At Home In The Woods

[Obed]

I dug some more this evening next to the house where the electrical will enter the house.

We will have two 200 A electrical runs entering here 4 feet apart. There are two holes behind the Bituthene 4 feet below the house sheathing. I didn't make things easy on myself by digging the trench a few weeks ago before digging next to the house. The trench made it very difficult for me to maneuver the tractor beside the house and also made it hard for the backhoe to reach the dirt pile.

I was able, with difficulty, able to position the tractor so I could reach most of the digging area. I seemed like I spent more time positioning the tractor than the time I spent digging. There was some hand digging required. It got dark when I was 95% finished. I have a little more hand digging I need to do up next to the concrete.

 

[Obed]

Cabinet Update

Thanks everybody for the responses to my cabinet questions. Nobody seemed to be thrilled about the metal drawers and neither was I but your comments helped us to decide.

We spoke to the most expensive cabinet maker this afternoon about some options we wanted that were not in his estimate. We told him we wanted dovetailed wood drawers, not the metal ones. He sent us a revised estimate that is $500 higher than his previous estimate. He said he likes to structure the payment schedule at 50/40/10 instead of 50/50 because sometimes there are long construction delays caused by other subs that delay him from being able to finish the job. He agreed to accept 50% down, 50% on completion payment schedule instead of the 50/40/10 plan if he gets the job.

He is $3500 higher than the next highest bid. I asked wife if she likes him $3500 more than her second choice cabinet maker. She is going to sleep on it.

 

[Obed]

Gutter Guards

We don't know much at all about what are the best type of gutter guards for preventing leaves and other junk from clogging the gutters. With all the trees around our house, we will need really good gutter guards.
A gutter guy came by today.

Here are pictures of two gutter guards he can install. Here are close-ups (gutter guard 1 and gutter guard 2).

Can you tell me which guard would be better? Or do you have some other gutter guard suggestions?

Thanks,
Obed

 

[dcyrilc]

Gutter Guards

We don't know much at all about what are the best type of gutter guards for preventing leaves and other junk from clogging the gutters. With all the trees around our house, we will need really good gutter guards.
A gutter guy came by today.

Here are pictures of two gutter guards he can install.

Can you tell me which guard would be better? Or do you have some other gutter guard suggestions?

Thanks,
Obed

The longer sample looks to be stainless steel which should last longer, but cost more. Not sure that using stainless would be much of a benefit for gutter guards.

Around here they sell a product called "leafguard" which incorporates the gutter gard into the gutter itself. They also claim that if they ever clog, they will send someone out to clean them for free. Gutters From LeafGuard - Seamless Gutter System

 

[EddieWalker]

Go with the gutter guard with the biggest holes. While both look to be pretty good, I've had some serious issues with those using smaller holes, and not as many. When the water comes down too fast to go through the gutter guards, it goes over and ends up inside of the soffits. I've had several clients with water damage inside of their sheetrock because of this.

Eddie

 

[CurlyDave]

The best gutter guard is a chainsaw.

At our home in CA we have overhanging oak trees and no type of gutter guard has ever worked to keep the gutters flowing freely. I have taken them out and just go up on the roof with a leaf blower 3-4 times every winter.

In OR, we have trees but they are mostly 50-75' from the house and so far no problems with leaves with no gutter guards.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Having trees next to a house is heaven and ****. Your maintenance goes way up on the house.

IMO, gutter guards only work marginally. Now, our slope is pretty shallow on the Washington house, but the guards we have purchased seem to need as much maintenance as going without guards.

Once a dry leaf gets wet, it turns into rubbery paper that will not blow off the roof, generally bllocks then builds up at the roof / gutter/ gutter guard line, and creates more havoc than it resolves.

You just had a great gutter cleaner added to your family. I would put that money for gutter guards into your gutter cleaners college fund, but that is just me.

 

[srs]

Gutter Guards

We don't know much at all about what are the best type of gutter guards for preventing leaves and other junk from clogging the gutters. With all the trees around our house, we will need really good gutter guards.
A gutter guy came by today.

Thanks,
Obed

Another suggestion. When you get gutters installed go with the larger or "commercial" size gutters and downspouts. I had them installed on my house and never had an issue. They handle a larger volume of water much easier.

Also if you plan to put underground drain lines in for the downspouts do not use the black plastic flexible tubing. With them small sticks and debris can get caught inside them and they dam up. Go with smooth white PVC type pipe, either schedule 20 or schedule 40, very little chance of stuff getting hung up inside them.

 

[tommu56]

Obed
Get leaf guard style gutters
LeafGuard's Seamless Gutters & Gutter System Pictures


I put some thing like this on mine at my cabin I had the gutters up all ready.
Gutter Helmet Protects You & Your Home: Getting Started

I had the screen things and nothing but headaches.

As Eddie said in a heavy rain it will over shoot the gutters but if the whole design and sealing is done correctly it shouldn't be a problem with proper dranage on the ground.

Home depot sells some thing similar it thing it was about $1.00 a foot in 4' sections


On a side note any reason you didn't put the utilities in before the foundation? or at least stub them out 2-3 ft from the walls?
My back is hurting from all the hand digging you have had to do!

tom

 

[ruralruss]

Another suggestion. When you get gutters installed go with the larger or "commercial" size gutters and downspouts. I had them installed on my house and never had an issue. They handle a larger volume of water much easier.

Also if you plan to put underground drain lines in for the downspouts do not use the black plastic flexible tubing. With them small sticks and debris can get caught inside them and they dam up. Go with smooth white PVC type pipe, either schedule 20 or schedule 40, very little chance of stuff getting hung up inside them.

I agree on the size. I think ours are are like 4.5 by 2.25 but not sure. Much larger than the smaller size I was use to. It really help with the toad stranglers we get here in NW GA. On the guards, I have not used them but the gutter guards look good to me. We use something like the smaller one you show and I don't like their appearance much. Thy also like to catch pine needles which often fall as a two needle pairs and invariably fall into 2 separate holes.

Russ