FAQ And Testimionials

A Client’s satisfaction and a Client’s property are important to us, so we have taken the time to answer the most frequently asked questions about work we do on businesses and homes. However, please understand that every possible situation and contingency cannot be described in writing in advance. If a Client has a question, we encourage them to ask, ask, ask. We are always willing to answer questions about any aspect of the work to be performed.

The lengthier FAQ under the Highlights provides additional detail and covers other important situations that occur with lesser frequency. When you hire us, you agree to the terms and conditions described here and elsewhere on our web site, in our Estimates, emails, etc. If there is a question, we encourage you to ask, ask, ask.

FAQ Highlights:

-for your convenience, you do not have to be home for us to do exterior work
-payment must be made by credit card on the day of service; our bookkeeper will call you for your credit card information. If you wish, an Invoice can be emailed to you. A deposit of 50% must be received by any work can begin.
-bad weather will prevent us from doing exterior work
-our work often requires access to your outside electrical and water outlets
-we try to return hoses we use to their original positions. Same for deck furniture.
-additional tasks that we are asked to do are chargeable
-hidden or unobserved damage is not included in Estimate prices -if the work to be done differs from what’s in the Estimate, the price may also differ
-we take precautions not to harm landscaping, but safety must take precedence
-we cannot take responsibility for art works, antiques or other valuables
-please remove wall hangings, pictures, knick-knacks, etc. from the interior of a wall if we are going to be working on the exterior of that same wall, so these don’t fall off
-we do not mark up the price of materials

FAQ:

How does the weather affect your work?

We ask Clients to understand that our exterior work is highly weather dependent. Gusty winds, rain, cold temperatures, water logged soil, ozone days, and high heat indexes can each force a rescheduling for safety reasons and also to protect your turf from being gouged by the feet of heavy ladders, in the case of mushy soil.

Do you keep appointments in bad weather?

We ask our valued Clients to understand that gutter guard installation and exterior repair work are highly dependent on good weather. Gusty winds, rain, cold temperatures, or water logged soil, ozone days, and high heat indexes during Summer and Spring can each force a rescheduling for safety reasons and also to protect your turf from being gouged by the feet of heavy ladders, in the case of soft soil. Please be aware too that weather conditions sometimes vary considerably in different parts of the Triangle. Thermometers in my neighborhood are often several degrees different than what Raleigh-Durham Airport is saying the temperature is where they are. A number of times it has occurred that although it was raining in our part of western Wake County, customers called to say that it was sunny in their Raleigh neighborhoods. However, we go by the data found on www.accuweather.com

What do I do if I have a question?

We ask our Clients to ask, ask, ask: if there is any question at all about what is included in a given job and what is not included in the price, just ask us. We will be glad to clarify matters immediately. Asking questions early on will avoid surprises and misunderstandings later on.

Should I have my home pressure washed first and then have the gutters cleaned or should I have the gutters cleaned first and then pressure wash?

ALWAYS have your home’s gutters cleaned first, and then pressure wash. No matter how careful a person is, guttering cleaning almost always involves a small amount of leaves, leaf debris and/or dirty gutter water accidently falling onto the siding and walkways of a home. Therefore, it is ALWAYS advisable to have the gutters cleaned first and then have the pressure washing done afterwards. When that is not possible and the house was pressure washed first, please do not be surprised to see a labor charge for the additional time it usually takes to clean the property up, after gutter cleaning, to make everything look just as pristine as it was right after the pressure washing. It some cases, it will take our two-man team an additional 2 to 3 hours just to do such a clean up.

Will my outdoor furniture and/or similar property be moved when you work?

We make every effort to not to touch any Client property at all during the course of the work, except perhaps for faucets and electrical outlets. There may be times however when, for example, outdoor furniture on a deck must be moved to help ensure the safety of working personnel. We try our best to remove any leaf debris which may have fallen out of overflowing gutters onto furniture. Likewise, we try very hard to re-position furniture back to the way it originally was before we leave, but please understand that we cannot memorize furniture layouts and therefore cannot be held responsible if we have placed a chair, table etc. in a different position than it originally was in.

