Like me, probably you've seen ads for gutter protection systems. There are quite a few of them: Leaf Filter, Gutter Shutter, Leaf Guard -- to name a few.
I've looked into some of them over the years.
Since we moved into our non-easy care house in rural south Salem that's surrounded by large oak and fir trees, for about thirty years I've been cleaning our gutters via a leaf blower.
Even though parts of our house are two level and so quite a ways off the ground, I've been comfortable with using a backpack Stihl blower, walking judiciously along the edges of our roof. My wife isn't so comfortable with me doing this, especially now I'm a youthful 73.
When I've considered a gutter protection system, two things have stopped me from even getting an estimate.
First, they all seem to have drawbacks. The cheapest and easiest to install systems have the most problems. Second, every gutter protection system that runs an ad in our local newspaper has a bunch of horrible reviews from unsatisfied customers.
Sometimes people don't like how the system worked. Often, though, it was sleazy sales tactics that ticked people off.
Today an employee of Pfeifer Roofing, Sam Randolph, came to our house to give us an estimate for some fairly minor roof repairs. Pfeifer installed a new roof for us quite a few years ago. We were pleased with the work they did then, and since we've had Pfeifer find and fix some leaks.
After I answered the door, I asked Sam if Pfeifer recommended any gutter protection systems, and if they installed them. I went through my problems with the systems that advertise, saying that I trust Pfeifer more than any of them.
Sam told me that they install a micro-mesh system, the Leaf Blaster Pro.
He had a sample with him, which looked great. Stainless steel. Very fine mesh. A ridge on the outside to direct heavy rain into the gutter.
He noted that the system requires new gutters. But since our gutters are fairly old, that seemed fine. And Sam said they'd use our current downspouts, which have a debris diverter installed on them. So I asked for an estimate, which Sam sent to me within a couple of hours.
The cost for new gutters with the Leaf Blaster Pro system on our 3,200 square foot house and detached garage/carport is estimated to be $4,920. Seems reasonable to me, though I have no idea what other gutter protection systems would cost.
I just really like the idea of having new gutters and Leaf Blaster Pro installed by Pfeifer, a company my wife and I trust. I'll have more to say about the system once it's installed and we've gotten some decent rain.
If you're thinking about a gutter protection system as the leaves begin to fall, check out a local roofing company like Pfeifer before committing to one of the other systems.
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