted on August 1, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning, Gutter Cleanings, Gutter Repair

You have already read about the importance of gutter replacement and hiring professional gutter cleaners at least two or three times a year in order to keep your home durable and strong for many years, but now it’s time to dive even deeper. Hopefully, this guide will help you identify the mistakes you’re already making when it comes to your gutters, your roof, your siding, and your entire home’s structure.

From not working with gutter installation services to ignoring approaching rainstorms, here are some common gutter-related mistakes that you should avoid at all costs:

Incorrect gutter installation — Whether you’re cleaning your gutters sufficiently or not, if they weren’t installed properly, you’re going to have a lot of damaging and costly problems on your hand. That’s why it’s best to work with gutter installation services when you’re home is being constructed or whenever you’re replacing old or damaged gutters.

Not checking your gutters after a rainfall — Even the slightest summer rainfall can significantly damage your gutters if they are old or installed incorrectly. In fact, an inch of summer rainfall can pour nearly 1,500 gallons of water onto your roof and your gutters. After each summer rainfall, it’s recommended to get on your roof and inspect every inch of your home’s gutters.

Neglecting weather alerts — If you live in an area of the country that frequently has major storms, you need to have weather alerts on your phone at all times. If your gutters aren’t ready for a lot of rain and a storm is on its way, they could break in half and cause all sorts of problems and damage. If it’s been a few months since your last gutter cleaning and a major storm is approaching, it’s best to contact professional gutter cleaning services to ensure that your gutters are prepared for the upcoming storm.

From proper installation to replacement and thorough cleaning, don’t neglect your gutters at any point. If you want to learn more about taking better care of your gutters or work with professional gutter installation services, give Gutter Maid a call right away.

Taking Care of Your Home’s Gutters: Part 1

Posted on July 30, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning, Gutter Cleanings, Gutter Repair

When it comes to property ownership, there are hundreds of things that homeowners need to take care of, including the gutters.

Gutter cleaning should be done at least two or three times a year, but it’s going to take a little more than you simply placing a ladder at the base of your home, climbing up with a bucket, and grabbing handfuls of leaves and debris. You need to consult with professional gutter cleaners. Hiring a professional gutter cleaning company is a great way to ensure that your gutters are clean and your home is protected.

In addition to hiring a professional gutter cleaning company for thorough cleanings a few times a year, there are some other aspects of gutter care that you need to be aware of. Here are some tips for ensuring that your gutters and the rest of your home are clean, protected, and long-lasting:

Replace your gutters if too much damage has occurred — Whether you’re staying on top of your gutter cleaning or not, if they are extremely damaged, you should consider gutter replacement. Additionally, if your gutters are extremely old, you might as well replace them and have new and improved gutters installed in order to avoid problems down the line. Leaving old or broken gutters attached to your home can cause serious structural damage and end up costing you a fortune. Stay ahead of these structural problems and replace your gutters whenever they are in jeopardy.

Pay attention to weather reports — If an upcoming storm is bringing plenty of rain, you should make sure that your gutters are clean and functioning properly prior to the storm hitting your property. Far too many homeowners ignore weather alerts and only react to the rain. But if you are paying attention to the weather and clean and repair your gutters prior to significant rainfall, your gutters will have a much better chance of lasting throughout the storm.

Install a leaf guard — Without a quality leaf guard, your home’s gutters won’t perform as well as they could. Thankfully, professional gutter cleaning services offer more than just cleaning — they can help with leaf guard installation, as well.

If you are considering hiring a professional gutter cleaning company and want to learn more about how to better take care of your home, contact Gutter Maid today. Also, stay tuned for part two to learn even more about taking care of your gutters and some costly mistakes that you should avoid.

3 Great Tips For Improving Your Home’s Durability and Appearance

Posted on July 11, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning, Gutter Cleanings

Homeowners should make a point to monitor their properties and look out for structural defects. Even the smallest issue with your home’s structure could spiral into major damage. In order to keep your home secure for as long as you can, there are all kinds of things you need to focus on.

Here are some tips to keep your home durable and strong for many, many years:

Focus on your roof and your gutters — Your roof is the first line of defense against all kinds of home damage. If your roof is damaged, there are going to be some major issues that occur — both structural and financial. In order to keep your gutters and roof strong for years, you have to ensure that you’re having them cleaned, inspected, and repaired at least a few times a year. A proper roof cleaning will allow you to maximize its shingle life for around 25 years or more. Additionally, working with a gutter cleaning company can keep your gutters free of debris and clutter, as well as help identify any structural problems atop your home. These professionals working for gutter cleaning services might discover that you’re in need of an upgraded leaf guard installation, some shingle and roof repair work, as well as an entire gutter replacement. Hiring a professional gutter cleaning company can drastically improve the look of your home’s roof and keep your gutters clean and durable for many more years to come.

Keep your home and property clean — If you neglect your property’s cleanliness, there are going to be some serious problems aside from just your home looking bad. If there are weeds, piles of clutter, and garbage all over your property and the inside of your home, that’s essentially inviting all kinds of pests and rodents into your home. These pests love a messy home and will cause even more problems once inside. You should be focusing on keeping your home as clean as possible. Also, a clean home will help you feel even more productive and motivated to improve other aspects of your property.

Have your HVAC systems tuned up — Your home’s HVAC units are extremely important when it comes to property durability. Poor HVAC production can cause all kinds of housing issues and lead your energy bills to skyrocket. If you’re spending a fortune on energy expenses, you won’t be able to focus on other aspects of home improvement and protection.

If you are ready to improve the durability of your home, as well as maintain its physical appearance, it’s time to get to work! If you’re searching for an experienced and skilled gutter cleaning company, give Gutter Maid a call right away.

Why Should You Hire a Gutter Cleaning Company? 4 Great Reasons

Posted on July 9, 2018 by guttermaid - Gutter Cleaning, Gutter Cleanings

Why should you hire a gutter cleaning company? There are plenty of reasons to do all sorts of household cleaning and repair tasks yourself, but if you want something done with the utmost professionalism, it’s best to work with an experienced and dedicated organization.

Let’s take a deeper dive into why someone might rather work with an experienced gutter company as opposed to handling these residential tasks themselves.

Why should you hire a gutter cleaning company?

Keep your home looking clean — Sound simple enough? If you leave the gutter cleaning up to you or your spouse, there is a chance that those gutters never get clean. You might move around some leaves and piles of debris, but gutters need to be thoroughly cleaned in order to prevent additional major issues.

Avoid damages to your home’s structural integrity — By working with an experienced gutter cleaning service provider, they won’t just offer cleaning services, they will offer skilled repair and replacement services as well. While these professionals are cleaning your gutters, they will look for breaks and other issues atop your roof — letting you know when you need additional assistance.

Prevent basement flooding — Clogged cutters are the number one reason for basement water problems like molding and flooding. In order to avoid these issues that can be nightmares for homeowners, your gutters need to be extremely clean.

Save a significant amount of money — Any of the above issues won’t just be annoying for you and your family, they will also cost plenty of money once repairs are needed. Hiring gutter cleaning professionals might cost a bit more than attempting to clean them yourself, but as we’ve seen, it will be well worth it. You will end up spending a lot more cash on home repairs if these gutter-related issues progress.

If you’re done wondering why should you hire a gutter cleaning company and want to work with skilled professionals who can help with gutter installation, cleaning, and gutter replacement, give Gutter Maid a call right away!