Gutter repair in Portland

The most common gutter repairs in Portland

Most gutter repair Portland, Oregon homeowners need falls into one of six patterns. Knowing which one you have makes the estimate easier to read.

Runs that hold water. Old spike hangers work loose from wet fascia, the run bellies in the middle, and the low spot holds water from October to May and grows moss. The usual fix is re-hanging on hidden screw hangers every 24 inches — 18 on runs under a big roof — with a fall of about a quarter inch per 10 feet so the water has somewhere to go. This is the most common form of sagging gutter repair, and it is typically $150–$300 a run. Why gutters overflow in Portland rain explains the causes.

Leaking corners and end caps. Portland's problem is not heat cracking the sealant; it is sealant that never gets a dry week to cure and slowly lets go. A proper reseal means cleaning the joint back to bare metal, drying it, and resealing with a polyurethane or tripolymer sealant that bonds to aluminum in a wet climate. Corroded mitres should be replaced, not smeared over.

Outlets that are too small. A lot of gutters here — especially half-round and older K-style — were punched with a 2-inch outlet feeding a 2x3 downspout. Add a mat of fir needles and the run overflows in a drizzle. Cutting a proper outlet and dropping to a 3x4 downspout roughly doubles capacity, typically for around $180–$300.

Crushed, split or missing downspouts. Recycling bins, ladders, cars in the driveway, and the freeze that split a downspout full of standing water in January. Replacement is quick, and it is the right moment to ask about upsizing.

Sections torn loose by wind. The November through February windstorms get under a loose gutter and peel it back. Straight sections can usually be re-hung; kinked ones get replaced and color-matched. Emergency gutter repair Portland homeowners need after a storm is usually this: a run hanging off the house.

Rotted fascia and soffit. The one people cannot see from the ground. A gutter that has been overflowing behind for a few winters soaks the fascia, then the soffit, then the rafter tails. New gutters cannot be hung on soft wood, so the rot has to be cut out, rafter tails sistered if needed, and new primed fascia installed before re-hanging. Fascia work is usually quoted per foot; on most houses it is two or three boards at the corners and outlets.

Repair or replace?

Aluminum or copper, younger than 25, trouble in one or two spots — repair. Sectional with joints every 10 feet, galvanized with a rust line, or trouble on most of the runs — the patch list adds up to a new system, and a fair estimate says so. Ask for both numbers on the estimate so you can choose. The installation page explains what replacement includes, and repair versus replacement walks through the decision.

What a good repair visit looks like

1. A ladder inspection of every run and outlet, and a screwdriver test on the fascia behind each one.
2. A check of where each downspout ends. One that stops beside a basement wall or a crawl-space vent should get an extension or a drain-line fix on the estimate — the cheapest insurance a Portland basement can have.
3. A written price before work starts, with each repair as its own line.
4. A hose test of the repaired section when the work is done.

Whoever you hire, ask for their CCB number and look up the license on the Oregon Construction Contractors Board website before you say yes. Oregon generally requires contractors to be licensed with the CCB, and the lookup takes a minute.

What to check from the ground first

You can narrow down most problems before anyone climbs a ladder. Pick a steady rain and walk the house with a notepad.

• Note where the water comes off: mid-run, at a corner, along the whole front lip, or off the bottom of the trough.
• Look for dark streaks or peeling paint on the fascia. They mark water running behind the gutter.
• Check the ground under each eave for a trench in the bark dust or splash marks on the siding.
• Watch the bottom of each downspout. Water should come out in a steady stream, not a trickle.
• On a dry day, sight down each run from the end and look for a belly or a green stripe of moss.

Photos of each spot make the estimate faster. They also give you a record to hold the written price against.

Mistakes that make a fix fail early

Sealing over dirt. Sealant spread over old caulk, grit or moss lets go within a winter. The joint has to be cleaned to bare metal and dried first.

New hangers in soft wood. A hanger driven into rotten fascia pulls out just like the old one did. If the screwdriver sinks in, the board comes first.

Fixing the trough and ignoring the downspout. A sound run that still drains beside a basement wall has cured the drip and kept the wet basement.

Patching steel that is rusting through. Galvanized gutter with a brown line along the bottom is past saving. Money spent sealing it is gone by spring.

Skipping the pitch check. A corner resealed on a run that holds water will sit under standing water again by November.

Questions to ask about the estimate

1. Is each fix listed as its own line, with its own price?
2. Was the fascia checked with a screwdriver at the corners and outlets?
3. Which hangers will be used, and at what spacing?
4. Will the outlets be recut, or only cleared?
5. What happens to the price if hidden rot turns up once a gutter comes down?
6. Will every repaired run get a hose test before the job is called done?
7. What is the CCB number, so you can look up the license yourself?

A contractor who answers those plainly is usually worth a second look. The guide to choosing a gutter company has more on comparing bids.

Portland neighborhoods and their gutter patterns

Laurelhurst, Irvington, Alameda and Grant Park have 1920s homes with original half-round and old-growth fascia. Sellwood, Woodstock and Eastmoreland, Alberta and Concordia, Montavilla and Mt. Tabor, St. Johns and Kenton have bungalows and ranches with sectional gutters and undersized outlets. Multnomah Village, Hillsdale and the Southwest Hills have cedar shake and steep roofs under big fir. Beaverton and Lake Oswego have their own guides: Beaverton and Lake Oswego.

If you searched for gutter repair near me, Portland homeowners can often pin down the problem first with a garden hose: the post on finding a gutter leak before you call walks through the test step by step.