A summer thunderstorm hits, and water sheets over the front of the gutter instead of going down the spout. Or a stretch of gutter along the back of the house sags a little more every winter, and there’s a dark patch on the fascia behind it. If you’re looking at gutters in Belcaro, you may be dealing with more than an eyesore. Water that misses the gutter ends up against your siding, your windows and your foundation.
Gutters are easy to ignore until they fail, and then it’s hard to know whether you need a repair, a cleaning or a whole new system. You deserve a straight answer from someone who looks at the roof and the gutters together.
APC Roofing installs custom seamless rain gutters along with our roofing work. We’re GAF Certified, licensed and insured, and your estimate is free.
What gutters do for a Denver home
Your roof collects a surprising amount of water. A single heavy storm can send hundreds of gallons off even a modest roof, and all of it has to go somewhere. Gutters catch that runoff at the edge and carry it to downspouts that move it away from the house.
When gutters work, you don’t notice them. When they don’t, the water drips along the foundation, splashes up onto siding and soaks the fascia boards the gutters hang from.
In much of the Denver area, the soil is clay that swells when it’s wet and shrinks when it dries. Water dumped next to the foundation, year after year, works against that soil and can lead to basement moisture and other problems. Good gutters and downspouts that discharge well away from the house are one of the simplest ways to protect against it.
Gutters in Belcaro: what Colorado weather throws at them
Hail
Hail dents aluminum gutters and downspouts, and in a bad storm it can crush sections or knock them out of line. Dents aren’t always just cosmetic. A crushed downspout or a gutter bent out of pitch stops draining properly. Dented gutters are also one of the easiest clues that your roof may have hail damage worth inspecting.
Snow and ice
Snow on the roof melts during sunny winter days and runs into the gutters, then freezes again overnight. Ice can build up inside the gutter, add a lot of weight and pull hangers loose. Sagging sections hold even more water and ice the next time, so the problem tends to grow.
Sudden downpours
Summer storms in Denver can drop a lot of rain fast. Gutters and downspouts that are too small for the roof area overflow, even when they’re clean.
Why seamless gutters make sense
Sectional gutters come in short pieces joined every few feet, and every joint is a spot that can leak as the sealant ages. Seamless gutters are formed on site from a continuous roll of metal, cut to the exact length of each roof edge. The only joints are at the corners and the downspout outlets.
Fewer joints mean fewer leaks and a cleaner look along the roofline.
How a gutter system should be sized and installed
A good gutter job starts with the roof, not the gutter. The area of roof draining to each edge and how steep it is decide how much water that gutter has to handle. Larger or steeper roof sections may need a wider gutter or larger downspouts. Long runs may need a downspout at each end.
The gutter should slope gently toward each outlet so water doesn’t sit. Hangers need to be fastened into solid wood, close enough together to carry the weight of snow and ice. And the gutter has to sit correctly under the roof’s drip edge, so water coming off the roof lands in the gutter instead of running behind it onto the fascia.
At the bottom, downspouts should carry water well away from the foundation with extensions or splash blocks, or into a drainage line where one exists.
If the fascia behind your old gutters has rotted, it should be replaced before new gutters go up. We work on fascia and soffits too, so that can be handled in the same project.
Repair or replace your gutters?
A loose hanger, a leaky corner or a downspout that’s come apart can often be fixed. When gutters are sagging in several places, dented throughout, leaking at many joints or simply too small for the roof, new seamless gutters are usually the better value. If you’re also replacing your roof, it’s often the right time to replace the gutters, since the drip edge and gutter fit are best set together.
If hail damaged your gutters and roof, you file your own claim with your insurance company and pay your own deductible. We document the damage with photos, provide a written estimate and work with your adjuster. Be wary of anyone who offers to waive or cover your deductible.
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 look at your gutters, downspouts, fascia and the roof edge, and give you options in writing. Financing is available through Aqua Finance, Fortifi, Hearth and Home Run Finance.
- Your gutters get installed and the site gets cleaned up.
For gutter work across the city, see our Denver gutters page. If water is also pooling on a porch or garage roof, our flat roofing in Belcaro page explains why.
Gutter questions from Belcaro homeowners
What size gutters does my house need?
It depends on the roof area and pitch draining into each run. Many homes do fine with standard residential gutters, while large or steep roofs may need a bigger gutter or larger downspouts. We size it from your roof, not a guess.
Are hail-dented gutters worth replacing?
If they still drain properly, small dents may be only cosmetic. If sections are crushed, bent out of slope or pulling loose, they should be replaced. Either way, dented gutters are a good reason to have the roof checked too.
How far should downspouts discharge from the house?
Far enough that water doesn’t pool against the foundation. Extensions or splash blocks that direct water several feet out are a common approach.
Should I replace gutters with a new roof?
Often, yes, especially if they’re older. The drip edge and gutters work together, and replacing both at once makes for a cleaner fit.
Keep the water where it belongs
Gutters that overflow every storm send water against the foundation and into the fascia, and a few seasons of that can turn a gutter problem into rotted wood and basement dampness.
Call 720-902-6940 to book your free estimate. The goal is a roofline that sheds water the way it should, a dry foundation and gutters you don’t have to think about through snow and storm season. See all our services in the neighborhood on the Belcaro roofing page.
