1)      Will the installation of my gutters or toppers affect my roof warranty?

Most gutter companies that install toppers to keep out debris place a portion of their product under the shingles at the roof line.  Anytime anyone alters the materials installed during a roofing job, the warranties guaranteed by the roofing company for your roof may be null and void.

The Total Solution gutter system from Tip Top Home Solutions has fixed this problem with their patented bracket system and exclusive highback gutter design.  This unique bracket allows our maintenance-free gutter system with highback gutters and specially designed toppers to be installed under the drip edge of your roof, NOT under the shingles.  We do not interfere with the workmanship of your roof installation.  Your roof warranties are safe with us!

2)      Can I lean a ladder against these gutters?  If I use a ladder against my gutters, does it affect my warranty?

There will always be reasons you will need someone to get on your roof – even after fixing any gutter issues. Eventually, every home will require someone to be on the roof to fix or inspect shingles, vents, or other common roofing issues.  Other home projects such as holiday lights and installing or fixing satellites may also require getting on your roof.  Often this requires leaning a ladder against the gutters and climbing on up.

What most gutter companies fail to mention is that they manufacture your gutters using .024 to .027 inch (or less!) aluminum.  This grade of aluminum cannot bear the weight of a ladder and any person who may also be on that ladder.  Buckling and bending of metal under this weight affects the water flow and the ability of the gutters to perform as expected – while also looking less attractive on your home.  While a homeowner might think that their gutters have a great warranty, once a ladder has been placed against their gutters, the small print often says that the gutter company will declare the warranties null and void – leaving the homeowner with useless gutter warranty and often a useless roof warranty (see above).

The Total Solution gutter system from Tip Top Home Solutions addresses these problems by using .032 inch aluminum.  This is the thickest used in the business!  Our warranty stands regardless of placing a ladder against our system. We can guarantee our Total Solution gutter system warranty regardless of what other roof and home maintenance tasks you may be completing.

3)      How thick is the aluminum you will be using?  How far apart do you space the supporting brackets?

The standard aluminum used by gutter companies ranges from .024 to .027 inch thick aluminum.  Some companies may use even thinner aluminum to save money.  You can only imagine how a long strip of gutter will hold up to the weight of water as the aluminum becomes thinner and thinner.  Tip Top Home Solutions uses .032 inch aluminum on all gutter materials.  This is the thickest and strongest used in the business!

Most gutter companies space their supporting brackets (the ones that hold your gutters to your house) 36 to 48 inches apart.  We see it every day.  A weakly supported gutter system is like cheap carpeting.  It will look great the first day it is installed but will fail rapidly after that.  After all, water is pretty heavy – about 8 ½ pounds per gallon!  How many hundreds of gallons can your system hold with brackets spread 36 to 48 inches?  How is this further impacted if your gutter company also saves money by using a lower thickness of aluminum?

Once again, Tip Top Home Solutions makes sure that you have a gutter system you will never have to replace.  The Tip Top Total Solution gutter system is installed with brackets every 24 inches.  This feature combined with .032 inch aluminum guarantees that you will have the strongest gutter system available for your home.

4)      Does your company use employees or subcontractors to install the gutters?

The wrong answer to this question is subcontractors . . . for several reasons.  One reason is that a gutter company that uses its own employees to install systems has better quality control over its products.  Employed installers (rather than subcontractors) develop a level of expertise in the installation of their gutters – as they work with the same system installation every day.

With a unique maintenance-free system such as the Tip Top Total Solution gutter system, this expertise is necessary as it contains features not found on other systems. Our employed installers represent the Tip Top Home Solutions name while using their expertise and experience to insure a professional and efficient installation.  They do not have to “learn” the installation procedures with our system each time gutters are installed.  Our employed installers are also more adept at recognizing and solving potential problems before they occur based on hundreds of previous installation experiences.

Another important consideration when asking this question is one of responsibility.  If one company is guaranteeing their gutter system but using another company to install it, who is responsible when there is a problem that needs to be fixed?  Avoid getting into finger pointing where one company is blaming the other and nothing being accomplished!  With Tip Top Home Solutions, one call solves all!  Our company guarantees include the product AND the installation as they are all part of our local business.

And, of course . . . the insurance issue is a HUGE consideration but that is a whole different topic . . .

5)      Will everyone on my property be covered by liability insurance and workers compensation?

First – this is the LAW. All employees working as installers for must be covered by liability insurance and workers compensation.  If you hire a company such as Tip Top Home Solutions where the installation teams are employees of the company, this can be easily checked and controlled.  A company who uses subcontractors has less control over insurance issues.  And if a company is willing to deliberately ignore these legal requirements, what other corners will they cut?

So how do these insurance policies affect you as the homeowner?  It has a HUGE impact!  Liability insurance and workers compensation for home improvement employees are expensive for a reason!  One of the reasons you are probably considering a maintenance-free gutter system is so that you never have to get on a ladder again.  It is dangerous!  These installers are on ladders, often two stories high, working with equipment to replace and install gutters.  The risk for injury is higher than other jobs.  Without their own liability insurance and workers compensation through their employer – ANY INJURY ON YOUR PROPERTY MAY BECOME YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.  It is not worth exchanging that risk for slightly lower cost on gutters.

Tip Top Home Solutions makes sure that the concerns addressed in these 5 questions are never an issue for you. We take care of them all!  We are a local business that only wants to offer you the best product and installation experience possible.  We can honestly answer each of these questions for you and encourage you to ask any others that may be a concern for you!

For a free estimate for your home, please click here!  We look forward to meeting with you to see how we can help!