Seamless Gutters and Gutter Guards in Buffalo, NY

1. 01

   Off the shingle field

   A roof moves a surprising amount of water. One inch of rain drops about 0.623 gallons on every square foot of roof, which works out to roughly 623 gallons off a 1,000 square foot roof in a single inch of rain, according to rainwater figures from the University of Arizona Water Wise program. Buffalo adds snow to that math. The National Weather Service reports the city averages about 85 to 95 inches of snowfall a year, and the southern snowbelt runs far higher: in November 2022, Orchard Park recorded 82 inches while the airport a few miles north saw 36. Gutters are what keep all of that off your foundation and out of your basement.

2. 02

   Across the cold eave

   The roof edge is where winter does its damage, and it is also where gutters live. Ice dams form when heat escaping into the attic melts snow higher on the roof, the water runs down, and it refreezes at the cold eave. As Remington Brown, Senior Engineering Director at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, explains, 'The lower edge of the roof tends to be coldest because it extends past the warm interior of the house and does not get as much of the structure's heat.' Once a dam builds, it holds back a pool that can push water up under the shingles.

3. 03

   Through the guard, not the debris

   Gutter guards keep leaves, pine needles, and roof grit out of the channel so water keeps moving during the fall storms and the winter thaw. Pairing guards with proper attic ventilation attacks the ice dam problem from both ends: the guard keeps the gutter draining, and the ventilation keeps the roof deck colder so less snow melts in the first place. The National Roofing Contractors Association notes that good attic ventilation can extend a roof's service life by up to 25 percent.

4. 04

   Into one seamless run

   Seamless gutters are single formed aluminum channels, rolled to the exact length of each roof run on site so the only joints fall at corners and downspout outlets. Sectional gutters, by contrast, connect in pieces every 10 to 20 feet, and each of those seams is a place where sealant dries out, debris collects, and leaks start. Removing the mid run joints removes the most common failure point, which matters on a Buffalo home that has to shed both heavy rain and months of snowmelt.

5. 05

   Held below the slope line

   Gutters do not cause ice dams, but a gutter packed with frozen slush gives the ice a head start at the eave. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association recommends that the outer edge of the gutter sit lower than the roof's slope line so snow and ice can slide clear, and that gutters and downspouts be kept free of debris. It also calls for an ice and water barrier extending at least 24 inches inside the interior wall line in areas with a history of ice damming, which describes most of Western New York.

6. 06

   Down the spout, away from the wall

   When gutters overflow or back up, the water does not just disappear. It sheets down behind the gutter and soaks the fascia board, the soffit, and the roof edge, the same wood that holds the gutter up. Left long enough, that rot spreads to rafter tails and shows up as peeling paint, stained ceilings, and a spongy eave. Downspouts that discharge several feet from the house keep that water away from the basement wall too.

Terminus: daylight, several feet from the foundation wall.