Gutters & Downspouts

Sized for Houston rainfall, not for a national average.

Gutters are the cheapest part of the exterior and they protect the most expensive parts of it: the fascia they hang on, the siding below them, and the foundation they are supposed to keep water away from. In a city that can drop several inches of rain in an hour, undersized or blocked gutters do real damage.

Why standard gutters overflow here

Most residential gutter in the United States is 5 inch K-style, because it is adequate for most of the country. Houston is not most of the country. Our rainfall intensity, the short violent nature of our storms, and the large simple roof planes on a lot of local housing can put more water into a gutter than a 5 inch profile can carry.

The upgrade that is usually worth it: 6 inch gutter with 3 by 4 inch downspouts, rather than 5 inch with 2 by 3. The larger gutter carries substantially more water and the larger downspout is far less prone to clogging with the leaf and pine needle load Houston trees produce. The cost difference is modest. The difference in overflow behaviour in a real storm is not.

Capacity is also about downspout count, not just size. A long run with one downspout at the end will overflow at the far corner regardless of the profile. More outlets, better spaced, solves more problems than a bigger gutter on its own.

What overflowing gutters are actually doing

Rotting the fascia they are attached to, because the water runs down the back of the gutter into the board. This is the most common path to fascia rot.
Soaking the siding and eventually the sheathing behind it.
Eroding beds and splashing soil onto the wall.
Dumping water at the foundation. On Houston's expansive clay soils, uneven wetting and drying around a slab is a genuine structural concern, not a landscaping one.
Filling the soffit vents with water where the overflow blows back under the eave.

Seamless, and why it matters

Seamless gutter is rolled on site from a coil to the exact length of your run, so the only joints are at corners and outlets. Sectional gutter from a box store has a joint every ten feet, and every joint is a future leak. The difference in longevity is large and the cost difference is small.

Where the water should end up

This is the part most installs get wrong. A downspout that discharges at the base of the wall has moved the problem four feet, not solved it. Water should be carried well clear of the foundation, with extensions, splash blocks placed on a slope that actually runs away, or underground drainage to daylight. On clay soil, consistent moisture around the slab matters more than most homeowners realise.

Gutter guards, honestly

They reduce cleaning. They do not eliminate it, and anyone selling them as maintenance-free is overselling. Fine debris still gets through most designs, pine needles defeat many of them outright, and a guard that clogs is worse than no guard because you cannot see the blockage and you cannot easily clear it.

Under heavy pine or oak, a good micro-mesh guard is genuinely worth it. Under a clear roof with little overhang, you are buying very little. We will tell you which one you have.

What we do

Check the fascia condition before quoting, because hanging new gutter on rotten wood is wasted money and we will not do it.
Size the gutter and the downspout count to the actual roof area draining into each run.
Roll seamless aluminium on site, in your colour.
Hang with hidden hangers screwed into solid wood, at proper spacing, at a pitch that drains rather than a pitch that looks level.
Set downspouts where they discharge clear of the foundation and are not in the middle of a walkway.
Test it with water before we leave.

What it costs, and how you can check

Every job on this page is priced Cost Plus. You see the supplier invoice for the materials, the crew hours at our published rate, the permit and disposal at what they actually cost, and one service fee of 20 to 30 percent set by job complexity and locked before anything starts. There is no second number and no change order conversation after the fact. The full breakdown is here.

Common Questions

Should I get 5 inch or 6 inch gutters in Houston?

6 inch with 3 by 4 downspouts is the better choice for most Houston homes, because our rainfall intensity regularly overwhelms a 5 inch profile and the larger downspout clogs far less. The cost difference is small relative to the fascia and foundation it protects.

How often do gutters need cleaning here?

Twice a year as a baseline, and more under pine or oak. Autumn and late spring are the sensible times. If you are clearing them more than three times a year, guards are probably worth costing.

Are gutter guards worth it?

Under heavy tree cover, a quality micro-mesh guard genuinely reduces the work. Under a clear roof it is money for very little. None of them make gutters maintenance free, whatever the pitch says.

Can you replace gutters at the same time as the roof?

Yes, and it is the cheapest time to do it. The gutters have to come off or be protected for the tear-off anyway, and the fascia behind them is visible and accessible.

My gutters are pulling away from the house. Why?

Almost always rotted fascia that will no longer hold a screw, which is itself usually caused by the gutters having overflowed. The board needs replacing before the gutter gets rehung.

Get a Cost Plus quote for gutters & downspouts

Free inspection, photographed and written up, with a line-by-line quote inside one business day.

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Or call (281) 305-8669