Irvine, CA
Gutters and drainage in Irvine
Gutters are the least interesting part of a roof and the cause of a surprising share of its problems.
Describe the gutters job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Irvine contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Irvine and the surrounding area.
- Today, usually within the hour. The first contractor calls or texts the number you gave us. ASAP requests go out first.
- Up to three of them, no more. We cap it at three so you can compare without your phone melting.
- They come and look. Estimates are given after somebody has been on the roof, not over the phone.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
If you do not hear anything today, check your voicemail and spam folder — contractors often call from a mobile number.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a gutters job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- Number and position of downspouts
- Gutter size against the roof area draining into it
- Seamless or sectional, and what gauge of aluminium
- Where the water is discharged, and how far from the foundation
- Condition of the fascia behind the old gutter
Slope should be about a quarter inch per ten feet toward the outlet. Too little and it stands, too much and it looks wrong from the street.
Size matters more than people think. Five-inch gutter on a large steep roof will overshoot in heavy rain no matter how clean it is.
Downspouts are where most systems actually fail — too few of them, or discharging straight against the foundation.
Locally
Behind it: morning fog that sits on the roof until mid-morning. The north side of a house here ages years faster than the south side, and almost every roof gets replaced because of it.
About gutters here
Do you cover the whole Orange County area?
Yes. The contractors we match on cover Irvine and the surrounding towns, so if you are just outside the city limits it still works.
Are gutters included in a re-roof?
Usually not, unless the quote says so. If they are near the end of their life, replacing them during the re-roof is meaningfully cheaper than doing it later, because the crew and the staging are already there.
Should I repair or replace?
It depends almost entirely on how much life is left in the material. Ask any contractor who inspects it to give you a number of years and a reason. If two of them independently say the same thing, believe it.
Can I just put a new roof over the old one?
Codes in most places allow two layers. That does not make it wise. You lose the chance to see the deck, and the next roofer has twice as much to remove.
What is it going to cost?
No cost, no obligation, and never more than three contractors.