Appreciation post: That older guy at the hardware store who steered me right on gutter guards

I was standing in the gutter aisle at Lowe's in Austin last Saturday, totally lost between three brands. This older employee named Frank walked up and said 'save your money on the mesh ones, they clog in a year with pine needles.' He showed me a solid aluminum cover for $28 a section instead. Has anyone else gotten surprisingly solid advice from a random store employee like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy13124d ago

Used to think those mesh guards were the best because they were cheaper and easier to install. But after dealing with clogged gutters on my own house for two winters straight, I finally tried the solid aluminum ones and it made a huge difference. Frank was spot on, sometimes paying a little more upfront saves you a TON of hassle later.

wesley_jones24d ago

Started out with the mesh ones myself and honestly thought I was being smart about it. But what got me was how the pine needles just sat on top of them and turned into this gross mat that water couldn't even get through. Had to go up there with a trowel and scrape it all off twice one fall. My neighbor saw me struggling and just laughed, said he'd been telling me for years to switch. Finally caved and got the solid ones last spring and it's been night and day different. Sometimes you just gotta learn the hard way I guess.

the_thea24d ago

Yeah, I totally get where you're coming from. I've been there myself with that sort of thing. It's so easy to go for the cheaper option and then regret it later when you're up on a ladder in the rain trying to unclog stuff. The solid ones sound like a pain to install at first, but once you've done it, it's pretty much set and forget. Good on you for sticking with it and finding what works.