Rant: My $20 attempt at fixing a sagging gutter cost me $200 last month

I figured a quick fix with some brackets from Home Depot would hold up my back gutter in Portland. After a solid rainstorm, it ripped off the fascia and dumped water right into my crawlspace. Turns out the real problem was a clogged downspout that I ignored for like 3 years. Anyone else learn the hard way that patching symptoms never works with gutters?

3 comments

3 Comments

taraross14d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain! I did the exact same thing with a downspout that had a slow leak for years until it rotted out a whole section of my porch.

valc9114d ago

Whoa, slow down there. Is it really that bad? I mean, a downspout leak is annoying but rotting out a whole section of porch feels like you had to ignore it for years. Like, didn't you see water pooling or wood getting soft before it got that bad? I've had small leaks before and just patched them up with some caulk and it was fine. Maybe your porch was already in rough shape and the leak just finished it off. Not saying you're wrong, but I bet a lot of folks have a leaky downspout and their porch is still standing.

nelson.vera14d ago

That 'ignored for like 3 years' part hit close to home. My buddy Bob let a slow drip from his gutter go for two years and ended up rebuilding half his garage wall.