Do you need access to my hoses and hose bibs?

Yes. We make every attempt to not to move a Client’s water hoses during the course of our work. It may occasionally occur that we forget to coil up a hose in the position we found it, for which we apologize in advance. The amount of water we use is truly miniscule, and we cannot be charged for such usage. We are well aware of seasonal water restrictions and the need to conserve this resource.

Do you need access to my exterior electrical outlets?

Yes. We sometimes need access to outdoor electrical outlets. The amount of electricity we use in our work is miniscule, and we cannot be charged for it.

Do you mark up the cost of repair materials?

No, we do not mark up the cost of repair materials. Also, please remember that North Carolina adds 6.75% tax to the cost of materials, making them more expensive than the sticker price at your local store indicates.

What about my garden, landscaping and plants?

We truly make every effort not to step on flowers or damage anyone’s landscaping. However, there simply are situations where the only safe position for a ladder may involve placing it in a flower bed. We apologize in advance. We cannot be held liable for harm to landscaping, though, when the safety of human beings is at stake, and we appreciate your understanding in this regard. Similarly, we make every effort not to place our ladders against a gutter. Our trucks carry special braces with them at all times which almost always means that our ladder will not be leaned against your gutter. If we must place a ladder against a gutter as a last resort, it is for safety’s sake, and we cannot be held liable for any resulting harm to the gutter in order to protect people.

Is there hidden or unobserved damage exclusion in your Estimates?

Yes. Hidden or unobserved damage associated with areas to be repaired is not included in Estimates. Example: if we remove a siding board and discover a rotted stud behind it, the labor and materials for replacing the rotted stud are added to the Estimate cost because the damage to the stud could not be seen when we made the Estimate for replacing the siding board.

Is there a liability limitation on fragile materials in your Estimates?

Yes, fragile materials are excluded from Estimates. Just as we cannot accept responsibility for hidden or unobserved damage, when evaluating – or working on – a repair site, we cannot be held liable for accidental or unintentional harm that may occur to exceptionally fragile building elements. On many occasions, extremely thin or hollowed out trim wood, just to take one example, may be the source of a home owner’s concern, as it should be. Home owners must understand that visual observation of rot or potential rot must be confirmed by probing. We are as gentle as we can be when touching potentially rotted wood. However, water damaged wood that has been rotted from behind and hollowed out, for example, may well puncture when touched, and we cannot be held liable for that puncture. We try hard to avoid puncturing, but it can occur when wood is extremely fragile. Please understand: we did not create this fragility. Water damage caused the wood to become very, very fragile, and water damage is the cause of the problem, not probing by us.

In addition, fragile wood structures may be present in areas that are adjacent to – or which adjoin – the area we are being asked to estimate or are actually repairing. In the course of our work, we are frequently called on to do Estimates on elements of a home or business such as wooden window sills that have very seriously deteriorated over a very long period of time. For windows, trim, door surrounds, jambs, siding boards, etc., etc. that are in very bad or critical condition, we can’t assume any liability for any accidental damage that may occur to them during the normal scope and course of our repair duties. For instance, we have often seen window sills and door surrounds that are so thoroughly rotted in certain spots that merely touching them to determine the extent of the rot will crumble parts of them.

When working on or near such fragile wood, we take precautions not to further weaken these already frail materials. However, Clients must understand that it simply stands to reason that crumbling wood will indeed crumble when touched, and touching is the most necessary part of the estimating process.

Furthermore, repair or replacement procedures often involve the use of hammers, orbital sanders, and other power tools which can create vibrations strong enough to crack very porous wood or brittle hardboard.

As an example, Clients have hired us to replace rotted Board A, which is attached to fragile Board B, and when A is loosened for lifting out, B in its weakened condition may split as a result and therefore have to be replaced as well. We did not make A or B weak. They were weak to begin with, and if a Client authorizes a repair to Board A, the Client must also assume the cost of replacing Board B as well, if that proves necessary. If we were to harm a sound piece of wood, we will assume responsibility for replacing it, but not fragile wood. Clients who are unwilling to underwrite the cost of repairing both A and B in this instance should consider hiring another company such as a restoration specialist – restoration workers may be willing to take on the financial risk and responsibility of collateral, cascading or other types of accidental harm to water damaged wood. Hiring our firm, however, signifies that the Client accepts the financial responsibility for any harm to fragile wood trim, window sills, door jambs, etc., and other such structures.

