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At what point is it time to replace your box gutters? Box gutters are designed to last forever, if well maintained. Unfortunately, as older homes are bought and sold, passed down through the generations, the value of the home's unique features can become forgotten and overlooked. As much as you take care of your home, you will have to contend with the mistakes and neglect of those who lived there before you. If you are seeing signs of water damage, such as peeling paint or water stains, contact us immediately before the situation worsens. Hopefully, you notice that your gutters need some TLC before any permanent damage.
Things to Look For
• the box gutter is sagging
• the box gutter is separating from home
• the slope of the box gutter is wrong, sloping the wrong direction, or too much in one direction
• the box gutter moves up and down
• there is rotten wood in your rafters, fascia, or soffit
Box Gutters on Historic Homes
Rebuilding should always be an option for consideration as it maintains the original aesthetic and functionality of your box gutter system, along with priceless craftsmanship and history. However, if you live in a historic district, re-building may be your only option. Cincinnati, Covington, Newport and the surrounding areas are home to countless historic homes. To preserve our local history, ordinances are in place that determine what changes may or may not be done on buildings of a certain age.
The following guidelines were taken from the Conservation Guidelines of the Columbia Tusculum Historic District; similar guidelines exist across Greater Cincinnati.
• Avoid removing or altering historic material or distinctive architectural features: if it's original and in good shape, try to keep it.
• Repair rather than replace whenever possible. If replacing, replicate the original based on existing materials. Do not invent something that "might have been.
• When extensive replacement of missing or severely deteriorated materials is necessary and replication to exactly match the original is not feasible, the new work should match the general character of the original in terms of scale, texture, design and composition.
• Rehabilitation work should fit the character of the original building. If your building has been substantially altered, nearby buildings of similar age and style may indicate what its original character was.
• Original building materials and architectural detailing should not be covered by other materials.
In short, when comes to original architecture, if it is in good shape, keep it. If it is in bad shape, repair it. If it can't be repaired, replace it with something similar.
It is worth noting that rebuilding box gutters is labor intense and typically the most expensive solution. Before you worry about the cost of rebuilding your box gutters, have one of our experts take a look at the situation. We can help you navigate the problems with your gutters and the local ordinances in order to provide you with several options at various price points.