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Unobstructed rain gutters protect your home from costly water damage. Unfortunately, cleaning them is a considerable chore. Gutter guards can keep debris out of your gutters, significantly reducing necessary maintenance.
We research, review and rate gutter guard providers and do-it-yourself (DIY) products to help you find the right solution for free-flowing gutters and reduced maintenance.
Our research strategy includes understanding the gutter guards industry from the perspectives of both consumers and providers. We focus on homeowners’ needs via proprietary surveys and third-party reviews. We also learn about and interact with each provider we rate.
We study each company’s website for key product details and thoroughly read product and service warranties. We speak with company representatives over the phone to ask questions and learn about the sales process. We read thousands of customer reviews and third-party ratings, such as those from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
We also interview industry experts. For products with no service component, we delve into customer insight through Amazon reviews and benchmark performance with comprehensive hands-on testing. By speaking with experienced contractors, we gain unique insights from industry professionals who have completed gutter guard installations under a wide variety of circumstances. This helps us understand your wants, needs and pain points.
Our hands-on testing process includes installing each DIY gutter guard and testing its filtration capability through a layer of mixed debris. Finally, we rate the product in key categories such as debris filtration, water flow and installation difficulty.
Our goal is to synthesize and present the most helpful information about gutter guard products and services to help you make informed decisions for your home.
Based on our extensive industry research, we have developed detailed review standards to score each brand. This score translates into the star rating we include in our reviews and recommendations.
We score products and providers against applicable factors. We have two versions of the review standards to fairly rate full-service providers and DIY gutter guard products:
Our review standards include four key categories that focus on major homeowner interests:
Gutter guards come in different styles that offer various levels of protection against each type of debris. They can be made from foam, plastics or metals, which affects their longevity, durability and cost.
We collect information about each product’s construction and style to determine how well it may perform for most homeowners. We also consider whether the design is low profile or available in multiple colors so you can understand how it will affect your home’s aesthetics.
Gutters are an important part of a home’s water filtration system. If any part of that system is a weak link, problems can arise. The best gutter guard installers recognize that gutter guards are only as good as your gutters, and they offer other gutter services to help you keep your rain management system functional. We review and award points for the services each provider offers; these services include not only gutter guard installation but also gutter cleaning, repair and replacement.
Professional gutter guard installation is a worthwhile investment for most homeowners, but it can get quite expensive. We awarded the most points to providers that offer financing options, lock in quotes for one year or longer, and advertise discounts.
Unfortunately, professional gutter guard installers don’t publish pricing information via digital means. You must request a free in-person estimate to get pricing for your home. To judge the value of each provider, we surveyed 1,500 homeowners who have purchased gutter guards within the last two years to find out the amount they paid per linear foot.
After you’ve invested a considerable amount of money in professional gutter guard installation, you want your provider to stand by its work and product. We awarded the most points to companies that offer multiple communication channels, including phone, email and online chat. We also rated those with lifetime transferable product warranties higher than those without. Companies earned additional points for warranties that transfer to the next homeowner in case you sell your house.
We also reviewed each provider’s BBB rating, which reflects a company’s complaint history, responsiveness to consumers, time in business, transparency, licensing and government actions known to the BBB.
DIY gutter guard products do not require professional installation. They tend to be less expensive than professionally installed options but also less durable. We assess DIY gutter guard products similarly to full-service installers; however, some categories in our review standards are changed to reflect your interests, such as instruction availability and installation difficulty.
The DIY categories include the following:
Similar to how we rated professional services, we score DIY products based on their style and appearance. Micro-mesh options earn the most points due to their performance and longevity. Low-profile designs and products that offer multiple colors earn points for preserving your home’s aesthetics.
While DIY gutter guards typically don’t last as long as their professionally installed counterparts, some are stronger than others. To determine the build quality of each product, we rated its filter material and frame material, awarding the most points to metal options.
We also assess each product’s attachment method, which implicates installation difficulty as well as ease of cleaning later. For example, screw-in products are sturdy and straightforward, whereas adhesive ones may degrade over time; plus, their single-use nature prevents removal for cleaning. Products that include all necessary hardware for installation are awarded a point as well.
We put each product to the test to determine its effectiveness. We installed gutter guard samples to a mock roof in a controlled testing environment. We then simulated rainfall and debris accumulation. We scored each product on filtration, durability, water flow and cleanability.
Homeowners’ experiences will vary in real-world use based on their local weather patterns and debris. To understand overall consumer sentiment toward each product, we scoured Amazon reviews for positive and negative feedback to supplement our hands-on testing.
Some DIY gutter guards are more frustrating to install than others. If the instructions are unclear or the end result isn’t functioning as it should, you’ll need customer support ready to assist. We awarded points to companies that offer multiple communication channels, include high-quality instructions and offer installation troubleshooting assistance. We also assess the length of the product warranty if one exists.
In exchange for a lower cost of entry, DIY gutter guards are often inferior in design, durability and warranty when compared to their professionally installed counterparts. However, they’re also significantly cheaper, making cost savings a key reason you might consider DIY gutter guards over professionally installed options.
To determine the cost of DIY guards we reviewed, we shopped for each brand’s flagship product and calculated its cost per linear foot. Then, we multiplied the result to determine the cost of 200 feet — the average length needed for a residential home.
We gave the most points to products that cost less than $300 for 200 linear feet and the least points to products that cost more than $400.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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