Regretfully, we have even witnessed unscrupulous individuals asking for estimates to be done on obviously fragile structures and then trying to push financial responsibility for minor scuffs, scratches or other markings onto us, as if we had inflicted some significant incremental damage on the thoroughly rotted piece of wood to be examined. We will not accept responsibility under those circumstances, and we reserve the right to refuse to accept work assignments or to quit ongoing work for any reason, but specifically for such behavior as well. We take responsibility for our actions and for our work, but we do not accept responsibility for an already existing problem, such as rot.

What is an Estimate?

An Estimate is an estimate; it is not the final bill. Please see the FAQ on “hidden or unobserved damage” and “fragile materials.” Please note that we do not do straight line pricing based on the amount of linear feet. Obviously, the number of feet plays an important role in the calculation of price, but many other factors come into play as well.

Examples of some of the other factors are: whether the land slopes, hindrances to access to the property or to ladder placement, the height of the gutters, whether the gutters are 5 inches wide or 6 inches wide, whether some of the gutters are recessed back against the roof and are therefore more difficult to reach, and there are many other factors as well.

What happens if I change my mind about something? What about change orders?

We understand that there may be situations where a Client changes their mind about things such as wanting to add a metal drip cap to the top of a window frame after we have completed all or most of the repair work on that window. Clients must understand though that when we carry out change orders such as these and must re-do a piece of work, the labor time for this additional work simply has to be added to the Estimated cost. Also, in cases where a Client decides after work has begun that they’d rather have PVC used instead of wood, the cost of the PVC must be added to the Estimate, and the cost of the wood subtracted. Clients should expect to pay for change orders on the basis of labor and materials plus 20%.

Do you have a policy on early termination?

Yes, we do. Occasionally during the course of a work project, Clients have changed their minds about proceeding to completion. We understand that circumstances change. In such cases, Clients must settle accounts with us immediately. We will gladly tell a Client what percentage of the job has been completed, and we expect to be paid on the spot for that same percentage. For example: if we say the job is 50% finished, then the Client merely owes us 50% of the agreed upon Labor cost, and also the Client must buy the materials from us that we bought on behalf of the Client at the same price we paid for them. We do not mark the cost of materials up. Regretfully, there have been occasions, too, when it has become apparent to us that our view of how the work should proceed is no longer shared by the Client. This is a genuine rarity, but when it occurs, we may notify a Client that we no longer wish to carry out the work. We end our work before it is finished, and we exercise the escape clause described here. In this case, the Client must settle accounts with us immediately according to the percentage of completion method described above, along with the Client’s purchase of all of the materials. Just as a Client is entitled to a contractor of their choice, so too we are free to decide that a given work situation is unsuitable or no longer fits our business model or the work site is no longer safe or whatever the case may be.

In such a situation, after account settlement, we will do our best to cover any open or uncompleted repairs with plastic sheeting to temporarily shield the area against the weather, giving the Client time to hire another contractor to finish the work. After accounts are settled, we will also remove our tools, clean up scrap materials, etc. which may be lying around in our part of the work site, so that the area we worked in (which may only be a portion of the entire work site) is left in as presentable a manner as possible under the circumstances. Naturally, we cannot warranty work that is not completed; the contractor who finishes the work must take responsibility for the work.

What about add ons and freebies?

Good communication is a blessing, is always to be sought after and makes the vendor-Client relationship go smoothly. Our experience is that virtually all of the misunderstandings that can occur during work are due to differing expectations, especially when these expectations have not been fully communicated to the other person. Clients have occasionally said that they’d like us to also do this or that “as long as you’re up there on the ladder,” for example.

