Gutters are the cheapest part of the house to get wrong
Memphis gets more than fifty inches of rain a year, a good share of it in the kind of storm that drops two inches in an hour. On a typical roof that is thousands of gallons of water coming off the eaves in one afternoon, and the gutters have exactly one job: get it to the ground and away from the house. When they cannot — because they are clogged, sagging, undersized, pulling away from the fascia, or the downspouts dump next to the foundation — the water goes where gravity sends it: down the siding, behind the fascia, into the crawl space or the basement, and against the foundation. Most of the rotted fascia, stained siding and wet crawl spaces we see in restoration work started as a gutter problem.
We install seamless aluminum gutters, fabricated on site to the exact length of each run so there are no joints to leak or separate. We size them for the roof area and the pitch, hang them on hidden hangers screwed into the rafter tails rather than spikes that work loose, and set the slope so water actually reaches the downspout. And we put the downspouts where the water should go, with extensions that carry it clear of the foundation.
We also repair gutters that are worth repairing: re-hanging sagging runs, resealing joints on sectional gutters, replacing damaged sections after a storm, and re-pitching runs that were hung level and hold standing water. And because gutters are usually replaced with the roof, we coordinate the two so the drip edge, the fascia and the gutter work together.
- Seamless aluminum gutters fabricated on site to each run, in 5-inch and 6-inch profiles.
- Sized for the roof, not one-size-fits-all. Large roofs and steep pitches get 6-inch gutters and oversized downspouts.
- Hidden hangers into the rafter tails, not spikes through the fascia.
- Downspouts placed where the water should go, with extensions or drains to carry it away from the foundation.
- Gutter guards for homes under the big oaks and pecans that fill a gutter every fall.
- Storm damage repair and replacement of hail-dented or wind-torn gutters, often as part of a roof claim.
How we approach gutter work
Assessment
We look at the roof area feeding each run, the pitch, where the water is going now, the condition of the fascia behind the gutters, and where downspouts can discharge safely. Rotted fascia is repaired before a new gutter is hung on it.
Sizing and layout
Gutter profile, downspout count and placement, and slope are worked out for the actual roof. A run that is too long for one downspout gets two.
Installation
Seamless runs are fabricated on site from coil stock in the color you choose, hung on hidden hangers at close spacing, pitched to the downspouts and sealed at the corners and outlets. Most homes are done in a day.
Repair
For sagging, leaking or storm-damaged gutters that are otherwise sound, we re-hang, reseal, re-pitch and replace sections as needed, and tell you honestly when replacement is the better value.
Why homeowners choose LASIM for gutters
Sized for Memphis rain
Two inches an hour is a normal storm here. We size the gutters and downspouts for it.
Fascia repaired first
A new gutter on rotted fascia is a gutter that will fall off. We fix the wood before we hang it.
Coordinated with the roof
Drip edge, fascia and gutter are designed together when we do the roof, so water goes into the gutter and not behind it.
Storm claims included
Hail-dented gutters are usually part of a roof claim. We document them with the roof.
Gutter Questions
Seamless gutters are formed on site from a continuous coil of aluminum to the exact length of each run, so the only joints are at the corners and outlets. Sectional gutters from a hardware store are joined every ten feet, and every joint is a place that will eventually leak. Seamless gutters cost a little more and last much longer.
It depends on the roof area draining into each run and the pitch. Most modest homes are fine with 5-inch; larger roofs, steep pitches and long runs with few downspouts need 6-inch and oversized downspouts, or they overflow in the heavy storms Memphis gets several times a year. We size each run rather than guessing.
If the house sits under mature oaks, pecans or pines, usually yes; a gutter that fills every fall is a gutter that overflows all winter. On a house with no overhanging trees they are often not worth the cost. No guard is maintenance-free, but a good one turns a twice-a-year cleaning into an occasional check.
Often, if the gutter itself is sound. The usual cause is spikes that have worked loose in the fascia, or fascia that has rotted behind the gutter. We re-hang on hidden hangers screwed into solid wood, replacing any rotted fascia first. If the gutter is dented, corroded or full of leaking joints, replacement is the better value.
Usually, as part of a storm claim on the roof. Hail that damages shingles dents aluminum gutters and downspouts too, and they are a normal line item on a claim. We document them alongside the roof damage so they are in the scope from the start.
If they are more than about fifteen years old, damaged, or the wrong size for the roof, yes, and it is cheaper to do both at once because the crew is already there and the drip edge and fascia can be done properly. If the gutters are recent and sound, we protect them during the tear-off and leave them alone.