Gutter guard costs | This is the best gutter guard I've ever tested. This is my own home in NH. A stainless steel micromesh prevents any pine needles or other small debris from getting into the gutter. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
Gutter Guard Cost - Actual Installed Prices From Homeowners
In late September of 2020, I asked the subscribers of my FREE AsktheBuilder.com newsletter about their gutter guard cost. I wanted to create a helpful spreadsheet for you showing you a wide range of prices.
Several of my subscribers also shared horror stories of high-pressure sales tactics. The psychology used by the salesmen is covered in the easy-to-read book BELOW the spreadsheet.
If you want to avoid getting SCREWED by any salesman in the future, purchase the book and READ it.
What Gutter Guards Are On Your House, Tim?
I have micromesh gutter guards on my house. I won't share the name with you because I've since severed the relationship with the company because I received numerous complaints about the dealer sales tactics.
CLICK or TAP HEREto buy stainless-steel micromesh gutter guards JUST LIKE MINE. Simply read the reviews and make a solid choice.
I also urge you to read one of my original gutter guard columns that contain several videos showing my actual gutter guard tests. CLICK or TAP HERE for the Gutter GuardTruth.
The following table is dynamic and new data is slowly coming in all the time. I sorted it according to the alphabetical names of the gutter guard products.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may have to use the top and bottom and side-to-side SLIDER bars to see all the data.
Psychology Tricks Book
Purchase this book ASAP and read it. It's very simple to understand.
Once you read it, NO HIGH-PRESSURE SALESMAN will EVER BE ABLE TO SCREW YOU AGAIN!
One of my newsletter subscribers responded to a call I put out about gutter guard sales presentation and installation horror stories. I asked them to share any tales about high-pressure sales tactics and the use of undisclosed subcontractors.
That input of information helped create my Gutter Guard Cost page. You should look at it. It contains OTHER gutter guard scam links.
BEWARE Powerful Psychology
His story is powerful and it speaks to the often unethical tactics used by salespeople that prey on folks like you. They make use of extremely effective psychology that works on every human being. It's much like the Jedi mind tricks Obi-Wan Kenobi used in the original Star Wars movie.
This psychology is all covered in an easy-to-read book titled: Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion
I link to it below my subscriber's story. I BEG YOU TO BUY IT so you NEVER GET SCREWED AGAIN.
LeafGuard is going to be none too happy about this story but they only have their dealer to blame. Federal Law allows me to publish stories like this so you can avoid heartache as my subscriber suffered.
Tim,
We called a local company, LeafGuard, for an estimate after extensively researching gutter guards. After we found the guards we wanted (stainless steel mesh) we priced the guards on Samsclub.com. From comments on that website from people who had paid someone to install them, we had a price in mind and we were comfortable with paying a little more if need be.
A salesman came out and "measured" from the ground. All we wanted was an estimate but we got a four-hour hard sell.
Even though this company advertises that they will use your existing gutters (ours were six years old and in great shape) the salesman said their product would not fit our gutters and they would need to be replaced! We just had these six-inch gutters installed and now he wanted to replace them with five-inch gutters.
He gave us an initial quote of almost $5000 dollars and after we got up off the floor we said Absolutely Not. That's when he went into his spiel about how he could maybe give us a discount for various things:
time of year (his crews needed winter work)
a special discount from his manager (he actually called him (?) on the phone)
a discount because we would be buying gutters at the same time
The discounts kept coming and we kept saying NO and trying to get this guy to LEAVE.
Finally, when he got down to $2995, he got mad and told us we were wasting his time. He said he couldn't afford to give the product away and became very agitated.
I was a little frightened but luckily he finally left. The next day we ordered stainless steel mesh gutter guards from Sam's. We needed just over 200 feet and since they sell it in boxes containing 92 ft., we got three boxes for $255.00.
Then we found a local handyman company to install them. They charged us $200.00. We had enough materials left over to do our garage gutters too and we could reach them with just a step ladder.
So instead of almost $5000, we got the house AND the garage completed for around $450.00.
I know you can't use this as one of your examples of how we got "taken" by a shady company- because we didn't. But it does serve as a cautionary tale. Thanks for staying vigilant for us, Tim. We appreciate all you do.
The LeafGuard salesman was invoking the reciprocity, authority, and scarcity psychological triggers:
Reciprocity (Offering generous discounts - makes you feel obligated to give your SIGNATURE in return)
Authority (Calling his manager)
Scarcity (taking the deal away if you don't sign RIGHT NOW)
Scarcity is the most powerful psychological trick of all. It's why we waterboard POWs. We take away oxygen and the POW starts singing like a canary.
