What seamless actually means
A sectional gutter comes in 10-foot sticks from a store. You join them together with a slip connector and a bead of sealant, and every one of those joints is a place water will eventually find. On a typical St. Louis ranch that's six or seven joints on one elevation.
Seamless gutter starts as a coil of flat aluminum on a roll-forming machine we bring to your house. The machine feeds the coil through a set of dies and it comes out the other end as finished gutter, cut to the exact length of your fascia. One piece. No joints along the run.
You still get sealed corners, because a corner has to be a corner. But the long straight stretch where water actually sits — that's continuous metal.
What we install
Standard residential is 5-inch K-style in .027 or .032 aluminum. That's noticeably heavier than the .019 builder-grade stuff that shows up on new construction, and it's the difference between a gutter that shrugs off a ladder and one that dents when you lean on it.
Where the roof is steep or the plane is wide, we go to 6-inch. A 6-inch K-style holds close to 40 percent more water than a 5-inch and pairs with a 3x4 downspout instead of the skinny 2x3. On a lot of west county homes that upgrade is the whole fix.
We also run half-round, copper, and steel when the house calls for it. There's a page on each of those if you want the detail.
Hangers, pitch, and the parts nobody sees
We hang everything on hidden hangers screwed into the fascia every two feet. No spikes. Spike-and-ferrule was the standard for decades and it fails the same way every time: the spike works loose, the front lip drops, and the gutter starts holding water instead of moving it.
Pitch is about a quarter inch of fall for every ten feet of run, sloped toward the downspout. Too little and water stands in the trough. Too much and you can see it from the street. Getting that right on a long run is most of the skill in this trade.
Where the fascia is soft, we say so before we hang anything. New gutter screwed into rotted wood is a callback waiting to happen.
How the job runs
Someone comes out and measures — free, and usually within a couple of days. You'll get a written number covering gutter, downspouts, hangers, sealant, haul-off of the old material, and any fascia work we've flagged.
Install on an average home is one day. We pull the old gutter, look at the fascia and drip edge while it's exposed, roll the new runs, hang, seal the corners, set downspouts, and run water through it before we leave.
Cleanup includes a magnet sweep for screws. You shouldn't be finding our hardware in the yard next spring.
Why the seams are the weak spot
Sectional gutters are joined every few feet, and every joint is held by sealant. In St. Louis that sealant goes through dozens of freeze-thaw cycles a winter and long stretches of summer heat, so the joints are the first place a gutter leaks. A seamless run only joins at the corners and outlets, which leaves far fewer places for water to get out and for debris to catch.
Fitting the system to the house
A brick bungalow with a hip roof, a two-story colonial and a long county ranch each need something different. We plan where the downspouts go so they don't spill across walkways where ice forms in winter, or onto a driveway you shovel. Corners are mitered on site to match the angles of the house, and colors are picked to match your trim so the gutter reads as part of the house, not something added on.
If you're replacing the roof too, it pays to time the two together. Our roofing crews handle that side as part of John Beal Roofing.
What to expect on install day
The crew arrives with the forming machine, sets up in the driveway and protects the beds below the roof edge. Old gutters come off first, any soft fascia is replaced, and each new run is formed to length and carried straight to the house. Most houses are finished the same day. Larger or taller homes can take longer. Before we leave, we run water through every run and downspout and walk the property with you so nothing is left in the yard.
Caring for new seamless gutters
Seamless gutters need very little attention, but a few habits keep them working. Have them cleaned or checked after the leaves come down, keep downspout extensions attached and pointed away from the house, and don't lean ladders on the front edge. If you notice water spilling over in a heavy rain, call us. It's usually a quick adjustment to pitch or an outlet, not a sign the system failed. Adding micro-mesh guards cuts the cleaning down even further.
Questions people ask
How long does seamless gutter installation take?
Most single-family homes are done in a day. Larger homes with multiple elevations, or jobs that include fascia repair, can run into a second day.
What colors can I get?
Over twenty baked-enamel colors in stock. The finish is applied to the coil at the factory, so it doesn't chalk out the way older painted aluminum did. We'll bring samples to the measure.
Do you replace the fascia if it's rotted?
Yes. We can replace the board and wrap it in aluminum so it doesn't happen again. We'll show you the soft spots before we quote it, not after.
Is seamless worth it over sectional?
On anything longer than about 15 feet, yes. The material costs a little more and the labor is similar, but you're removing every joint that would otherwise be a future leak.
Do you install gutter guards at the same time?
We do, and it's the cheapest time to do it. Guard installed with new gutter costs less than a separate trip later.
Can you install seamless gutters on a house with no fascia board?
Yes. Where the trim is brick, stone or otherwise can't take a hanger, we use straps or brackets suited to the house. We'll go over the option at the measure.
Will seamless gutters fit a house with odd angles?
Yes. Runs are cut to length on site and corners are mitered to whatever angle the roofline needs.
What's the difference between 5-inch and 6-inch seamless gutters?
Capacity. A 6-inch gutter carries a lot more water, which matters on steep roofs, large roof planes and corners where valleys concentrate the runoff.
Free estimate
We measure, we look at the fascia, and you get a number in writing.
Talk to a real St. Louis gutter company
Third generation, family-run since 1947. Somebody picks up, day or night.