Gutter guard installation for tree-covered homes
State Restoration Services fits gutter guards on homes across the north and northwest Chicago suburbs, on new gutters and on existing ones that are still sound. We install and repair four kinds: micro-mesh, reverse-curve, foam inserts and screens. Which one belongs on your house depends on what the trees above it drop, and on some houses the right answer is none.
Pick the guard by what lands on your roof
A guard is a filter, and every filter has a debris size it lets through. Start with the tree, then choose the product.
| What falls on the roof | What we'd fit | What to know first |
|---|---|---|
| Oak and maple leaves | Micro-mesh in steel or aluminum | This is the heaviest leaf load in towns like Arlington Heights, Long Grove and Vernon Hills. Mesh still wants a rinse about once a year. |
| Maple seed pods and roof grit | Micro-mesh | Plain screens let small seeds wedge into the openings, so they end up needing the most cleaning of any guard. |
| Pine and evergreen needles | Micro-mesh | Needles follow the water around a reverse-curve hood and drop into the trough. Ask about needles before choosing that style. |
| Heavy whole leaves, no evergreens | Reverse-curve | It sheds big leaf loads well and shows no screen from the ground. It is also the most expensive type per foot. |
| A few leaves on a one-storey house | Screens, or no guard | Screens are the cheapest way to stop large leaves. Foam inserts cost little more, but they break down after a few Illinois winters. |
What each guard costs installed on a 180 to 200 foot house
These are our published Chicago-suburb ranges, materials and labor together, for a typical two-storey home with 180 to 200 linear feet of gutter.
A steep pitch, a second or third storey and a roofline that is hard to reach push a job to the top of its range, because the extra cost is labor and safety equipment. If you are holding a quote for a national micro-mesh brand, our Leaf Filter cost guide puts that product at $15 to $45 per linear foot, so compare per foot and not by the monthly payment.
Four things on the gutter get checked before a guard goes on
A guard covers the trough, so a fault left underneath is hidden until water comes over the front edge. These are settled first.
The run drains to the downspout
Water standing in a flat run sits under the guard all season. See how gutter pitch and downspout placement should be set.
The hangers hold
A gutter that has started to sag or pull away from the fascia is refastened before anything is fixed to its lip.
Corners and end caps are dry
Leaking corners are far easier to reseal with the trough open than with a guard screwed over it.
The gutter is big enough for the roof
An undersized gutter overflows with a guard or without one. The choice between 5-inch and 6-inch gutters is settled before the trough is covered.
When the gutters fail several of these checks, ask us to price new gutters with the guards next to the repair, so you can compare the two before covering runs that are near the end of their life.
How long a guard takes to pay for itself
Work it out against what you spend on gutter cleaning today.
a year for two or three professional cleanings at $125 to $250 a visit
once, for micro-mesh on 180 to 200 feet of gutter
to break even on a mid-range system, with one occasional cleaning still to pay for
The sum only works if you were paying for cleanings. If you clean a one-storey house yourself twice a year, the guard may never earn its cost back in money, only in ladder trips.
When we'd fit guards, and when we'd tell you to skip them
Guards make sense
- Oak, maple or pine hangs over the roof
- The roof is steep or two storeys and more, so cleaning it yourself is dangerous
- It is a rental or second home that nobody checks in fall
- You are on the ladder three or more times a year already
- Nobody in the house can safely climb
Save your money
- One storey, few overhanging trees, and a twice-a-year cleaning you don't mind
- You want guards to stop ice dams. They don't. Heat escaping from the attic causes those, as our ice dam guide explains
- You were promised gutters you never have to look at again. No guard sold today does that
Still undecided? Our longer article on whether gutter guards are worth it goes through the case for and against.
Before you book a gutter guard estimate
Can gutter guards go on my existing gutters?
Yes, when the gutters drain properly, the hangers are tight and the corners don't leak. If the runs are sagging or undersized, fitting guards over them hides the fault, so we would price the repair or new gutters alongside the guards.
Which gutter guard is best for oak and maple trees?
Micro-mesh. It stops whole leaves, seed pods and most shingle grit, which is the mix oak and maple streets in the north and northwest suburbs produce. Expect to rinse or soft-brush the top of it about once a year.
Do I still have to clean gutters after guards are installed?
Occasionally. Guards stop the leaf clogs that cause most overflow, but fine grit, pollen and storm debris still collect slowly. Most guarded gutters go from two or three cleanings a year to one or none.
Will gutter guards affect my roof warranty?
They don't typically affect a shingle manufacturer's warranty, because a guard fastens to the gutter and not to the shingles. A careless install that bends the drip edge or damages fascia is a different problem, and it is the reason our gutter and roofing work is done by the same crew.
Want this looked at?
We inspect for free, document what we find and prepare a code-compliant estimate you can hand to your insurer. Our partner, a licensed public adjuster, State Adjusting Services, can represent you on the claim.
Call (866) 992-2982 — Free Inspection