I want you to imagine just for a moment you have decided this is the year for your family to purchase a new home. Likely you are going to have plenty of homes to see in Wilmington, Newark, and Bear to choose from so you will select a few based on the listing agent advertising who is likely to going to list such things the seller has done to make the home move in – ready or stand out from the other homes on the market such as a newly renovated kitchen with all new cabinets, or the high vaulted ceilings in the living room, and what would a home be without the perfect master bedroom with spacious walk-in closet to hide from the kids. While all these qualities are desirable have you considered something that while not as aesthetically appealing as that beautiful rock garden in the backyard is just as important-the gutter system?
Here are just a few reasons why you should:
Roof repairs and Replacement Roofs: One of the most expensive home repairs you will ever make it to your roof, the average cost of replacing your roof in New Castle County is $8000.00. One of the reason roofs need to be replaced is they become moldy. When it rains the water must go somewhere. Just one inch of rainwater on a thousand square feet of roof would fill up 600 milk jugs. If this water is left standing on the roof it soaks into the materials leading to rot, mold, mildew, and algae. One way to clean the roof is power washing but its better to prevent it rather to correct it and this is where your gutter system functionality and cleanliness is crucial.
Window Damages: The way gutters are designed is to not just divert water but to send it to a specific location. If gutters are not cleaned, then the water pours over the edges and onto your windows where they can drawl in moisture and damage your windowpanes and even the interior of your home.
Foundational Issues: If the water runs over your gutters into the soil it can seep into your basement and can also damage your foundation and exterior walls. The water runoff erodes the soil and also is destructive to your landscaping, which is the feature sellers notice first. Worse is when soil is saturated it expands and contrast and with time leads to cracks. In fact, this is the largest contributing factor to failure in slab foundations.
While the kitchen is the heart of the interior, gutters could be called the heart to the homes exterior. Without clean, functioning gutters to capture the rain, melted snow, and ice that run down your roof the water can seep into the walls, basement, foundation, and the new investment of your home will be a wash. While buying a home is a personal choice when you rank things as a level of importance make sure the gutter system is factored into your buying decision.
4 Questions To Ask About The New Homes Gutters
1. Does the home have gutter guards? Your gutters not only catch rainwater, but Delaware is the perfect location for trees that have falling leaves and twigs they also catch leaves, twigs, and all sorts of debris. In Delaware there are for your gutters to catch. One way to make sure your gutters don’t become clogged is with gutter guards plus it eliminates the need for constant gutter cleaning.
2. Just because your new home comes equipment with gutter guards, or a helmet does not mean you can forget to clean your gutters
The reality of gutter guards is debris will still find a way into your gutters, with a screen it can be harder to detect how full your gutters are so you want to at least call once a year call a Delaware gutter cleaning professional like EvenFlow Services to come take a look to make sure water is not becoming trapped under the roofs shingles which can lead to damages and that anything inside the gutters is cleaned out.
3. What type of gutters does the house have? Not all gutters are created the same, the most common gutter in Delaware is K style and half-moon. The biggest difference is a half moon does not hold as much so they need to be cleaned more frequently. The idea gutter you want the house to have are seamless gutters because they are less prone to leaking or sagging which leads to the next question.
4. Are there any sags in the gutters? If the gutters have sags, then weather will pool at the sag and this means gutter repairs or replacement gutters will be needed. When gutters sag this is a good indication that the previous owner neglected their gutter cleaning or that the gutters were installed improperly. Now the good news is that gutters can be replaced and there not as expensive as having to replace a roof but if the problem went a long time without being resolved you may want to further investigate the roof, basement, and foundation. You also want to know how the gutters were attached to the home, in older homes many times the gutter installer used nails that were driven into the fascia which created an opening for water and can lead to rot.
The bottom line is before you sign on for the new home make sure the gutters are clean and have been properly maintained. If the home inspector will not climb onto the roof to check call our gutter cleaning company in Delaware, we provide gutter cleaning, gutter installation and gutter repairs at affordable rates and often have same day or next day services. We will not charge to come out to inspect your gutters and if there are issues, we will give you a fair and upfront cost so that you can be confident in your new home purchase.
