Gutter questions, straight answers.

5" K-style handles most Long Island homes under 2,000 sq ft of roof. 6" K-style handles 40% more water and is worth the upgrade if you have (a) large roof sections draining to a single downspout, (b) steep pitch greater than 8/12, (c) chronic overflow at valleys, or (d) heavy tree cover with debris backing up flow. On a typical colonial, going 5" to 6" adds about $300-500 to the install.

.032 gauge aluminum is our default — 30-40 year lifespan, holds paint, won't rust. Copper (16oz) lasts 50+ years and patinas to a natural verdigris; right choice for Tudors, Victorians, and high-end colonials. Galvanized steel is stronger but rusts after 15-20 years and is rarely worth the trade. Vinyl we don't install (brittle in cold, 10-15 year life). Aluminum is the right call for 90% of LI homes.

Sectional = 10 ft pre-cut pieces snapped together, sold at box stores. Leaks at every seam. Seamless = custom-formed on your driveway from a coil, continuous length per run, only seams at corners. Every install we do is seamless aluminum or hand-soldered copper. Sectional is a dealbreaker for any serious install.

K-style is the flat-back ogee profile you see on 95% of LI homes. Half-round is the cylindrical profile seen on pre-1950 Tudors, Colonials, and Victorians. Half-round looks better on historic architecture but holds less water than same-size K-style, so it's usually spec'd one size larger (6" half-round for a home that would take 5" K-style).

Stainless micromesh guards are worth it if you have heavy tree cover, three or more cleanings per year, or a two-story home where cleaning is difficult. Reverse-curve guards work on 6" gutters but can overshoot in heavy rain. Foam inserts and plastic screens we don't recommend — they clog with pine needles and roof grit within 2-3 years. Budget micromesh at $18-27/lf installed.

Twice a year on Long Island — once in late spring after oak pollen and maple helicopters, and once in November after leaf drop. Homes with heavy pine cover need quarterly cleanings because pine needles don't rot. Homes with no adjacent trees can stretch to once a year. Budget $150-350 per visit on a typical home.

No. Even the best micromesh needs a roof-surface blow-off once a year to clear pine needles, shingle grit, and whirlybird seeds that collect on top of the mesh. The actual gutter channel stays clean. That annual blow-off takes 20 minutes vs. the 2-hour full clean without guards.

LeafFilter is stainless micromesh (same category we install) at roughly 2-3x the price for comparable specs. Their product is good, their pricing is aggressive. Leaf Guard is reverse-curve and requires their proprietary gutter, so it locks you into their system. Ours uses any gutter you already have. We'll price-match comparable-spec micromesh quotes if you want us to beat a LeafFilter number.

A typical LI colonial (160-200 linear feet, standard aluminum, two-story) runs $1,800-3,200 installed. Capes and ranches with shorter runs run $1,400-2,400. Large homes over 250 lf run $2,800-4,500. Copper is 3-4x aluminum. See our /pricing/ page for itemized ranges.

No. Off-site quoting is how homeowners get lowballed on the initial call and upcharged once the crew arrives. Our estimates are free, on-site, and produce a written itemized quote you can hold us to. Most estimates take 15-25 minutes. We'll email the quote same-day.

Yes — 12-month same-as-cash on jobs over $2,500 through our finance partner. No prepayment penalty. We can also run longer-term fixed-rate options on larger copper installs. Ask at the estimate or see /financing/.

Most full-house aluminum installs are completed in a single day. Two-day jobs are large homes (300+ lf), steep roofs requiring extra staging, or copper work which takes longer due to soldering. We form gutters on your driveway the morning of and haul away old gutters and debris the same day.

Typically 1-2 weeks for aluminum installs in season (April-October). December-February installs can be scheduled within 3-5 days since we're lighter. Repairs and cleanings are often same-week. Copper is 3-4 weeks due to material lead time.

Lifetime workmanship warranty on the install (leaks, hanger failures, seam issues) as long as you own the home. Manufacturer warranty on the aluminum coil itself (20-year finish, 30-year material from our supplier). Guards get the manufacturer's warranty — 25 years on the stainless micromesh we install.

Not in any Nassau or Suffolk municipality. Gutter replacement is considered like-for-like maintenance. You would only need a permit if you're adding gutters where none existed previously and a building inspector asks (rare). Fascia repair also does not require a permit.

Yes. NY Home Improvement Contractor license, Nassau County Consumer Affairs license, Suffolk County Home Improvement license, $2M general liability, full workers' comp. We'll email you copies of any of these before stepping on your property.

Yes. Ice dams tear 10-15 sections of gutters each winter on LI — heavy snow melt refreezes at the eave, works behind the gutter, and pulls hangers. We replace damaged sections, re-pitch, and install self-regulating heat cable to prevent recurrence. Most work can happen between storms in January-March.