Seamless Gutters &
Gutter Guards
Whether you need new gutters or guards on the ones you have, here's what each one actually involves.
Gutters
Maybe it's already showing: water sheeting over the front edge in heavy rain, pouring off the corners like a faucet, old sectional gutters dripping at every joint, a run sagging away from the house, a strip of bare soil along the foundation where water keeps landing.
Or maybe nothing's failed yet. You're replacing the roof and want gutters that match the new roofline, or the ones you have are old enough that you'd rather plan the replacement than wait for the next storm to make the call for you.
Either way, gutters that are too small, pitched wrong, or leaking at their joints move water to the one place you don't want it: against the siding, the fascia boards behind the gutter, and the ground right next to the foundation.
What's Involved
- 6-inch seamless fascia gutters as our standard size and style. Sized to handle Bay Area rainfall on a typical roof.
- Seamless runs formed on site. Gutters are shaped from aluminum coil at your home and cut to length, so each straight run is one continuous piece. The only connections are at corners, end caps, downspout outlets, and, on long or complex runs, a joint that lets the metal expand and contract.
- Removal and haul-away. Included when you replace your gutters.
- Solid attachment. Hidden hangers are fastened into sound wood at a set spacing.
- Pitch toward the outlets. Set to the gutter manufacturer's requirements, with no sags or low spots where water sits.
- Sealed connections. Corners, end caps, and outlets sealed with materials made for the gutter system.
- Downspouts placed to share the load. Enough of them, in the right spots, sized to match the outlet so no single run is overloaded.
- A plan for where the water goes. Away from the foundation, into an existing drain line, or wherever local rules require. In some cities, including San Francisco, downspouts may tie into the sewer, and that can't be changed without following the city's requirements.
- Other gutter materials available on request. Seamless aluminum is our standard, but other materials can be discussed if you'd prefer something different.
- Finished work reviewed with you. From the ground, once the job's done.
- You don't have gutters yet, or you're replacing them along with a new roof.
- Your current gutters are getting old and you'd rather replace them before they start failing.
- Water overflows the gutter edge in heavy rain or pours off the corners.
- Your old sectional gutters leak at the joints, sag, or pull away from the house.
- Water is pooling along the foundation, splashing the siding, or washing out soil below the roofline.
- You need one joint resealed or one section patched. Gutter work here is new installations only.
- Your gutters are in good shape but keep filling with leaves. See Gutter Guards.
- Your fascia boards are damaged and that's the only work you're looking for. Fascia repair is a roofing service, not a gutter service.
- The lowest priced bid is the deciding factor.
Reach out and we'll figure out the right next step for your gutters, whether that's an in-person look or a conversation over the phone. You get a quote covering where the water is going now and the gutter system that fixes it, for one price, settled in writing before any work begins.
Gutter Guards
The gutters were cleaned in the spring, and by the first storm in the fall they're overflowing again. Oak leaves are packed at the downspout, eucalyptus bark is matted along the back edge, and there's a seedling growing out of the corner by the garage. Getting the ladder out twice a year has become part of the routine.
On a property with trees overhead, the gutters themselves may be fine. The problem is what keeps landing in them. And on hillside homes, dry leaves sitting in a gutter at the roof edge are exactly what a wind-blown ember can catch.
What's Involved
- Checking the gutters first. Condition, pitch, attachment, outlets, and where roof water runs heaviest. Guards keep debris out, but they can't fix gutters that sag, leak, or overflow even when they're clean. Those need new gutters first.
- Cleaning and flushing. Gutters and downspouts are cleared before the guards go on, so nothing is sealed in underneath.
- Mounting under the shingle edge. The first course of shingles is lifted so the guard's back edge slides in underneath it, anchored against the roof rather than just clipped to the gutter's front lip. Water sheets over the guard into the gutter, and leaves slide off instead of getting in. Tile roofs get extra care at the edge.
- Extra detail where water concentrates. Inside corners and the spots below valleys, where more water arrives at once.
- Installed on gutters we didn't put up. Guards can be added to existing gutters from another installer, not just gutters Build Atlas installed.
- Access for future cleaning. Planned so outlets and gutters can still be reached when they need attention.
- Finished work reviewed with you. From the ground, along with what upkeep the guards will need.
Fewer cleanings, not zero
Guards cut down how much debris gets into the gutter. They don't make gutters maintenance-free. Leaves and needles can collect on top of the guard or along the roof edge behind it, and the guard surface and roof edge still need an occasional check, especially under heavy tree cover. If you're already having other work done on your property, guard cleaning can be added on to that visit, it isn't something we offer on its own.
- Trees hang over your roof, and the gutters clog with leaves, needles, or seeds.
- Your gutters are in good shape and drain well when they're clean.
- Cleaning gutters has become a regular chore you'd rather do far less often.
- You're on a hillside or in a wildfire area and want the roof edge kept clear of dry debris.
- Your gutters overflow even right after they've been cleaned. Start with Gutters.
- Your gutters sag, leak at the joints, or pull away from the house.
- You're expecting never to check or clean them again.
- Very little debris reaches your roof in the first place.
Reach out and we'll figure out the right next step, whether that's an in-person look or a conversation over the phone. You get a quote covering the condition of your gutters and the guard that fits your roof and trees, for one price, settled in writing before any work begins.