The Price Is Not Right: The Costs of Having Damaged or Clogged Gutters
Gutters don’t only redirect rainwater off your roof. They do much more than that. And it’s the latter that makes the stronger claim for why you should have working gutters all the time. ;
Rain gutters serve as an important protective measure against water damage, which could incur expensive repairs — or medical bills. Learn the issues and costs of having damaged gutters, clogged gutters, or none at all.
Pests
If your home has conventional gutters, leaves, dirt, twigs, and other debris can accumulate in them. The bunched-up debris can then host a variety of pests like rats, venomous spiders, venomous snakes, wasps, fleas, ticks, bats, termites, and bees.
At best, these critters can be a minor annoyance. At worst, any of them can send you or a member of your household to the ER. For example, if anyone in your home gets stung by a bee and they happen to be allergic to bee stings, you’ll have to rush them to the ER if you don’t have an Epi-pen handy. The cost of their treatment will depend on whether they have medical insurance.
With medical insurance, bee sting treatment can cost nearly $2000; without medical insurance, treatment can go as high as $12,000, like in the case of one woman in Florida. Don’t forget that whether you or anyone is stung or bitten by these pests or not, you still have to call a pest control expert. Depending on the pest, the severity of the infestation, and their location pest control services could cost anywhere from $250 to $1000.
Soil Erosion
Apart from potentially harboring pests, a clogged gutter can cause water to drench your landscaping. Rainwater that flows to your garden unguided can remove the topsoil and drown your plants and flowers. If you fail to de-clog your gutters, you’ll have to call in a landscaping expert periodically to redo your landscape. Replacing the washed-off topsoil and the damaged or dead plants and flowers could cost you $50 to $100 an hour for labor, and another $4 to $12 per square foot. If the landscaping damage is extensive, you could be looking at $3000 to $15,000 with an additional $200 per hour for labor and materials on top of that. Landscaping costs due to clogged gutters is no laughing matter.
Home Repair & Renovation
Effective gutter protection systems keep water away from your roof shingles. Should your gutters fail in that, water can end up standing around your roof’s shingles, then eventually find its way into the roof support structure. The water can then seep into the attic, pool in your ceiling, and leak through it. Water damage and mold will surely follow.
During winter, a more serious issue can result from a clogged gutter: ice dams. Ice dams happen when warm air rises from your heated home and melts the snow on top of your roof. The water then freezes again when it reaches the outer shingles. The ice dams result in similar damage as standing water on your roof.
Gutters that fail to redirect water to drains can also cause water to pool in your basement. This is dangerous as the water will not only damage heating systems but also destroy the very foundations of your home. Depending on the severity of the damage, home repairs can cost you about $4000 to $18,500. You can get a more exact estimate here.
Our advice is for you to get gutter protection systems from Bruce Andrews Seamless Gutters. We install gutters onsite and match our gutters with your home color. You have the option to get a gutter protection system to prevent debris from falling into your gutters.
Rest assured that with our product, you’ll never have to worry about clogged gutters again. Avoid the huge costs of hiring pest control and landscape or home repairs. Contact us today and get a free quote.
