My plan is to have a local company come out with the truck and run the necessary amounts of continuous 5" "K" gutters for both my house and garage. I will be shopping around for the best prices at home improvement stores for all the parts I need to get the job done.

It actually seems quite hard to find a good article on what pieces you will actually need during a typical install and what pieces you are likely to need at least some of, based on the uniqueness of your house.

I have a few guys from working coming over to help. They're basically doing me a solid here since one wants me to help him move this summer and the other only asks that there's a case of his favorite beer waiting for him when he gets here (I'll make sure the ladder stuff is out of the way before the first beer is cracked open ). I just want to make sure that I have EVERYTHING I need when they get here, even if it's a little too much. I don't want to waste any of their time since it's basically volunteer work. I can always take something back that I don't use.

Here's a list of things I KNOW I need:

1. End Caps.
2. Brackets and screws*. Don't want to spring for Omni Brackets.
3. Drop outlets.
4. Downspouts.
5. Downspout clinchers**.
6. Inside miters (If memory serves, I don't need Outside miters for my house).
7. Elbows for the downspouts where necessary.
8. Gutter apron/flashing***.

Am I missing anything?


As for the asterisks.... please humor me.

* Brackets and Screws. What type of screws should I use to go into my 2"x10" facia, and aside from expensive Omni Brackets, is there one particular make of cheap brackets anyone prefers above all others?

** Downspout Clinchers. How many should I use per linear foot of downspout?

*** Gutter Apron/Flashing. My house currently has a great shingle job and no gutters and/or aprons. The gutters were either removed by the people being foreclosed on or after the fact, so I have to believe that there wasn't any apron in the first place since the shingles hang well enough over the edge of the roof and were left entirely intact. Do I really need to buy this, and would I possibly do more harm than good by trying to install it under the shingles 6 or 7 years after they were installed?



THANKS DIY!

 

Why aren't you having the continuous gutter people do the complete job? They punch holes for the downspout drops and install all the periphery at one time. I can't imagine you will have any savings by trying to complete this yourself.

 

No savings at all?

I'm doing it myself and with a friend from work who's installed them before. I figure I'll have a barbeque after and buy a case of beer. I'm going to help him move later in the summer so we're calling it a wash. I am confident that I have all the tools I need for the job except for a 2nd big ladder, and my friend says he has one of those.

I suppose I should just ask them for a quote to see how much more they'd charge for the actual install, but I figure since I'll be doing the labor part for free I'd have to be saving something worth while.

I'm also asking for a checklist of the pieces I'll need so I can get their quotes and look up prices at DIY stores. I have credit cards for them that give 5% off and I can go to the post office and ask for a change of address packet and get a 10% off coupon too. (TIP: Although you can't stack this 10% coupon on top of your 5% credit card discount in the store, you can pre-order at your store and pay online and the discounts will stack!) I seriously would buy parts from Menards, Home Depot, Lowes and this gutter place if the extra gas was worth what I'd be saving.


Besides... I'm actually kinda looking forward to installing them. I love learning how to do new things and this is something I've never done before.



So...... any thoughts on my checklist bud?

 

Any new ideas?

Seriously, this is honestly the first time I had to write more because "you have to write at least 25 characters" before posting.

Still need help here.

Thanks

 

If you are serious about installing the gutter and accessories, you will need fasteners to connect the various parts together such as pop rivets(and a pop rivet tool) and sheet metal screws.

 

I'm with Chandler on this one, and seriously doubt that there are any savings in not having the seamless guys do the whole thing. The guys I use and recommend locally are very reasonable, and although I cannot say that I have actually put pencil to paper in order to prove it, would be willing to bet that their price for everything, material and labor, is often less than a homeowner can buy the material.

 

I completely agree with the others, the pros will have the new guttering up in a couple of hours max leaving you with no clean-up or anything else to do. DIYing seamless gutters is a waste of time and the money saved is minimal if there is any saving at all.

 

With three people telling me that I could have it done for less than I could buy the material for, I will definitely ask them for a quote to install it. I can't wrap my mind about how that could be true, but the "vote" here is 3 to 1, so it's at least worth looking into.


I'd like to just add that my free time isn't really all that valuable. I make minimum wage at work ATM and barely cleared 11k last year.

I'm just mentioning this because even a savings of $200 on the whole thing means a lot to me if I do it myself. Not to mention all I will learn that I didn't know before I did it.