While we’ll gladly attend to occasional, small matters here and there, a Client who wants additional tasks (doing many small tasks takes as much time as doing one large task) carried out during the course of the work should be prepared to pay an hourly Labor charge in addition to the Estimated cost of the job. Example: a Client once handed us a large number of screens and said they wanted those cleaned, in addition to the agreed upon task of cleaning the glass on their many windows. In Estimating the job, the work was for window cleaning – no mention was ever made of cleaning any screens. Although cleaning a screen or two may not seem time-consuming, thoroughly removing all of the heavy mildew and mold on over 2 dozen screens took about an hour and fifteen minutes of time, in addition to the time spent cleaning the windows. In cases like this, Clients should not be surprised to see a dollar amount added to the Invoice to cover the extra hour and fifteen minutes of work that the Client wanted done. We ask our Clients to ask, ask, ask.

If there is any question at all about what is included in a given job and what is not included in the price, just ask us, and we will be glad to clarify matters immediately. Asking will avoid surprises later on.

Can the paint that I have stored be used on the repair work?

If your paint has been stored, please open the can to see if it is still good. All too often, paint that has been stored for a long period of time is no longer in good condition. You must have the paint available while we are on site; we cannot make a second trip to return to paint at another time or date.

What is your policy on custom color paint?

For small quantities of paint, we much prefer that a customer take a good sized sample (like a piece of painted wood 4 inches by 4 inches) to a store like Lowes or Sherwin-Williams and have them color match it. The Client should immediately use a bit of the new paint on the structure to see how close the match is. In many cases the match is very good, but sometimes, further color adjustments need to be made.

Color-matched paint that we buy for a Client is not returnable to the store. Therefore, the Client has to pay us for that paint, whether or not they want it to be used.

How do the different kinds of paint and stain affect the appearance of wood?

Please be aware that semi-gloss, gloss, enamel paints, and other paints which have sheen tend to make any imperfections in the surface of a wall or a board, etc., more visible than flat paint will. Flat paint is much, much better at hiding bumps, bends, dents, knots, etc., etc. than glossy paint is. Surface imperfections showing through paint or stain do not represent defective painting technique or defective paint or stain. Also see FAQs on: “surface imperfections,” “factors affecting appearance,” and “what is a properly painted surface?” In particular, semi-solid stain is specially designed to show the underlying wood grain, whether the grain is attractive or not. If you do not wish to see this and/or other imperfections like nail stains, etc., then you must choose a solid stain. Moreover, as Consumer Reports explains every year in their annual issue rating paints and stains, solid stain will ALWAYS provide a lot more protection for your wood than semi-solid stain will, which is why we insist on using solid stain, whenever stain is called for. We cannot be held liable for imperfections which show through glossy paints or semi-solid stains. See “Surface Imperfections” below. Furthermore, for the health of children, please note that the government recommends that pressure-treated wood surfaces be sealed, so that youngsters will not absorb chemicals such as the arsenic in such wood through their skin or by, for example, licking their fingers after they have touched such wood.

What are the factors that affect the appearance of a painted surface?

The 5 factors listed below determine how paint (or stain) will look on any given surface:

-the type of paint
-the thickness or thinness of the paint
-the method of application (roller, brush or spray)
-amount and intensity of light and the angle of the light source
-the composition, color and condition of the underlying substrate

Each of these factors plays a separate and distinct role in the appearance of any painted surface. For each Client, we will produce a “properly painted surface,” defined as one that is uniform in color and sheen as determined by viewing the surface without magnification from a distance of 15 feet or more under normal, ambient lighting conditions and from a normal or customary viewing position or location.

Painting gutters and shutters is not included in the usual and customary Estimated cost of gutter or downspout installation. We will not paint shutters at all. Anything else to be painted must be specified in this Estimate, agreement or contract. If not specified, it will not be painted

What are surface imperfections?

Milling marks, saw blade cuts, knots, etc. have been frequently found in lumber sold in the marketplace for decades now. This is the norm. Such marks are not considered to be imperfections and such boards are not “seconds” or defective. If you wish to have completely knot free wood used on your job, then you must specify “architectural grade” materials in the Estimate. As you would expect, such materials come with a premium price tag.

What is a properly painted surface?

