A summer storm opens up over the house, and water sheets right over the front of the gutter instead of going down the spout. Or a section has started to sag after a heavy spring snow, and there’s a damp spot in the basement you can’t explain. Gutters in Denver don’t get much attention until something like that happens, and then it’s hard to know whether you need a cleaning, a repair or a whole new system.
It’s a small part of the house that causes outsized worry, because water in the wrong place can reach the siding, the fascia and the foundation. You deserve someone who looks at the whole picture before quoting you a price per foot.
APC Roofing installs seamless gutters and downspouts on Denver homes, and because we’re roofers too, we look at the roof edge the gutter hangs from. We’re GAF Certified, licensed and insured, and the estimate is free. Call 720-902-6940 to have your roofline checked.
What Denver weather asks of your gutters
Denver is a dry city most of the year, and that fools people into thinking gutters don’t matter much here. They do.
Summer cloudbursts. Gutters aren’t sized by how much rain falls in a year. They’re sized by the heaviest few minutes of a storm, and Front Range thunderstorms can dump a lot of water fast. A gutter that’s fine in a drizzle can overflow in ten minutes of hard rain.
Hail. The same storms bring hail. Aluminum gutters dent, and a crushed section can hold water or pull away from its hangers. Dented gutters and downspouts are also some of the easiest storm damage to see from the ground, so they’re worth noting after a hailstorm.
Snow and ice. Rain is gone in minutes. Packed snow and ice can sit in a gutter for days, and that weight bends hangers and pulls runs away from the fascia. Ice dams start with warm air escaping through the roof, not with the gutter, but a gutter packed with ice gives meltwater nowhere to go.
Clay soil. Plenty of Front Range lots sit on clay that swells when it’s wet and shrinks when it dries. A downspout dumping water against one wall, storm after storm, works on the foundation. Building codes call for roof water to be carried well away from the foundation on soils like these, often 5 feet or more, and for the ground to slope away from the house.
Signs your gutters need attention
Walk around the house during a hard rain. That’s when gutters show you what’s wrong.
- Water pouring over the front edge, which points to a gutter that’s undersized, clogged or sloped the wrong way
- A run pulling away from the house or sagging in the middle
- Peeling paint, stains or soft wood on the fascia behind the gutter
- Leaks dripping from joints and end caps
- A washed-out line in the mulch or a puddle by the foundation under a downspout
- Dents, cracks or a crushed downspout after a hailstorm
Repair, replace or install new gutters in Denver?
Replacement makes more sense when the gutter was too small for the roof from the start, the joints keep leaking, the run is badly dented, or the fascia behind it has rotted. No amount of cleaning fixes a gutter that doesn’t have the capacity for the roof above it.
Most new gutters today are seamless aluminum, formed on site into one continuous piece per run, with joints only at corners and outlets. Fewer joints means fewer places to leak, which matters in a climate that freezes and thaws all winter. You can read more on seamless gutters in Denver and rain gutters in Denver.
Getting the size right
A gutter system has two numbers that matter: the size of the gutter (usually 5-inch or 6-inch on a home) and the size and number of downspouts. The downspouts are where most systems give out first. A big roof draining into one small downspout will overflow no matter how clean the gutter is.
Valleys deserve a look too. Where two roof slopes meet, they pour their water onto a short stretch of gutter, and that one spot can overflow every storm while the rest of the run is fine. An extra downspout near the valley usually fixes it better than a bigger gutter.
The roof edge and the fascia
Sometimes the gutter isn’t leaking at all, and water still stains the fascia behind it. That’s usually the roof edge detail. A metal drip edge or gutter apron that tucks down into the gutter stops water from curling back under the roof edge and running down behind the trough.
Gutters also hang from the fascia board. If water has been getting behind them for years, that board may be soft. It’s better to find that when the old gutter comes down than after the new one is hung on it, and fascia repair is part of the work we do.
How it works
- Book your free inspection. Call 720-902-6940 or request a free estimate online.
- Get a clear, honest assessment and estimate. We measure the roof areas feeding each run, check the fascia, the roof edge, the downspouts and where the water lands. The estimate spells out gutter size, material, downspouts and the discharge plan.
- Your gutters get done and the site gets cleaned up. Old gutters are hauled away, and the crew leaves the yard clean.
Gutter questions from Denver homeowners
Do I really need gutters in a dry climate like Denver?
Yes. Denver’s rain comes in short, heavy bursts, and the soil around many homes reacts badly to concentrated water. Gutters and downspout extensions keep that water away from the foundation.
Should I get 5-inch or 6-inch gutters?
On many homes, 5-inch is enough. Large or steep roofs, and long runs with few downspouts, usually call for 6-inch gutters with larger downspouts. Measuring the roof area feeding each run settles it.
Can hail-damaged gutters be part of an insurance claim?
They can be included in a storm damage claim. You file the claim with your insurer and pay your deductible. We document the damage, including dents on gutters and downspouts, and work with your adjuster.
Will new gutters stop ice dams?
No. Ice dams come from heat escaping into the attic and melting snow on the roof. A well-hung gutter limits the damage when meltwater comes down, but the fix for the dam itself is in the attic.
Get your gutters looked at in Denver
Call 720-902-6940 or book your free estimate online.
The goal is simple: water off the roof, away from the house and out of your basement, with gutters you don’t have to think about every storm.