I have a thread about the time I installed a new sump pump in nearly two feet of freezing water by the well in the back of my crawlspace in November. My fever had just broke and after that it came back with a vengeance. Before that day I had never installed a sump pump, but it was an emergency and I wasn't going to let all the work I'd done in the basement be ruined. There was only about 1/4 inch of water in the living space before I got the water out.

My point here is that my brother is married to a Pharmacist. If they didn't have me to advise them, I'm quite sure they could pay twice what the install job were worth because that extra money isn't going to impact them very negativley overall. My fairly poor gramma just paid $240 for some Senior scamming a-hole to replace the thermo-couple on her water heater! I have never done one on a water heater before, but I used this site to replace one on my Furnace 3 years ago and it's been working flawlessly since. I could have done that repair for 8 bucks.....

Hell.... I could have installed a new, energy efficient furnace her for about a hundred bucks more and replace that relic that is almost as old as me.



I'll tell ya what....

I'll figure out what parts I need to buy, I'll get you the amount for the quote for everything (no matter where I buy the various parts), and I'll ask you what you think would be fair for the entire gutter install including labor and I'll learn even more that way.



Thanks Wirepuller38. I have quite a few tools, but a pop rivet tool wasn't one of them. Pop rivet tool and a box of white rivets.... check!


Thanks everyone

 

My response was based on the fact the guttering people make precise measurements and form the gutter on site with their machinery. It only takes about 30 seconds for them to punch a downspout hole and fit a drop out. Again, the right machinery. As the gutter rolls out of the truck they are placing the clips for fastening to the fascia. From there it is a matter of two or three guys lifting it into place and fastening it at the proper angle for runoff to the downspout.

It is all choreographed quite well, and just having them come to your site to form and cut metal may not be as cheap as you think.

 

You'll need gutter adhesive for the end caps. I recommend stainless steel screws as the galvanized ones eventually rust. If you take photos of the house locations where the guttering and downspouts will be installed, then use them to do a detail plan, and materials list, you will probably save yourself a trip back to the store. Also, you can buy extras and return the leftovers to avoid trips back during the install. You also need to consider drainage if any downspouts will dump water in the ground adjacent to your house. If you can lead the downspout to your driveway or sidewalk, that's best. As far as the downspout holders, one at the top and one at the bottom is what I use. Regarding the drip edge (or flashing), I would not retrofit it because of the damage to the shingles. But, I would ensure that the shingles that overlap the gutter do not have any opening that will allow water to get behind the gutter: this has, in my experience, led to rotting the fascia. Finally, if you have trees nearby, you should install a gutter guard. I use one like Amerimax Home Products 6 in. x 36 in. Hinged Gutter Guard. I installed guards like this on my gutters and only have to clean them about every five years due to the shingle sediment buildup near the downspouts. I removed the hinges, placed them bowed side down (up invites facia rot when leaves, etc. get trapped at the top) and screwed them with stainless steel screws to the front top of the gutters about every two feet. They are not noticeable from the ground.

 

Okay guys and gals....

Here's the skinny on prices from a local supplier that does all sorts of fabrication for houses and not just gutters......

Delivery (roughly 8 miles from me): $30
Continuous Gutter Per Foot (5" K-Style at a whopping .32mm!): $1.60
Outlets: $1.25
End Caps: $ .65
Inside Corners: $5.00
A/B Elbows: $1.20
8' Downspouts: $9.25
Downspout Bands: $.50
Omni Brackets: $.30
Box of Zip Screws: $3.50
Gutter Apron (10 Ft): $4.80
Tube of Gutter Sealant: $4.75
And if you need them, 12' lengths of Fascia (bent aluminum 1"x8", nothing fancy): $14.50

I asked the girl for ****s and gigs what they would charge to install "per linear foot" roughly and she replied "We don't do installation. We don't compete with our buyers".

This means that I can install roughly 180 linear feet of gutters with gutter aprons and downspouts included for just a little over $800 with tax and delivery included.

Not only that, but it's nearly twice the width of the crap I could buy at a big-box store. Also, compare the $0.30 price point for Omni-brackets compared to Menard's price of $1.95/pc and it's a no brainer.

I just emailed my friend and said that if he enjoyed installing gutters and I find that I have a knack for it, this might be the way to make our "nut".

