ROOF EDGE
Gutter guards, and the honest limits that come with them.
Armor Lock self-locking aluminum guards that keep years of leaves out of your gutters. Chappell also tells you where a guard is the wrong call.
Chapter 01
The guard Chappell recommends
Chappell Gutter installs Armor Lock guards: powder-coated, self-locking aluminum with double-reinforced edges for rigidity and strength. Self-locking C-clips hold the guard firm to the gutter even through the strongest winds,, so a storm does not leave guards lying in the yard.
The point is years of high-volume water flow without climbing a ladder every fall. Neil's crew fits them along the full run on a single day.
Perforated gutter guard being fitted along a shingle roof edge by the Chappell crew
What it costs and how long it takes
Gutter guard installation runs $1,500 to $3,000. Lead time is 1 to 2 weeks, and the work takes about 1 day on site.
The price depends on how many feet of gutter the house has and how high the eaves are. Call (479) 717-7726 or request an estimate and the numbers come back for your house, not an average.
Chapter 03
No gutter guard is perfect
No gutter guard is perfect. Search for guards online and you will find a long list of styles, and in practice they all keep large amounts of debris out and none is a perfect fix. Chappell picks by what gives the most value over time, not by the brochure.
The biggest misconception about guards is that you will never clean your gutters again. Small bits of debris get through and compact over time, so the honest answer to "will I still need gutter work?" is yes, but less often.
And not everywhere. Chappell does not recommend guards on gutters near pine trees. A guard will stop a large number of pine needles but not every one, and after a single season needles pile on top of the guard and inside the gutter, building up on top of the downspouts.
You will still flush them every 5 to 10 years
With guards installed, the recommendation is a gutter flush every 5 to 10 years. There are two ways to clean a guarded gutter: pull every guard, scoop the debris and reinstall, or flush the gutters with a jetter without removing the guards.
The jetter is the preferred method. It costs less and does a better job. The catch is that jetting a gutter can only be done in the summer.
On a pine-heavy lot, removing and reinstalling every guard costs more than simply having the gutters cleaned on a regular schedule. That is the whole reason for the pine tree rule. If your yard looks like that, we will say so before you spend the money. The routine cleaning options are on the gutter cleaning page.
“No gutter guard is perfect.” That line is straight from Chappell's own guard FAQ, and it is why Neil's crew tells you when a guard is not worth installing. Guarded gutters: flush every 5 to 10 years. Guards near pine trees: not recommended.