If you are an Eden Prairie homeowner who has ever had water seep off your roof and then damage the foundation of your home, then you know how important it is to have a quality gutter system on the exterior of your home.
Yet surprisingly, there are some homeowners in Eden Prairie and the Twin Cities who do not have gutters around their home, or their current gutter system is old and ineffective.
While on the surface this may not appear to be a big deal, in reality these homes are at risk of over time being exposed to foundational damage due to water penetration.
“In a sense, gutters are boring, and they don’t look particularly attractive, so homeowners aren’t always thinking about how their gutters, or lack thereof, may be affecting their home,” says Grussing Roofing owner Guy Grussing.
“That’s why it’s important to have seamless gutters on all the flat portions of the base of your roof, and if a homeowner doesn’t have these parts of the roof supplemented by gutters, their entire home could eventually be put at risk.”
Fortunately, installing new gutters is not a time-consuming project for most roofing contractors, nor is the process super expensive.
For context, most roofing companies in Eden Prairie and the surrounding Twin Cities can install seamless gutters for around $13 per foot.
Additionally, the downspouts that run down the exterior walls, and ultimately funnel water away from the home, cost around $11 per foot to install.
It should be noted that these prices are for gutters and downspouts that are 5” wide, but some homes, particularly if they absorb copious amounts of water on the roof, may need to install 6” gutters in order to accommodate the extra water streaming off their roof.
“For most homeowners, 5” gutters are more than sufficient, but if water is funneling over the gutters during rainstorms, then we recommend going with 6” gutters so that all the water is actually getting into the gutters and then being moved away from the home,” Grussing explains.
If you’re a homeowner who needs 6” gutters, most companies charge around $15 per foot for seamless gutters and $13 per foot for downspouts.
“Every roofing contractor should be able to tell you how much they’re charging per foot for gutters, and if they can’t, or they don’t want to, then that’s a red flag and a sign that they may not have a proper estimating system in place,” Grussing cautions.
That being said, sometimes roofing contractors have to charge more per foot to install gutters, and this is typically on smaller jobs where only part of the home is receiving new gutters, as opposed to the entire structure.
“If a roofing contractor does this, they’re not necessarily being greedy or trying to take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners,” Grussing mentions.
“Rather, because most roofing contractors employ subcontractors, they have to raise their prices in order to encourage the subcontractors to take on the smaller jobs.”
In Eden Prairie, because building season is usually around 6-8 months, subcontractors have to maximize their time during the spring, summer, and fall, and most quality subcontractors charge a day rate for gutter jobs, meaning no matter how much work they’re being asked to do, roofing contractors still have to pay their full day rate.
“Again, that’s why if you have a smaller job, the numbers per foot might come out higher because the roofing contractor wants to take the job and service the homeowner, but he also needs the subcontractor to take the job as well, and the sub won’t do the job if they’re not being compensated appropriately for their time,” Grussing says.
As an aside, not all roofing contractors in Eden Prairie are willing to do partial or even full gutter jobs.
This is usually because the earning potential on gutter jobs is not as high as it would be on full roof replacements, but Grussing says that roofing contractors who employ this strategy are missing out on so much more than just profit.
“I can’t tell you how many roof replacements we have done because a couple years prior we installed gutters for a homeowner,” the Eden Prairie-based Grussing says.
“In my opinion, it’s insane that some roofing contractors will walk away from not only a job opportunity, but also the opportunity to build a relationship with a homeowner that can one day lead to so many other things.”
It’s that exact mentality that has helped Grussing Roofing stay in business for 52 years.
Sure, installing quality roofs, siding, and gutter systems has been important to their success, but more than that, Grussing Roofing has become a staple of the Eden Prairie community for their ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with homeowners.
“As a business owner, my number one focus is on servicing the customer with their best interests in mind,” says Grussing, who adds that chasing relationships in lieu of profits is a tactic every business owner, regardless of industry, should pursue.
“Look, I understand the need for a business to make money, and to want to focus exclusively on high-ticket items like roofing and siding, but those types of businesses, in my experience, typically don’t last. I mean, for my father and I, the reason we have been able to stay in business for 52 years is because of the relationships we have built, and the way to do that is to service homeowners in a way that is most beneficial for them, and to not look at things so myopically and arguably selfishly.” QS
If you’re a homeowner who is looking to learn more about gutters, or would like to schedule an appointment, please call 952-935-0557!