While your Idaho homeowners insurance coverage might come to your financial rescue after serious storm damage, it’s important to ensure your roof is well maintained and doesn’t leave your home more vulnerable to storm damage than it should be. Replacing a roof gutter is a job that can be completed in a weekend by a competent DIY enthusiast. You may prefer to engage a roofing contractor to do this job if you’d prefer not to work at roof level or if your DIY skills are limited.  

The essential tasks of this project are:

 

•    Gather the materials, tools and equipment you need, including new gutter sections, new gutter fixings, new fascia boards, ladder, hacksaws and tape measure.
•    Remove the old gutters.
•    Inspect the fascia boards near the gutters. They may need to be replaced if they are water damaged.
•    Use the old fascia boards as templates and cut the new fascia boards to size. Install and paint the new fascia boards.
•    Measure the new guttering, making allowance for downpipes. Be careful to ensure that the new guttering slopes slightly towards the downpipes to prevent water pooling.
•    Attach the guttering using gutter clips, brackets and screws.
•    Make sure that the downpipes fit the guttering securely, and seal all joints with a suitable product.

To complete your gutter replacement project you may wish to install a gutter guard over the new gutter. A gutter guard is a device that filters out leaves and other debris that could accumulate in the gutter; fitting a gutter guard may help to avoid blockages, and overflows. Maintaining your home well may reduce the risk of storm damage and therefore the likelihood of related claims on your Idaho homeowners insurance.