Ben H Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 So I got a call from my mother in law yesterday. She was asking about Gutter Helmet, and if it was worth the $. She had a dude come out and give her an estimate. They live in central MI, close to Les. Ranch home, no porch, gable roof so all the runs are straight, no inside or outside corners. The estimate says they need 161ft of gutter, a few downspouts, etc... The grand total.......$9,600.00[:-bigeyes The math breaks down to just over $58.00 a ft. Doesn't this sound crazy high to you guys? What do people get for gutters installed in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtblum Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 I don't know, but if I can get that kind of money installing gutters, I'm outta here.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark P Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 They are a national brand name and therefore very expensive. I had them come out to my house years ago and almost fell out of my chair when they finaly gave me their price. You can find similar product installed by small local companis for a fraction of the price. Hell you could hire someone to clean your gutters for the rest of your life for less then the cost of the gutter helmets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 3-4 bucks a foot around here... and that's .032 stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 They're junk. They rely on capillary action to carry the water around the nosing and into the gutter, but if it rains hard, all the water shoots past the nosing and ends up on the ground. And is it just me, or is anyone else amazed when Chaddo knows the gauge of something like Gutter Helmet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Manor Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 And is it just me, or is anyone else amazed when Chaddo knows the gauge of something like Gutter Helmet? No longer amazed but amply impressed. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 They are a national brand name and therefore very expensive. I had them come out to my house years ago and almost fell out of my chair when they finaly gave me their price. You can find similar product installed by small local companis for a fraction of the price. Hell you could hire someone to clean your gutters for the rest of your life for less then the cost of the gutter helmets. I agree, I'll come out and clean 'em for 9K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 And is it just me, or is anyone else amazed when Chaddo knows the gauge of something like Gutter Helmet? Don't be impressed. I was talking about regular, nice quality gutters. I don't know what gutter helmets are and I'm not inclined to Google it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Ya, that is about the right price for this market. I have them on my house for two years before ripping them off and selling them for scrap! PS: I did not pay for them initially. They don't work with anything other than a few maple leaves and not at all with pine needles. Get a handyman or a son-in-law to do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Surface tension, not capillarity. The water (theoretically) sticks to the "helmet" and follows the nosing into the gutter. They don't work, total garbage. $10,000 for gutter helmets on a straight run ranch........is anyone that nuts to spend that kinda money? Apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Ten grand is nuts. At the day job 161LF of gutter with a cover and concealed fasteners would run about $1300. Add a buck a foot for tear off and disposal if the old gutter is still there. Another 50 cents a foot if it's a two story. For comparative purposes, a decent roll form rig can be had in a nice trailer for under $20k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lamb Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 I asked about these things a few years ago and was told by someone (Les?) that they were great. Now they suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dirks Jr Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 I have a similar product on my house. Don't let em fool you by saying they don't need cleaning. Small tinder stuff still gets in creating clogs and standing water breeding grounds for mosquitoes. When I get a new roof, I'm taking them down and just going with plain old gutter screens. Gutter topper Click to Enlarge 13.66 KB Plain old screens Click to Enlarge 10.32 KB These screens on a recent inspection were so fine they looked very prone to clogging, even with pollen and dust like stuff. You can surely anticipate water shooting over these. Click to Enlarge 57.43 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Hi, Around here they don't work worth a damn. The pine needles and debris just build up on top of them and the water shoots off onto the ground. I've seen every type of gutter contrivance and none of them can prevent leaves and pine needles building up on top of them and forming a surface that the water just runs off onto the ground. Waste of money. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Surface tension, not capillarity. The water (theoretically) sticks to the "helmet" and follows the nosing into the gutter. Both are manifestations of the same property of liquids. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 If the roof has more than a 6/12 slope or during a heavy rain they do not work. My neighbor had them put on about two years ago and is now considering going back to conventional rain gutters. Granted they do look good from the street but they don't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Surface tension, not capillarity. The water (theoretically) sticks to the "helmet" and follows the nosing into the gutter. Both are manifestations of the same property of liquids. Marc Yeah, yeah, yeah.......you and your science......we don't need no stinkin' science...... I'm glad that the smart folks all agree gutter helmets don't work. O's description is exactly what I see....the leaves and needles stick to the stuff and end up blocking the gutters. Screens don't work either; they get glued up with leaves and the water runs over and onto the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erby Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Just think of all those poor gutter cleaner guys needing jobs. Helmets take away jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Try 6" gutters and leaders and the debris will have a better chance of just running through, providing there is no sub surface to get jammed. I tell my clients that if the the house has gutter guards that just adds the extra step of removing them to clean the gutters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericwlewis Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 If you've got a ladder (who here doesn't?) and an hour or two, just clean 'em out. You may have to do it 3 times a year but it's a lot faster if there isn't screen of some sort you have to remove and replace. Besides what else is there to do when The Indpls Colts are "playing"[:-paperba ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 If you've got a ladder (who here doesn't?) and an hour or two, just clean 'em out. You may have to do it 3 times a year but it's a lot faster if there isn't screen of some sort you have to remove and replace. Besides what else is there to do when The Indpls Colts are "playing"[:-paperba ? You can watch the Giants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 Well, In the O.P.'s post he mentioned that it was the mother-in-law that had gotten the quote. I think these kinds of things are attractive to many seniors when they are too old to climb on ladders and can't afford to pay a guy to come by a few times a year to muck out the gutters. They imagine that it will make their live simpler. The pricing? It just shows how some industries have figured out how to target the nest eggs that seniors have. About five or six years ago my mom's manufactured home in Florida sprung a leak. Some guy came by and gave her a quote of something like $6,000 to strip multiple coatings of snow coat and alumacoat, etc. off the top and re-coat it. I heard about it, got on a plane, flew down there for less than $300, bought five gallons of aircraft fusalage stripper, a couple hundred meters of 6-inch and 8-inch white peel-n-seal, and enough white acrylic to apply three coats to her roof - all for less than $400. My brother drove down from South Carolina and we spent three days stripping the old finish and all old seam tape, rolling down new tape and then applying those three coats of acrylic. The leaks disappeared. She can't get up there to clean it or to check it, so she says she recently had it cleaned and checked by a handyguy to see how it's doing. He cleaned it with a mild detergent in less than an hour and told her it's still in really good shape. I'm betting it will be there long after she's gone and someone else has bought the place and is living there. Seriously, two guys for three days and less than $400 in materials? I don't care how good one's work is, soaking a senior for nearly $1900 a day in labor alone for two guys is robbery. Nearly $10,000 to install 161 feet of fancy gutters? Guys that take advantage of seniors like that should not be allowed to procreate and should be sentenced to have their cajones crushed with a pair of vice grips. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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