Psychology Tricks Book
Purchase this book ASAP and read it. It's very simple to understand.
Once you read it, NO HIGH-PRESSURE SALESMAN will EVER BE ABLE TO SCREW YOU AGAIN!
Gutter Guard Scam Glenview, IL - Beware High-Pressure Sales
One of my newsletter subscribers responded to a call I put out about gutter guard sales presentation and installation horror stories. I asked them to share any tales about high-pressure sales tactics and the use of undisclosed subcontractors.
That input of information helped create my Gutter Guard Cost page. You should look at it. It contains OTHER gutter guard scam links.
BEWARE Powerful Psychology
His story is powerful and it speaks to the often unethical tactics used by salespeople that prey on folks like you. They make use of extremely effective psychology that works on every human being. It's much like the Jedi mind tricks Obi-Wan Kenobi used in the original Star Wars movie.
This psychology is all covered in an easy-to-read book titled: Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion
I link to it below my subscriber's story. I BEG YOU TO BUY IT so you NEVER GET SCREWED AGAIN.
LeafGuard is going to be none too happy about this story but they only have their dealer to blame. Federal Law allows me to publish stories like this so you can avoid heartache as my subscriber suffered.
Tim,
I had 160 feet of LeafGuard gutter guard installed on my house for a total cost of $1,900.
I told the salesperson to measure and give me an estimate so I could think about it. I didn't really want him to come into my house but he insisted.
The first price was $1900 with the discount in the promotion I found in my local paper. I said thank you and I would think about it.
He then said he could give me an additional discount of about 10%. I gave him the same answer. After more sales pitch, he lowered the price again if I would commit to having the work done this week, he had a crew that needed the work.
I said no, I did not want to commit now. After more sales pitch, he said if I sign right now, he would give me the job for his price of materials, which was $600. Normally I would have committed, but I was so upset at that moment that he was willing to give the job away at 1/3 the original estimate, and by now he was badgering my wife to get me to sign, that I basically had to show him the door, and he left very upset.
The LeafGuard salesman was invoking the reciprocity and scarcity psychological triggers:
Reciprocity (Offering generous discounts - makes you feel obligated to give your SIGNATURE in return)
Scarcity (taking the deal away if you don't sign RIGHT NOW)
Scarcity is the most powerful psychological trick of all. It's why we waterboard POWs. We take away oxygen and the POW starts singing like a canary.
Psychology Tricks Book
Purchase this book ASAP and read it. It's very simple to understand.
Once you read it, NO HIGH-PRESSURE SALESMAN will EVER BE ABLE TO SCREW YOU AGAIN!
One of my newsletter subscribers responded to a call I put out about gutter guard sales presentation and installation horror stories. I asked them to share any tales about high-pressure sales tactics and the use of undisclosed subcontractors.
That input of information helped create my Gutter Guard Cost page. You should look at it. It contains OTHER gutter guard scam links.
BEWARE Powerful Psychology
His story is powerful and it speaks to the often unethical tactics used by salespeople that prey on folks like you. They make use of extremely effective psychology that works on every human being. It's much like the Jedi mind tricks Obi-Wan Kenobi used in the original Star Wars movie.
This psychology is all covered in an easy-to-read book titled: Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion
I link to it below my subscriber's story. I BEG YOU TO BUY IT so you NEVER GET SCREWED AGAIN.
MasterShield is going to be none too happy about this story but they only have their dealer to blame. Federal Law allows me to publish stories like this so you can avoid heartache as my subscriber suffered.
Tim,
I had 160 feet of MasterShield gutter guard installed on my house for a total cost of $3,800. It's the same gutter guard you have on your NH home.
The salesman told me "his quote for $7,600.00 was only good until we saw his taillights leaving our driveway". I told him we'd still like to think about it, so he left.
A day or two later, someone phoned from the company and told me that they had a very large job in the next town and could reduce my cost by almost 50% because they would be working in the area.
A sub-contractor showed up to do the job and knew nothing about another job nearby.
The product is superior to others on the market but the sales tactics put the buyer on the defensive for sure.
The Mastershield salesman was invoking the scarcity psychological trigger:
Scarcity (taking the deal away if you don't sign RIGHT NOW)
Scarcity is the most powerful psychological trick of all. It's why we waterboard POWs. We take away oxygen and the POW starts singing like a canary.
Psychology Tricks Book
Purchase this book ASAP and read it. It's very simple to understand.
Once you read it, NO HIGH-PRESSURE SALESMAN will EVER BE ABLE TO SCREW YOU AGAIN!