Based on the recommendations of professional painting associations, a “properly painted surface” is defined as one that is reasonably uniform in color and sheen as determined by viewing the surface without magnification, from a distance of 15 feet or more, under normal, ambient lighting conditions, and from a normal or customary viewing position or location.

Suppose I want to change the color of the paint?

If the Client wishes to change the colors used after painting has begun, the Client agrees to pay us on a labor and materials basis for the painting that has already been performed, in addition to the agreed upon price when all of the work is complete.

What about the color of the gutters and downspouts and painting them?

Painting the gutter system a different color than the brown or white color it comes in is not included in the price of gutter or downspout installation or repair. Painting these elements is an extra cost unless otherwise specified in the written and signed Estimate, agreement or contract. If a Client wants us to paint a gutter or downspout or the whole guttering system, the Client must alert us in advance so that we can build the time and materials into the Estimate price. Please note too that our Estimated prices never include the cost of the paint itself, although we do include the labor cost for the time it takes to do this painting. We do not mark up the cost of materials such as paint.

What should I do if I have a question?

We ask our Clients to ask, ask, ask: if there is any question at all about what is included in a given job and what is not included in the price, just ask us. We will be glad to clarify matters immediately. Asking questions early on will avoid surprises and misunderstandings later on.

What is your policy on art, antiques and other valuables?

If there are art works or antiques on the premises or other valuables or chattels that require special precautions or extra protection, it is the Client’s responsibility to identify those to us well in advance of work commencement.

Please note that we do not do restoration work. If wood carvings or hand-made scroll work, or historic architectural elements are part of the repair site or adjacent to it, we suggest that Client’s hire a restoration firm to solidify, stabilize or repair those elements or structures, and then call us to repair the rest of the area. Similar to our policy on fragile items, we cannot assume financial responsibility for harm to art work, historic elements, etc. that are adjacent to the site of the repair that we have been asked to undertake.

Do you offer free digital photography?

If you (or your insurance company) want to see, for example, water damage to inaccessible areas of your roof, soffits, etc., with your own two eyes, we can take several digital photos to document the condition both before and after repairs. We can also send you via email several photos of your gutters before and after cleaning, so that you can see for yourself the work that was done. We are the only repair and gutter company that provides this service. Please tell us in advance if you want several digital photos taken.

Do you document your work with photographs?

Occasionally, to document our work and/or for other purposes such as training, we may take still and video pictures of the work. For the home owner’s privacy, the street name and the house number will not be photographed, nor will any other identifying information such as name plates, etc. or architectural features that are very, very distinctive be photographed. Our focus will be on the repair site itself, usually in close up or medium range shots.

Do you maintain a safe workplace?

All of our ladder equipment either meets or exceeds OSHA as well as ANSI standards. Also, we are a zero tolerance employer concerning the use or possession of alcohol or drugs on the job. Ladder work requires absolute sobriety at all times, and we adhere strictly to this policy. In addition, we take extensive safety precautions such as anchoring and tethering our ladders when needed, which most competitors do not do. Also, the wide range of specialized tools we carry with us enables our employees to safely clean hard to reach gutters and to work in areas where access to gutters may be restricted or partly blocked. There are more than 200,000 ladder accidents in the U.S. each year according to OSHA. Don’t become a statistic; entrust the ladder work to us.

What other kinds of ladder work do you do?

We can clean or work on anything high up – hang holiday lights and decorations, change light bulbs in tall atriums, clean clerestory windows, remove bird nests, replace shingles, etc.

Do I have to be home for you to work?

No, you do not have to be home for us to do our exterior work.

What is your policy on payment?

Payment is due on the date of service. Our bookkeeper will call you for your credit card information. We process the transaction immediately, but we do not store your card information to reduce the risk of data theft.

Do you need a deposit?

Yes, a deposit of 50% must be received before work can begin.

When is an account in arrears?

If the price of the job is not paid via credit card on the day the work is completed, the account is considered to be in arrears. After a 1-day grace period, accounts in arrears are charged 23% interest per annum. Remember, too, that account delinquency voids the warranty we offer you. Payments are never to be made to the employees of NC Gutter Guys.

What is your returned check policy?

