Q - My old gutters are sagging and pulling away from the
house. What is the best way to get them
secured to the house again.
Fred in Loganville
A - Re-hanging the gutters.
Not my most favorite thing to do, but you might be able to do it.
One of the reasons I am not big
on doing this myself is that on some parts of my house my gutters are over 35
feet off the ground. That is about 32
feet higher than I like to be when I'm hanging off a ladder.
Let's look at your project
though.
First off, are the gutters worth
saving? Do they leak? Are they rusted? Are they too small? If you answer 'yes' to any of those
questions you should scrap it and start with new gutters, and if you are going
to do that you should call a pro.
The next thing you need to know
is the condition of the wood behind the gutter.
If the wood is still in good condition your easiest play will be to use
a gutter screw (8" gutter screws are available at your local big box
stores) to re-attach using the same holes in the gutter and in your house.
However, if your wood is in poor
condition, or the holes are - as we say in Conyers - "wallered out", then you
have issues. At this point it might be
time to call a pro.
Still in the game? Ok - good!
Your gutters should have a
fastener every 3 feet. Any further and
you are going to suffer the sag again soon.
It is possible that you may have
to add a few.
If you skip over any holes,
either in the gutter or in the wood you will need to caulk the old hole to
prevent water from entering. Remember -
if you caulk an old hole in a gutter, there will be a corresponding hole in the
wood that needs attention. Get them
both.
One more note - there is a lot to
be said for having new, one-piece gutters installed that come with a gutter
cover. While it may be a little more
$$$-wise, you will enjoy the look and your home's foundation will enjoy being
kept dry.
A good gutter system goes a long
way to curing other ills that pop up around the exterior, and eventually the
interior, of your home…