Gutter Guard Types for Tallahassee Homes
Guards differ in how fine an opening they leave and whether they sit on top of the gutter or inside it. HomeGuide rates each type for the debris it handles, which matters more here than the price per foot.
Micro-Mesh Gutter Guards
Micro-mesh is a fine plastic, steel or aluminum screen with far smaller holes than an ordinary gutter screen. HomeGuide lists it as the type for warmer climates and for needles, leaves and small debris. The catch is that the weave is fine enough to clog on its own surface, so it needs brushing off now and then.
- Material. $2.00 to $5.00 per linear foot
- Life. 3 to 10+ years
Screens and Perforated Aluminum Covers
Snap-in screens are the cheapest guards. Plastic screen costs 50 cents to $1 a foot and lasts 3 to 6 years. It keeps out large debris but lets small particles through, and it doesn't hold up in rough weather. Steel screen runs $1.50 to $5 and lasts 5 to 10 years or more. Buy it powder-coated, since bare steel rusts. Perforated aluminum sheet, at 50 cents to $2 a foot, is rated for needles and leaves and lasts 10 to 20 years or longer (HomeGuide).
Reverse-Curve Covers
A reverse-curve cover is a solid hood whose front edge curls back under itself. Rainwater clings to the curve and runs into the gutter, while leaves slide off the front. Material costs $3.50 to $10 a foot, the most of any type, and the covers last 10 to 20 years or more. HomeGuide says they usually need a professional installer and suit roofs with a mild to moderate slope. It also cites customer reports that some reverse-curve and fine-mesh guards let fast-falling water shoot past the gutter in heavy rain. Downpours are routine here, so ask how the cover you're quoted behaves on your roof pitch in a cloudburst.
Foam and Brush Inserts
Inserts sit inside the gutter rather than over it. Foam is cheap at $1.50 to $3.50 a foot, but it lasts only 2 to 5 years, can grow mold, and seeds can take root in it. Brush guards cost $2 to $4 and last 10 to 20 years. They stop big leaves, yet HomeGuide notes that pine needles and seeds lodge in the bristles and have to be pulled out often. Under pines, a brush is a poor match.
Why Tallahassee homeowners call Tallahassee Expert Roofing
- Your request reaches one roofer, never a call list
- Homeowners pay nothing to use this line
- Ask for the shingle wind class and Product Approval number in writing
- The roofer's estimate is free and you're not obliged to hire
Gutter Guards Under Tallahassee's Pines and Oaks
The City's Urban Forest Master Plan puts tree canopy at 55% of the land inside city limits, down from 61% before the city grew, and higher than most Florida cities. In its 3% sample of street trees, Carolina cherry laurel made up 15% and water oak 10%, and the plan calls both short-lived species that aren't wind-resistant. Private landowners control 74% of the canopy, so the tree over your gutter is usually yours or a neighbor's.
How that shapes the choice:
Pine needles
Pick a fine opening. HomeGuide rates micro-mesh and perforated aluminum for needles, and warns that brush inserts trap them.Oak and other broad leaves
Screens, solid covers and inserts all keep out large debris.Branches over the roof
HomeGuide puts tree trimming at $400 to $900 a tree. Cutting back limbs over the eaves lowers the load on any guard and on the roof.How it attaches
HomeGuide lists "may void roof warranty" among the downsides of guards. Ask how the guard fastens, whether any part goes under the shingles, and check your shingle warranty before you sign.
See gutter cleaning.
Gutter Guard Cost and Install Time in Tallahassee
HomeGuide's national average for professionally installed guards is $6,000 for 200 feet, and most jobs fall between $3,000 and $9,000. Its rule of thumb is that a house has gutter runs of about one-tenth its square footage, so a 2,000-square-foot home has roughly 200 feet. Labor alone runs $3 to $20 or more a foot. The price moves with these factors:
Type and material
Reverse-curve covers cost the most per foot of material and plastic screens the least.Height and roof shape
A two-story house or a steep roof takes longer and needs extra safety equipment.Season
Fall and spring are the busiest seasons for guard installers, and HomeGuide says prices can rise with the demand.Product brand
Local installers using lesser-known products may charge much less than the national guard companies. If one bid is far below the others, ask for the product name and type.The gutters underneath
Guards go on clean, sound gutters. HomeGuide prices a cleaning at $100 to $250, a gutter repair at $100 to $450, and soffit and fascia repair at $500 to $2,600. If the gutters themselves are near the end of their life, price new seamless gutters first, so the guards aren't fitted to a run you'll replace in a few years.
No cost guide we read gives an install time for guards alone, so ask for one in the quote. Ask too what upkeep the guard still needs and what its warranty covers. If you want the fascia checked while the gutters are exposed, soffit and fascia repair explains what rot behind a gutter looks like.