If a check is returned to us, then a new check must be drawn up, and $35 over and above the price of the job must be added to the bill in order to cover what the bank charges us. Here too, a problem with payment also voids the warranty we offer you.

What happens if I don’t pay the bill?

Regrettably, we are occasionally forced to go to court to collect money that is owed us. This is not the way we prefer to operate, but unfortunately it has become necessary in dealing with a few people. If we are forced to seek legal advice or to take a client to court, the client agrees to compensate us for the cost of the legal advice, the court proceedings, parking, mileage, fees, etc. plus our time at the rate of $75 per hour.

What is your policy on substitutions?

On occasion we may use subcontractors for various aspects of the work we’re doing for a client. The reasons for this vary. Sometimes work becomes so hectic that we don’t have enough employees to go around, so having a staffing agency supply someone is a good way to temporarily increase the size of our workforce.

Other times we may not be able to, for a variety of reasons, perform a given job, such as forming new gutters for instance, on the date agreed to, and we may hire an experienced subcontractor to do that for us so that the work is not delayed. In such cases, our warranty is still just as valid as if we had done the work ourselves. So a client is not getting an inferior product or service just because it is provided by a sub. The subs we select are experienced, honest and reliable, and we stand behind their work just as much as we stand behind our own. Since we would be warranting their work in such a case, it is obviously in our interest to ensure that they do the job properly.

Substitutions may also occur with materials on occasion. It can occur that suppliers simply run out of certain products once in a while, especially at peak season times of the year. If that happens, we may substitute another high quality material for the one that is specified in the Estimate and Agreement. For example, if a piece of trim is not available in PVC, we may substitute pressure treated wood, which is extremely tough, as you know. If, as a last resort, we are forced to use a less durable product such as primed and painted pine, we will inform the owner of the need for this substitution. In any case however, we will not use a product that is less durable than the material we are replacing. Finally, as always, our work is warranted, regardless of the material used. Please understand that, in order to keep our prices reasonable, we cannot afford to pay employees to stand around with nothing to do while one of us goes searching in a distant town, for example, to try to find a given material that is not available locally.

Do I have to be home for you to work?

No, you do not have to be home for us to do our exterior work, but since payment is due on the day the work is completed, you need to make arrangements with us such as leaving your check with a neighbor or being home to pay us in person the following day, if need be.

When is payment due?

Payment is due on the date of service. Our bookkeeper may call you for your credit card information. We process the transaction immediately, but we do not store your credit card information to reduce the risk of data theft. Alternatively, we may collect a check from you on the day the work is finished or, at the latest, the following day. Regrettably, we can no longer accept payment by mail because of the actions of a number of individuals who have taken weeks and weeks and sometimes months to mail payments in.

Do you need a deposit?

Yes, for everything except the smallest jobs such as gutter cleaning, a deposit ranging from 30% to 50% must be received before work can begin.

When is an account in arrears?

If the price of the job is not paid on the day the work is completed, or the day after, the account is considered to be in arrears. After a 2-day grace period, accounts in arrears will be charged a carrying fee of $10 per week per year. Remember, too, that account delinquency voids the warranty we offer you. Payments are never to be made to the employees of NC Gutter Guys, only to management.

What is your returned check policy?

If a check is returned to us, then a new check must be drawn up, and $35 over and above the price of the job must be added to the bill in order to cover what the bank charges us. Here too, a problem with payment also voids the warranty we offer you.

What happens if the Invoice goes unpaid?

Regrettably, we have been forced on at least one occasion to go to court to collect money that owed to us. This is not the way we prefer to do business. If we are forced to seek legal advice, or to take a client to court, the client agrees to compensate us for the cost of the legal advice, the court proceedings, parking, mileage, fees, etc. plus our time at the rate of $75 per hour.

How can I get something for nothing?

