You’re getting a new roof, and the roofer asked whether you want the gutters replaced too. Or a hailstorm left dents all along the front of the house, and a section near the garage has been pulling away since last winter’s snow. Gutters in the Denver metro don’t get much thought until they start causing trouble, and then it’s hard to know what you actually need.
Nobody wants to spend money on a part of the house they barely notice. You also don’t want water running down your siding or pooling against the foundation. You deserve a plan that fits your roof and your yard, not a price per foot read off a sheet.
APC Roofing is a GAF Certified contractor, licensed and insured, and in business since 2017. We install rain gutters and seamless gutters, and the estimate is free. Call 720-902-6940 and we’ll measure the roof and the runs before we quote anything.
Your gutters and your roof work as one system
A gutter’s whole job is to catch what the roof sends it. That means the two can’t really be planned separately.
The roof’s size and pitch decide how much water reaches each gutter in a hard storm. Valleys pour two slopes’ worth of water onto one short stretch. An upper roof that drains onto a lower one doubles the load on the gutter below. And the detail where the roof ends and the gutter begins decides whether water lands inside the gutter or runs behind it.
That last detail is where a lot of trouble starts. A metal strip called drip edge or gutter apron should carry water off the roof and drop it into the gutter. When it’s missing or too short, water clings to the edge and runs down the back of the gutter, soaking the fascia board. It looks like a leaking gutter, but the gutter is fine. Because we work on both the roof and the gutters, that edge gets planned on purpose instead of left to chance.
Should you replace your gutters with your roof?
Often, yes. When the old roof comes off, the edge is exposed, and that’s the easiest moment to get the drip edge, the fascia and the gutter right together.
It makes the most sense if your gutters are dented, sagging, too small for the roof, or the old sectional kind that leaks at every joint. If they’re in good shape and properly sized, they can usually stay. Gutters can usually come off and go back on during a re-roof, so you won’t be pushed into new ones you don’t need.
Rotted fascia is common behind gutters that have overflowed for years. If the board behind them is soft, it gets replaced so the new gutters have something solid to hold onto.
Hail and snow are hard on gutters in the Denver metro
Hail. Aluminum gutters dent easily, and after a big storm the dents along a gutter are often some of the clearest signs of how hard and from which direction the hail hit. If hail damaged your roof and gutters, you file the claim with your insurer and pay your deductible. We document the damage with photos, write up the estimate and work with your adjuster. Our hail damage roof repair page covers the roof side.
Snow and ice. Wet spring snow and ice build-up can put far more weight on a gutter than any rainstorm. Hangers spaced too far apart let the gutter sag, and once it sags, water sits in the low spot and the problem grows. In snow country, hangers closer together are worth it. Ice dams at the eave start with heat escaping from the house, not with the gutter, so new gutters won’t stop them on their own. A gutter that drains well does help clear the meltwater once the ice lets go.
Where the water ends up
A gutter that empties right beside the foundation has only moved the problem. Much of the soil along the Front Range is clay that swells when it gets wet and shrinks as it dries, and water dumped in the same spot every storm can work on a foundation for years. Downspouts should carry water well away from the house, onto ground that slopes away from the wall. Extensions or buried drain lines can help where the yard doesn’t cooperate.
Rain gutters or seamless gutters?
Most homes do best with seamless aluminum gutters, formed in one piece for each run so the only joints are at the corners and ends. Our seamless gutters in the Denver metro page explains how they’re made and sized. If you’re weighing materials, downspout size or how to handle a big roof, our rain gutters in the Denver metro page goes into the details.
How it works
- Book your free estimate. Call 720-902-6940 or request a free estimate online.
- Get a clear, honest assessment and estimate. We measure the roof feeding each run, check the fascia and the roof edge, and look at where every downspout drains, then give you a written estimate that lists gutter size, material and downspouts. Financing is available through Aqua Finance, Fortifi, Hearth and Home Run Finance.
- Your gutters get installed and the site gets cleaned up. The new system goes up, and the crew cleans up before leaving.
An overflowing gutter is easy to live with for a season. The water it drops along the house is quietly working on paint, siding, fascia and the ground next to your foundation the whole time.
Gutter questions from Denver metro homeowners
Do I need gutters in a dry climate?
Yes. Denver doesn’t get a lot of rain in total, but summer storms dump a lot at once, and snowmelt runs off the roof for days. Without gutters, that water lands right at the foundation.
Should my gutters be 5-inch or 6-inch?
Five-inch gutters work for many smaller roofs. Larger or steeper roofs, and runs below a valley, often need 6-inch gutters with bigger downspouts. Measuring the roof tells you which.
Are dented gutters worth fixing?
Small dents are cosmetic. Dents that hold water, kinks that block flow or seams that have opened are worth addressing, especially after a storm when the roof should be checked too.
Can you replace my fascia at the same time?
Yes. Soft or rotted fascia gets replaced before the new gutters go up, so the hangers have solid wood to hold.
Get your gutters planned right
Call 720-902-6940 or book your free estimate online. For everything else we do across the area, see our Denver metro roofing page.
The goal is water off the roof, away from the house and nowhere near the basement, with gutters that hold up to the next hailstorm and the next heavy snow.