If we could offer installation for Premium .32mm gutters that you CAN'T get at your DIY store, and it's continuous, and we don't have to make them and they charge a modest delivery fee to fabricate them, we could easily charge $500 above cost for installation and neither of us would even need to take a "work truck" to the site with the few tools we'd need to do the job.

I make about $750 a month net where I'm working now. We could be making that much per day Gross with this hook up.


If I'm wrong about any of this, please let me know.

 

the only way to make money doing gutters is to do hack work. That seems to be all people are willing to pay for. The person that will pay more for a thicker gutter is rare. The bottom line is price, people take the lowest bid.
If you are looking to make your nut, find a local guy that will do gutters for 2.00 per foot and just sell the job for 4.00 per foot. Installing gutters is difficult and dangerous work, other than a five foot piece, I would not touch hanging a gutter.

 

I don't know about "hack work", but if you mean, non-Union work, I get your point.

The reason most people are only willing to pay for "hack work" is because when you can't find a job making a living wage and need to get something done, you look for ways to get it done without going Union.

These days, the only "people" that can afford to go Union are the business entities large enough to be required to do so by law, or the people who are rich enough to afford to have work done by people with an iron-clad guaranty on their work.

I just paid $148 to rod out my drainage to the street after haggling them down $50 bucks because he's a neighbor of mine. Next time, I can do it myself for $50 bucks tops renting my own unit at $25/hr since I helped the guy out and know exactly how to do it myself.

Where I work overnight, I have to work 8 hours to make that $50 bucks after taxes. I was charged that extra 50 bucks because he worked an extra 10 minutes over the hour while filling out the forms in the car.






Back to the original question, which I don't see any answers for.....

Nearly 180 linear feet of gutter, not including the 6 downspouts and all the trimmings for less than $850 delivered.

.32mm contractor grade.

One day advance notice needed.

Anyone still think that I should hire a pro?

 

Yes.........................................

 

Haha.... Understood Chandler.

Never wrote a book on how to cut your property taxes in half even though it's possilbe.

If anyone would like to PM me real thoughts, I'm all ears. Please feel free to delete this post so Menards can continue selling .19mm segmented gutters to DIY schmucks for 400 bucks more than they could pay for continuous .32mm contractor grade gutters.

 

I'm not saying you can't do it. I am saying you can't do it as cheaply, nor as time efficiently nor as safely as can a professional that will be on the jobsite anyway. Transportation of the long pieces will be unwieldy, if not impossible, while the custom punched full length pieces will be pristine and no joints. Sorry you don't think my opinions are "real". Go for it.

 

Hey Chandler,

As far as I've been told, there will be no "unwieldy" long pieces to transport.

The only "too long to transport" pieces I can think of would be the 14" feet of downspout I would need for the back end, but I'm already figuring on using two 8" segments of downspout to make this work (unless you have a better idea).

Aside from that, everything else is connectors and screws and gutter sealant and could easily be fit into a large box. The actual .32mm gutters will be run on site, and so long as my measurements were correct before they ran them, I won't even have to snip or hacksaw one single end of any of them.

You do bring up a mighty fine point though. Perhaps I can have them "punch" the holes for the gutters to my specs, on-site, for an additional charge? It's worth asking about, anyhow.



At this point, as long as the ladders I'm using are safe for the load they're bearing, I'm having a hard time pinpointing exactly what is "dangerous" about this job.



Assuming I can get the custom punches done to my specs on site for a reasonable cost, where am I going wrong here?

180 ft of linear gutter for $840, both house and garage. 8 downspouts needed because of the excessive drop from the back of the house and for how many abnormalities there are. Gutter apron needs to be added if possible. Over 50 ft of facia needs to be replaced before gutters go up.



I have done a lot of DIY work in the past, for myself, for family and for "scab" money. I respect the tools, I measure twice and since I have no health insurance safety is paramount.

Minus the safety aspect, could you tell me that somebody could install the entire 180 linear foot gutter system on my house and garage with .32mm gutters for less than or equal to $850?



EDITED TO ADD: If they will actually affordably put the downspout punches in the gutters, on site, then the rest of the work is cake. Aside from two extension ladders, there's nothing I need to bring to site that we can't bring in our pockets or tool belts. I could just get a bike rack to put the ladders on top of my car until I can afford a proper truck.

Only ONE business day advance notice required for the entire job to be delivered on site. Seamless gutters run to spec.