Regretfully, it has become necessary of late to have to add this FAQ due to the skyrocketing amount of non-payment and under payment we are experiencing: “How do you get something for nothing?” Well, for the few people in this world for whom this is the goal, the answer is “by calling someone else, not us.” If you want to get something for nothing, if you want quality work and quality materials but don’t want to pay for them, or if your goal is to engage us for our workmanship without paying fairly for it, then please call someone else to do your work. You will be much happier that way, and so will we. We pay our workers fairly, we are insured, and we run a quality operation. It stands to reason therefore that we cannot simply give our services and materials away for free or for next to nothing. We are either fairly priced, or we are a bargain when you consider the quality of the work you receive, but we do not aim to be the low-cost bidder for anything we do, except possibly for gutter guard installations. Put another way, if you want to get repair work done for the price that illegal labor charges, then please go get illegal laborers to work for you. Thank you.

What kinds of work standards do you adhere to?

We do quality workmanship and aim to exceed the usual and customary standards that the various building trades call for in their respective areas.

There have been a few occasions where Clients have engaged us to do their work but failed to tell us that what they expected was supernatural perfection instead of quality workmanship. An example: a Client had us paint her door, and the work came out beautifully. This Client however was not satisfied – although the sheen on this exterior door looked absolutely perfect, when she ran her fingers over it, it “felt ever so slightly bumpy.” Now, there is simply no standard in the entire world of painting that calls for a “lack of bumpiness” when touched by one’s finger tips. The bumpiness in this case was caused by minute imperfections on the exterior side of this older, heavily used wooden exterior door.

Another example: after we tiled her bathroom floor, one particular Client complained that the “tiles make the room too noisy, and you have to fix that!” Now, the tiles had been chosen by the Client of course, not by us. As everyone should know, tiles are hard surfaces; they reflect sound. That’s physics. Although we can’t change physics, we suggested that the Client obtain a small throw rug with an anti-slip backing. The cloth is warmer to stand on than tiles are, less slippery than tiles and also absorbs some noise. Despite the evident practicality of this approach, the Client nevertheless remained in a huff and refused to be satisfied.

If your desire is for what we call “architectural grade” for materials and workmanship, then please specify that before the Estimate is made. We will then Estimate for that upgrade, but Clients must be prepared to pay a premium price for that type of work.

We will not tolerate Clients who have a hidden agenda, namely, those people who try to force us to provide a more expensive architectural grade of work but who also insist on paying no more than the Estimate price, which is based on the usual and prevailing industry norms, and not on architectural grade. If someone wants architectural grade, they need to specify “architectural grade” in advance and also pay for architectural grade. What could be common sense than that? See, “How can I get something for nothing?”

Why do you often use Amerimax gutter covers?

Amerimax is a good combination of many virtues: a low price, good effectiveness, a long product life span, easy to remove if needed, easy to reinstall if needed, and they don’t stand up over the gutter and alter the appearance of the house. Now, there are certainly more expensive products on the market, and possibly some might outperform Amerimax, but the far higher cost of those products is very much out of proportion to their supposedly greater effectiveness. Do you really need Rolls Royce gutter covers? Probably not, but we can install them, at an appropriately higher price, if you feel that you do. If you want to go the Rolls Royce route though, you ought to ask yourself if you are going to stay in that house for a sufficient number of years to justify the markedly higher cost.

In addition, some of the costlier products are very difficult to open and clean out, should they ever need cleaning.

Our experience is that the more difficult and time consuming a gutter cover is to open and clean, if it needs to be opened and cleaned, the much higher is the likelihood that Joe the Budget Gutter Cleaner is not going to bother doing a decent job of cleaning. Instead, to save time and effort, he’s going to just brush a few leaves off of the top of the gutter cover and merely say he cleaned when he did not in fact remove the cover, clean out what’s below and then re-secure the gutter in the way it’s supposed to be done. From the ground, you, the consumer, cannot tell if the real work was actually done – unless you stand there the entire time watching Joe. From the ground, a gutter that’s just been brushed off will look clean, even if it isn’t clean on the inside. We receive many calls from home owners with hard to open gutter helmets that when we lift them off to extract debris, we see a gutter that is jam packed to the brim and sopping wet, moldy leaves. The home owner thinks that he or she has had them cleaned regularly – until they see how much gunk we lift out of the gutter and how much longer it takes us to do the work. In one case, it took us nearly 4 hours to clean out a home with solid aluminum covers, and the home owner was astonished at how much mess was in there, despite her having called Joe once every 2 years. But, she recalled, Joe only spent 45 minutes cleaning what took us 4 hours to do. Well, guess why? The answer is that he didn’t really clean it out. He just brushed the leaves off of the top so it looked nice.