A few days ago in my September 23, 2020 Newsletter, I received a troubling email and I asked for your help. I wanted to know if you had received quotes from gutter guard companies. You may have been one who answered those simple questions.
The problem is much more serious than I thought. In the past two days, you may have been one who took it to the next level and emailed me sharing your deeply troubling story about an encounter you had with a gutter guard sales person/company.
I'm going to share on Sunday the stories I've received so far, but I want to hear yours.
Did you have a bad experience with a gutter guard salesman?
Did you have buyer's remorse after the installer left your driveway and you were picking up pop-rivet stems or screws from your lawn?
CLICK or TAP HERE and tell me your story so I can share it to SAVE OTHERS from misery and financial loss.
Once again, I'm happy to shield you and keep your name out of the story.
CLICK or TAP HERE and get rid of that bad taste you've had in your mouth.
I just want you to give me the FACTS about what happened and share how you felt. There's no need for name calling or vitriol.
His email helped create my Gutter Guard Cost page. You should look at it. It contains OTHER gutter guard scam links.
BEWARE Powerful Psychology
His story is powerful and it speaks to the often unethical tactics used by salespeople that prey on folks like you. They make use of extremely effective psychology that works on every human being. It's much like the Jedi mind tricks Obi-Wan Kenobi used in the original Star Wars movie.
This psychology is all covered in an easy-to-read book titled: Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion
I link to it below Dan's story. I BEG YOU TO BUY IT so you NEVER GET SCREWED AGAIN.
That input of information helped create my Gutter Guard Cost page. You should look at it. It contains OTHER gutter guard scam links.
BEWARE Powerful Psychology
His story is powerful and it speaks to the often unethical tactics used by salespeople that prey on folks like you. They make use of extremely effective psychology that works on every human being. It's much like the Jedi mind tricks Obi-Wan Kenobi used in the original Star Wars movie.
This psychology is all covered in an easy-to-read book titled: Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion
I link to it below Rick's story. I BEG YOU TO BUY IT so you NEVER GET SCREWED AGAIN.
I'm not certain hitting reply to your message will get MY message through but I have to give it a try. I sent in my information anonymously using your form however I felt it necessary to expound.
The rear of my house is nearly three stories off the ground. Additionally, although my garage is only one story, it is very hard to access for me. Reluctantly I called to get an estimate and subsequently paid LeafFilter the approximate rate of $1200/hour (that's it-2 hours of work!).
As I was outside paying the installer (who was not supposed to be a subcontractor but was), I noted his next job in an opened folder when he walked away to take care of something he missed. When he returned, I casually mentioned the fact that his next job was almost the same linear footage yet was half the price. His response? "You've got to bargain with these guys to get the best price." REALLY? I didn't realize I was buying a used car here!
Tim, I have lived with the guilt of wasting my hard-earned income since the installation, and given that I am months away from retirement, it hurts even more. Please use your forum to get the word out to as many people as possible that these guys shoot from the hip when it comes to pricing. Their initial estimate was over $3,600 but once all my "discounts" were applied, including one for paying by check, I actually thought I was paying a fair price. Now I feel like I have been taken.
Additionally, besides promising 'no subcontractor', complete clean-out, and realignment of my gutters and caulking where needed, the job consisted of throwing out the leaves and slapping a cover over the top. When I did the front of my house (myself) with micromesh guards from Costo, I cleaned the debris and hosed the shingle grit until it was nearly spotless. I want to know how someone can caulk over dirt and grit (I know the answer. You cannot!)
Despite my written review to the company, I have yet to even receive a telephone call saying, "we're sorry". This whole operation is a scam and I am still very upset about the whole thing.
Thanks for allowing me to get it off my chest.
Rick
Pevely, MO
Psychology Tricks Book
Purchase this book ASAP and read it. It's very simple to understand.
Once you read it, NO HIGH-PRESSURE SALESMAN will EVER BE ABLE TO SCREW YOU AGAIN!
