gutters

60 feet of gutter, 155 feet of leaf guard

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We’re coming up on nine months in the house. Startling to think time passes that quickly.

Two things we’ve learned include:

  1. We need a gutter at the front of the house. Water cascades when it rains off the upper roof, hits the lower roof over the front door, and you get soaked stepping to and from the front porch.
  2. We need leaf guards at the gutters on the kitchen side of the house. We will need leaf guards at the new front gutter. The oak trees that surround the house start dropping acorns in September. They rain against the roof with sharp retorts that scare the puppy. Then, in the existing gutters at the side of the house, the acorns collect by the thousands; this will repeat at the new front gutter, under that canopy of mature oaks. Steven has had to climb up to the roof and blow out the acorns twice already — and it’s only early November.

A call to M&R Seamless Gutters brings them back to Emerald Hill to calculate an estimate, which Steven approves. Adriel and Simon arrive about 4 pm Wednesday. The sun is already low in the Fall sky. They set to work. As it got darker, Steven fished a work light out of the garage to help them see and work safely in the dark. 

Here’s a photo essay.

Adriel holds one of the sections of leaf guard -- a metal mesh that allows water through to the gutter.
Adriel holds one of the sections of leaf guard — a metal mesh that allows water through to the gutter.
Adriel borrowed Steven's camera to shoot this photo of several leaf guard sections screwed into place atop the garage.
Adriel borrowed Steven’s camera to shoot this photo of several leaf guard sections screwed into place atop the garage.
Mario, at back, set up the brake machine and the roll of metal, and the machine spit out 60 feet of seamless gutter.
Mario, at back, set up the brake machine and the roll of metal, and the machine spit out 60 feet of seamless gutter.
Mario, at left, and Adriel carry 60 feet of freshly formed gutter to the house.
Mario, at left, and Adriel carry 60 feet of freshly formed gutter to the house.
And up it goes. Mario at right. Adriel at left. The sun went down. It got pitch black. They kept screwing the gutter to the house, working by lights built into the electric drills. They finished with the downspouts and leaf guards after 7 pm.
And up it goes. Mario at right. Adriel at left. The sun went down. It got pitch black. They kept screwing the gutter to the house, working by lights built into the electric drills. They finished with the downspouts and leaf guards after 7 pm.

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