When it comes to protecting your gutters, there are a lot of options on the market. Some can barely keep leaves out, while others perform double duty and help to keep wildlife out as well. Making the right choice can be difficult, so it is worth spending some time to consider what is important to you in a gutter cover.
Aesthetic Value
Many homeowners are wary of gutter protectors because they can often be unattractive additions that decrease your home’s aesthetic appeal and value. However, there are options available which offer a variety of colors, low profiles, and even some products which can be installed under the first row of shingles so as not to alter the appearance of your roofline or put unnecessary holes in your roof decking.
Ease of Maintenance
Even though gutter guards exist to keep leaves and debris out of your gutter, there is no way to ensure that they won’t occasionally get dirty or have some debris collect on top of them, especially after a nasty storm. When considering your gutter guard purchase, ask about what kind of maintenance is necessary. Will you have to worry about animals chewing on the material? Can you clean it from the ground, or will you need to use a ladder to clean it? Issues like these can make owning your gutter guards either pleasant or a nightmare, depending on the effort necessary.
Keep Wildlife Out!
If birds and squirrels can get past your gutter guards and into your gutters, you might as well have not bothered to install them. Squirrels and birds will often use gutters, even protected ones, to build their nests in. While most of the gutter guards on the market help to ensure that leaves and other roof debris can’t fall into your gutters and clog them up, most gutter guards are not able to protect against wildlife. Since many animals and certain birds are able to enter holes even as small as ¼ inch, you need to make sure your gutter guard is actually able to exclude wildlife.
Have Your Gutter Guards Professionally Installed
One of the most important aspects to having well working gutters is having your gutter protection properly installed. Though it may seem like an easy do it yourself project, installing gutter guards well is an art, and many shoddy DIY jobs end up creating a bigger mess for homeowners than they began with. Instead, rest easy by having a professional come out to install your gutter protectors correctly and efficiently. Professional installation of gutter protection reduces serious safety risks to you the homeowner by keeping you off ladders and safely on the ground (this is true for both maintenance of gutters without protection and the actual installation of gutter protection systems). Professional gutter guard installation companies are often able to guarantee their work as well, so you won’t have to worry about your gutters the way you might with a DIY job.