Kitchen Island Sink Plumbing | These are the pipes you may not see in a kitchen island that help prevent sewer gas from polluting your kitchen. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
Kitchen Island Sink Plumbing - Do a Loop Vent
QUESTION:I need your expert advice. My new kitchen is going to have a large island with my double-bowl sink in it. I don’t know a thing about plumbing, but my dad was a plumber and I remember him saying there’s a special way to install the drain pipes in my island so there’s never any sewer gas in my kitchen. The young plumber and my contractor want to use some new-fangled thing that just fits under the cabinet. They call it an AAV. They say it saves time and money. My experience with many products like this is those words are synonyms for “shortcut and trouble-down-the-road”. How would you install the sink drain pipes in my island if you were my plumber? I’m also interested in any other tips you can provide to make my new kitchen plumbing trouble-free for years. Martha W., Rapid City, SD
I’ve been a master plumber since age 29 and I have to chuckle at Martha’s mastery of the English language! Indeed some new products are not that great, but then again I get to see my fair share of new building products that are simply wonderful. That said, I’m a big fan of not having moving parts in plumbing systems, so you’ll never see an AAV on one of my jobs nor would I ever use one in my own home.
Are AAVs a Good Idea?
An AAV is an air-admittance valve and they’re designed to allow fresh air into a plumbing system but not let sewer gas leak into your home. But sometimes they just don’t work right and sewer gas can leak. I’ve had countless homeowners over the years send me emails complaining about this and asking how to eliminate the AAVs.
Martha’s dad undoubtedly installed a traditional loop vent in situations where you simply couldn’t install a traditional vent pipe that is hidden behind almost all plumbing fixtures. These hidden vent pipes are connected to the drain pipes and eventually connect together up higher in your home and often exit the house through one or more little pipes you see poking through your roof.
The purpose of the roof vent pipes is to allow air into your plumbing system. When your plumbing drain system is not in use, all the pipes are filled with air except for the water that’s in the traps under sinks, tubs, showers, floor drains, other fixtures, and of course toilets. WATCH THIS VIDEO to understand how they really work:
What Happens When You Flush a Toilet?
When you run water in a sink or flush a toilet, you add a volume of water to the system and in the case of a violent addition like a toilet flushing, the air in the pipes is forced through the system much like a bullet forces air out of a rifle barrel when you pull the trigger. This air must be replaced instantly through the roof vents or the system will go hunting for the air and suck it through a sink or tub drain nearby the flushing toilet.
What is the Sucking or Slurping Noise in the Tub or Sink When a Toilet Flushes?
Perhaps you’ve heard this sucking or slurping noise from a tub or sink. This is an indication of a problem in your vent system and sewer gas can enter your home via the trap that now has no water in it.
How Does A Loop Vent Work?
Here’s how the kitchen loop vent works. I’d love to meet the long-dead plumber that thought this through because it’s such a simple and elegant solution to a problem. It’s important to realize that with a kitchen island sink, you don’t want some ugly vent pipe to extend through the countertop and run up to your kitchen ceiling. No one would find that acceptable for goodness sake.
Where Does the Air Come From for a Loop Vent?
A loop vent gets the needed air from the actual drain pipe just four or five feet away from your island sink. It’s ingenious. Here’s how it works. Martha’s plumber needs to install a 2-inch drain pipe to the kitchen island. Inside the kitchen sink cabinet or behind it in a void space, the plumber needs to create a loop. This loop is also done with a 2-inch pipe. You can envision this loop by thinking of a capital letter P that’s laying on its side with the curved section of the P aiming to the sky and the long leg of the letter representing the drain pipe under the sink.
The actual drain pipe that enters the kitchen sink cabinet must be no larger than a 1.5-inch pipe. This smaller pipe restricts the amount of water that enters the loop-vent system. The drain pipe water enters the vertical pipe of the loop that is represented by the top of the letter P when it’s on its side. The other part of the curved part of the letter P represents the actual vent part of the system.
I’m sure you can see how the curved part of the letter P attaches to the horizontal drain pipe under the floor. Can you see this in your head? It’s best to have these two vertical pipes that are in the cabinet or behind the cabinet at least 32 inches apart, with 3 or 4 feet being ideal.
Here’s what happens when you fill the sink to the brim and pull out the sink stopper. The water immediately rushes from the sink and completely fills the 1.5-inch pipe that is in your cabinet. But right away it starts to fall into the vertical 2-inch pipe which it can’t fill all the way because of its larger diameter. As the water crashes to the bottom of the horizontal pipe and starts its journey to the sewer, the water starts to level out and only partially fill the 2-inch horizontal pipe. Much needed air is on top of the water.
As the flowing water passes the other part of the loop that is going up into the cabinet, the air that’s needed to satisfy the vacuum created by the draining sink water is flowing upstream across the water that’s going the opposite direction towards the sewer. The air enters the loop and allows the water to drain quickly from the sink. There are no moving parts and you’ll never have sewer gas if the loop vent is installed correctly. It’s magic!
