Your gutters must have been troubling you. Whether gutters are a good investment depends on several factors. Fortunately, we can help you find out what’s right for you.
In this article, we discuss everything you need to know before deciding whether or not gutter guards are “worth it” for you.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Are Gutter Guards?
Gutter guards protect your entire gutter system from catching debris and clogging up. These nifty “guards” come in a number of shapes and sizes, including:
- Foam
- Brush
- Screen
- Reverse Curve (Surface Tension)
- Mesh
- Micromesh
Once installed, debris doesn’t enter your gutters and you can collect it from below and add it to your compost, rather than letting it go to waste in the gutters. Gutter guards also help to regulate the water flow when it rains or snows, which in turn helps protect your home’s foundations and landscaping from being damaged by flooding.
Does My Home Need Gutter Guards?
You can determine whether or not your house will benefit from gutter guards by asking yourself the following questions:
- Does my property (or my neighbor’s properties) have a lot of trees?
- How much rain and snow does my region receive each year?
- Do I currently have issues with clogged downspouts and flooding?
- How much wind blows over/through my gutters on a regular basis?
- Am I capable of safely cleaning my gutters as often as necessary?
- Are pests, rodents, or birds, nesting in my gutters?
- Do I have the budget for purchasing and installing guards?
Be honest with yourself when considering these questions. Not all homes necessarily need, or benefit from gutter guards – especially homes that are situated far away from trees or receive little rainfall, snow, or wind.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Gutter Guards?
Now that you have an idea what gutter guards are and whether you need them, let’s look at some upsides and downsides:
Gutter Guards Pros
- Saves you from paying or performing gutter cleaning
- Easy to install on most gutter systems
- Defend against pests of all sorts
- Protect downspouts from debris jams
- Allow better water flow and prevent overflow/flooding
Gutter Guards Cons
- Can be expensive to purchase and install
- Does not block 100-percent of debris
- Not all types work on every home
- Some houses don’t benefit from gutter guards
- Installing certain guards may void your roof warranty
How Much Do Gutter Guards Cost?
All gutter guards are not created equal. That means that the prices for each type vary. For the average home with a gutter system of around 150ft to 200ft, professional installation typically runs between $550 and $2,000. That said, it can cost as much as $3,000 to $5,000 or more depending on the type of gutter guards you choose.
DIY gutter guard installations, however, are much more affordable. Depending on the linear feet of gutter length on your home, buying guards and installing them yourself (or hiring a family member, friend, or handyman to do it for you) has a much smaller price tag of just a few hundred dollars.
At any rate, after installing guards on your gutters, you can spend more time on those fun fall activities with the kids this autumn rather than gloving up, climbing ladders, and stuffing garbage bags full of rotting leaves, moss, and other debris.
What Type of Gutter Guard Is Best for My Home?
If by now you are leaning towards installing guards on your gutter system, it’s time to decide which gutter guards are best for your home. Let’s take a closer look at each type, below.
Foam
Available in various lengths and thicknesses, most foam guards feature an arched or triangular shape. These types of gutter guards are one of the easier types to install. Just cut them to the proper size and place them into your gutters. They are designed to allow water to flow freely and block debris from entering the gutters all together. The downside is that foam doesn’t age as well as other materials like metals and vinyl. Expect to budget approximately $1.50 to $3.00 per foot for foam gutter guards.
Brush
Another quick and easy type of guard to install in your gutters is the brush kind. Similar to the foam ones, simply cut them down to the right size for your gutters and slip them inside. They will block most debris, specifically smaller debris such as pine needles that other guards fail to keep out. Another significant plus to this type of guard is its anti-rodent design. Rats, mice, squirrels, birds, you name it, these guards will deter them from making nests in your gutters. Prices for brush gutter guards range from approximately $3.00 to $4.00 per foot.
Reverse Curve (Surface Tension)
This type of guard is pretty simple, too, but still very effective for the most part. Reverse curve gutter guards consist of molded plastic or lightweight metal and feature a design quite different than other guards. Rather than water running through them, they direct water into a downward curve and then into the gutter.
Their design also deflects most debris of all shapes and sizes. One drawback is that this type of guard can be seen from the yard below, (if that matters to you). They are also one of the gutter guard types best installed by professionals. The cost per foot ranges from just under $4.00 to just over $6.00. Couple this with the cost of a professional installation and you are easily looking at one of the most expensive gutter guard systems.
Screen
The screen type is one of the most popular and affordable. This type allows snow and rain to flow smoothly, yet mostly successfully guards the interior of the gutters from leaves and most roof debris. They are usually made with high-quality aluminum, vinyl, or heavy-duty galvanized steel.
The biggest complaint against these types is that smaller debris like twigs and pine needles might build up on top of them and prohibit even water flow. Economically, they make a lot of sense, especially for DIYers. This type of gutter guard costs from slightly less than $1.00 to approximately $2.50 per foot.
Mesh and Micromesh
Mesh gutter guards are very effective, generally speaking. But, before you set your heart on them you need to be aware that they may void your roof’s warranty. That is because one side of them needs to be inserted under the edge of the first row of shingles on your home’s roof.
The other side inserts under the lip of the opposite side of the gutter. These work similarly to screen-type guards but differ slightly in that their holes are much smaller for the most part.
They do a great job of keeping most debris out, but tiny particles like broken down leaves and dirt can enter the gutters and end up making mud after some time. Mesh and micromesh are among the least expensive type to install as well, costing roughly just $0.25 to $3.00 per foot.
Are Gutter Guards Worth It for You?
Only you can decide whether gutter guards are really worth it to you. In my experience, most homes can and do benefit from gutter guards. However, installing them on your home by no means eliminates the need for future gutter maintenance.
What they will do, though, is cut down the amount of work it takes to upkeep your gutters (or the cost of paying for gutter cleaning services). Gutter guards also make sure that your gutters don’t flood when it storms. That way, on rainy days, you can enjoy working on crafts with the kids, worry-free, knowing your gutters are protected.