Addressing
your home's needs ahead of time protects your family and saves you money. Smart Homeowners know that the best time to address your home improvement
needs is before there's a problem. A professionally managed and completed home improvement project will not only enhance the
value of your home but it will improve the quality of life that you and your family enjoy and ensure that unnecessary damages
and expenses do not occur due to negligence.
Homeowner FAQ for the week!
 Q. How do I know if I need a new roof?
A. One way is knowing the age of
the roof. Shingle life ranges from 15 to 50 years. Knowing the brand and date the roof was installed is one way.
Another way is a visual inspection. This can be done from the ground or as a service from a reputable contractor.
When the shingles have lost their petroleum, they start to shrink and curl. When this is happening you need to act quickly.
They have reached their saturation point and stop detouring water.
Q. How come my house seems to
be developing more and more ice formation at the eaves since I began living here?  A.
Ventilation! As time goes on, the warm air from the living area of the home passes through
the current insulation (of which should be a minimal of R-30) and hits the bottom side of the roof decking. This creates a
dew point (warm meets cold) if the ventilation is not working properly. As the years go by these little drops of sweat fall
back down onto the insulation and start to diminsh its R-factor, in turn, allowing more heat. This creates more thaws which
freeze up at the eaves and grows. Q. If I
get a basement leak, does that mean I need new drain tile in my basment? A. Not all the time. Sometimes a simple
gutter and downspout cleaning will prevent the eave overflow that is overwhelming the basement walls. In our 20-years of owning
The Gutter Helmet product, we have solved hundres of basement wall leaks by addressing the gutter overflow situation. Not
to mention the constant cost of cleaning and the danger of injuries we have saved.
 Q. I don't have any trees around my house, but my gutters still overflow when the rain is extreme. What can cause that?
A. This
can be several things.Believe or not we have pulled many things out of a gutter system; tennis balls, hockey pucks, bean bags.
The Gutter Helmet dealers around Chesepeak Bay and similar areas have an issue with sea gull dropping oyster shells onto roofs
that fall into the gutters, causing them to clog. Even roof granuals can do it if enough are present. But one
of the biggest reasons we have found is the size of the gutter or downpout themselves. Stepping up to a 6-inch gutter
instead of the standard 5-inch, along with a large, 3x4-inch downspout will allow more water to pass through without overflowing,
especially during heavier rainfalls. The nice thing about enlarging the gutters and spouts is 1.) you can get more water
to travel further around the house and sometimes avoid a downspout in places such as a driveway or sidewalk where ice can
be a hazard and 2.) the new profile gutters look DYNAMIC! Take a look at the pictures on our site at the beauty of these gutters.
Thank you for allowing us to spend time with you. Please feel free to write me
with any of your home needs and I may publish in our next newsletter! Send your questions or comments to thegutterpeople@aol.com
Let
The Gutter People help you maintain your
home and protect and your family!
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