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Mildew - This exhaust pipe for a bathroom fan is a ticking time bomb of mold, mildew, and wood rot. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Mildew - It Can Be Bad
QUESTION:Mr. Tim, I’ve had three contractors over to my house and I’ve received three different answers about how my bathroom fan should exhaust. I’m beyond frustrated. How are we homeowners supposed to protect our largest investments, our homes, if maintenance advice is wrong? I’ve read online about serious mold and wood-rot problems caused by bath fans. I’m confident you’ll be able to give me the correct answer. I only wish you lived in my town so I might bump into you for advice at the grocery store from time to time! Sharon P., Evanston, IL
Do you wring your hands like Sharon is undoubtedly doing each time you have to spin the wheel hoping it stops on the correct contractor to work on your home? Can you imagine signing a contract for $1,000, $5,000, or even $50,000 *hoping* everything is going to work out? I don’t know about you, but I only hope for things that I can’t control, like the weather, and the next time the giant fault 60 miles west of Portland under the ocean is going to unzip its entire length unleashing a mammoth tsunami. Yes, geology was my college major, but I digress.
Dolt Builder Has No Clue
Before I dive deep into helping Sharon, I’d like to share a sobering story that should shake you to the core. Two years ago, I attended a pre-construction meeting with the builder of my daughter’s new home that was being built in cold and blustery Bar Harbor, Maine. The company that was going to prefabricate the exterior and interior walls for the house wanted to make sure everything was right before they started to bang together all the studs and oriented strand board.
After most of the questions were answered, I asked, “Is it possible for you to cut all the interior walls where they touch the exterior walls 3/4-inch short?” The builder and the panel manufacturer looked puzzled. “Why?” They both asked at the same time. “Well, I want to run the vapor barrier on the exterior walls continuous around the entire house so there’s only one seam. This gap will also allow the drywall hanger to run full 12-foot sheets around the exterior walls.”
The builder scoffed and said, “Vapor barrier? We don’t install those here. They cause mold and rot problems in the walls.” I wasn’t about to get into a science debate with the builder who had no idea what he was talking about. In the meantime, I heard the wall-panel manufacturer rep’s gears spinning and he blurted out, “That’s a brilliant idea. I can’t believe this is the first time in my career I’ve ever heard someone suggest it. Yes, we will shorten all those walls.”
I subsequently asked the Bar Harbor building inspector about the vapor barrier requirement and she said the current code didn’t require it but she always recommends that one be installed. Are you frightened? If not, you should be.
Now think about what a bath fan really is. When you take a hot steamy shower it’s a pump. It pumps hundreds and hundreds of cubic feet of moist air to some remote location. The last place you want this air to be is inside your attic space. The moist air will fuel the growth of mold and mildew on the roof framing and the sheathing that covers the timbers. Wood rot is an absolute certainty over time should you dump bath exhaust into an attic.
This moist air must exhaust to the exterior of your home. This is non-negotiable.
Where is the Best Place to Exhaust the Fan?
But it can’t just exit anywhere. The best place for it to exit is through your roof.
The hot moist air is dumped onto your shingles or other roof covering that’s made to get wet. However, you can’t do this if you live in a cold climate where snow can build up on a roof. Here in New Hampshire where I live, it’s entirely possible to have 2 feet, or more, of snow cover on a roof! Snow can cover the vent outlet and the moist air has nowhere to go.
The next best location for a bath fan cap is a wall that’s at least 3 to 5 feet from a roof overhang. Most roof overhangs today have continuous soffit ventilation strips. Bath exhaust is almost always warm and this air will float up and into the soffit ventilation openings. You’ve now put the water right back up into the attic without realizing it.
Just a year ago, I saw the absolute best bath exhaust fan roof cap. I wish it had been available when I built houses. It’s made by Lifetime tool, the manufacturer of the best plumbing vent-pipe flashings. This cap will work well for tens of millions of homes that never see a snowflake.
What is the Best Exhaust Pipe?
The pipe that extends from the fan to the exterior of your home needs to be a solid galvanized metal pipe or an approved insulated flex duct that might be part of a kit for a remote bath fan where the fan is far away from the bathroom. If you use sections of metal pipe, be sure to tape each joint with the true metal duct tape used by HVAC contractors. Don’t use crap fabric duct tape from a home center.
Should I Read the Installation Instructions?
Pay very close attention to the installation instructions published by the fan manufacturer. They state how many elbows can be in the piping and how long the piping can be. Don’t exceed these limits.
I urge you to always read installation instructions before you talk to contractors. Ask pointed questions of the contractors to see if they really know how to install something. Remember, pro contractors will never be offended by your questions. Ask away!
Column 1368
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