Very rarely will you come across a gutter cleaning service that heaps praise onto gutter guard. It is something we are asked often, however our response may be met with scepticism. After all, is gutter guard taking away regular work for gutter cleaners?
The answer is yes.. and no. First, we have to look at what gutter guard is, the types of options available and what this really means for your gutters. We’ll also do up a quick cost/benefit analysis to check if it’s actually worthwhile.
Which Type of Gutter Guard
To define it simply, gutter guard is the material that sits over or in your gutters, to prevent debris from entering and clogging your gutters and downpipes. There are several main varieties:
– Plastic Mesh: The black plastic guard that sits in your gutter. This is probably the most common type of guard encountered. Easy to install.
– Steel Mesh: This is secured to both the roof and gutter and is not easily removed. Some is screw in and can be unscrewed to clean underneath. Other types are permanantly fixed to the roof and cannot be cleaned under.
– Metal Panels: Steel or aluminium grating that into the top of your gutter
– Brush: A core with spiky bristles coming out. Sits in your gutter.
– Foam: Large foam shapes that sit in your gutter. Not very common.
Cost: The Analysis
We’ll look at the pricing of 2 different options; the common plastic mesh and the integrated metal mesh. Let’s assume a house has 100 lineal metres of guttering.
For the plastic mesh option, according to Bunnings, the cost would be around $600. A higher quality version will likely be pushing $800-900. Installation would comfortably be around $400, so a total cost to have the plastic gutter guard installed would be $1,000-$1,200+
For the higher quality metal mesh, Bunnings product would fit your whole house for around $1,250. This is actually quite a high quality product, though installation is quite a bit more time intensive. To have it completed properly, you’d be looking at $400-$500, for total of around $1,700.
Tailored metal mesh is undoubtedly the highest quality and best product to look at, though also the most expensive. You’d typically be looking at $2,500+
So is it worth it?
When you look at a standard gutter clean for the property in question, you’d be looking at roughly $150-$200, depending on accessibility, volume of debris etc.. If you had that done once a year, you would get 15+ years of cleaning before paying off the metal gutter guard. If you generally get your property cleaned twice a year, that halves to 7 years give or take.
If you go for the cheaper option, you could pay it off in 3-6+ years, depending on quality and frequency of cleaning. However, the plastic gutter guard likely won’t last beyond a few years in the first place. Secondly, you will still need to get your gutters cleaned semi-regularly. Assuming the gutter guard works as it should, you will perhaps halve your frequency- getting your gutters cleaned every second year instead of every year.
With those numbers, does it really make sense?
Unless you get absolutely bombarded by leaves and opt to go for the high quality fixed mesh, then the answer is likely no.
Are Any Gutter Guards Worth the Trouble?
The only type of guard we’ll install is gutter foam. While not as cheap as the plastic mesh, it’s far far cheaper than the attached steel mesh. For areas that are causing issues with excessive debris, this can be a great, cost effective solution.