Not only is that money misspent for a cleaning that wasn’t a cleaning, but the more wet sopping mess there is inside the gutters, and the longer it sits there, the higher is the chance that the wood adjacent to the gutter will rot, due to the high moisture content of the gutter. Remember, it’s not just water that rots wood; it’s also water vapor, especially if it is more or less continuously present over a long enough period of time.

Again, though, there are more expensive products, and we can certainly submit an Estimate using them if a Client wants that. A prospective Client told us recently that he was quoted a price of $40 per linear foot by LeafGuard. At that rate, a gutter run of just 30 feet across the front of his house would come to $1,200! LeafGuard’s Estimate for doing this entire house came to an astronomical $6,000 in round numbers. Our Estimates are usually based on Amerimax gutter guards and cost far, far less of course.

Finally, Amerimax has been making covers for, I think, 25 years. There are millions of these gutter helmets on homes in every part of this country. So it is a popular product and a known quantity. There are no hidden surprises with the product, kinks that are yet to be worked out, etc. It is a proven product.

Can bent or dented gutters be straightened? Repaired in any way?

Aluminum gutters cannot really be straightened, except for really minor dents. For most really bent gutters we try various work-arounds in order to get gutter covers securely fastened onto them. Unfortunately, seriously bent gutters have to be replaced before guards can be installed (or the guards cannot fasten on tightly enough). Typically, we cut out the bent section and splice in a new, straight piece, instead of replacing the entire gutter, which would obviously be more expensive to do. Naturally, for additional work such as this, there is an extra charge over and above our low prices for gutter guards.

Do you install or repair copper gutters or copper downspouts?

No, we do not install or repair copper gutters and downspouts because of the very small number of businesses and homes using this product.

Can you remove large leaf piles from my roof?

Yes, we can remove large piles of leaves and pine needles, but there is a separate charge for cleaning roofs. Roof cleaning is of course different from gutter cleaning. We urge Clients not to let leaf piles to get too deep on their roof because heaps of leaves hold moisture against the shingles and the plywood underneath them, thereby shortening the useful life of your roof.

Can you correct an improper angle that a gutter is sloped at?

Yes, but it can be labor intensive because the gutter has to be removed from the fascia and then re-secured with new brackets at the proper angle. Sometimes it’s easier and less costly just to add a new downspout at the end of the gutter where all the water has pooled.

Can you repair an improperly tilted gutter?

Yes. A tilt is different from a slope. A gutter should be sloped towards a downspout to evacuate the water. However, when seen from the end or side, a gutter should not be tilted either towards the house or away from it. The top of a gutter should be flat. To correct an improper tilt, we cut or remove the existing brackets holding the gutter to the fascia board behind it, and install new brackets with screws that allow the top of the gutter to be raised or lowered, as appropriate.

Do I have to be home when you come to install gutter guards?

No. Since all of our work is external to your home, you don’t need to be there to give us access to anything. You don’t have to change your schedule or routine for us. However, please ensure that we have your cell phone number in case a question arises during the course of the work, and we need to contact you.

How can I pay you if I’m not at home?

Payment is expected by credit card on the day of service. We will call you to get your credit card information.

How can I apply for a job with you?

Please look at the Employment section of this web site.

Do your ladders meet ANSI – American National Standards Institute – guidelines for safety?

Yes.

Do you clean up after cleaning the gutters? Do you remove the leaves that come out of my gutters?

We take all leaf debris from your gutters with us. No bags of leaves are left behind. Our aim is to leave your property as neat and as clean as we found it.

What is your warranty?

Our limited warranty is for 2 years duration from the date of the service or the date of product installation and is transferable to a new home or business owner. This limited warranty is only for customers in good standing who pay their outstanding balances on the day that our work is completed. The limited warranty covers workmanship and materials only and nothing else. It does not cover consequential or incidental damages, (and we cannot be held responsible for those,) for example, and it does not cover abuse of our products or services.