Undersized 5-inch trough
A large steep roof with long runs dumps more water than a 5-inch gutter can carry, so it overshoots in a hard rain even when perfectly clean. Six-inch gutters with larger downspouts are the actual fix.
Gutter repair in Kirkwood, at a glance
STL Roof Repair repairs and replaces gutters in Kirkwood, Missouri — seamless aluminum gutters, downspouts, rotted fascia board, failed hangers, and leaf guards sized for heavy tree cover. We are John Beal Roofing, family-run since 1947 and third-generation owned, working central St. Louis County out of Maryland Heights. Inspections and written estimates are free, qualifying work carries a lifetime workmanship warranty, and a live person answers (314) 429-6000 any hour of the day.
Gutters in Kirkwood do a harder job than gutters almost anywhere else in the county. The oaks, sycamores and sweetgums that shade these streets drop a remarkable volume of material twice a year, and on the steep roofs of the older Victorians, Tudors and postwar homes near downtown there is nowhere for that material to go except into the trough. Then it composts, holds water against the fascia, and freezes at the eave in January.
So when a Kirkwood homeowner calls about overflowing gutters, cleaning is only one of three possible answers. The other two are that the gutters are pitched wrong or hanging loose, or that they were never large enough for the roof in the first place. Diagnosing which one you have is the difference between paying somebody twice a year forever and fixing the problem.
What We Find
Common Kirkwood Gutter Failures
Rotted fascia board
Decades of a wet trough sitting against wood. The gutter is only as solid as the board behind it, and on older Kirkwood homes we are often replacing fascia before hanging anything new.
Spike-and-ferrule and failed hangers
Original spikes back out of old fascia and the gutter sags into a low spot that never drains. Hidden hangers screwed into solid wood hold where spikes never will.
Ice at the eaves
Kirkwood's older houses often have modest attic insulation. Heat escapes, snow melts, water refreezes at the cold eave, and the ice tears the gutter loose. Gutters are a symptom there, not the disease.
Doing It Once
Seamless Gutters, Guards And Capacity
Seamless aluminum is formed on site to the exact length of your run, so there are no mid-run joints to open up — and joints are where most old gutter systems failed. On the historic homes downtown, half-round profiles are sometimes the right call to keep the look correct, and we will say so rather than putting a modern K-style trough on a house where it looks wrong.
Leaf guards genuinely matter under a canopy like Kirkwood's, but only the right kind installed the right way. A cheap screen that sits on top of the trough collects a mat of wet oak leaves and turns the gutter into a planter. We size the system to the roof, add downspouts where the math says the water needs another exit, and extend the discharge away from the foundation, because a gutter that empties beside the house has only moved the problem into the basement.
Gutters are also the part of the house that tells you about the roof. If a technician is up there and sees granules filling the trough, we will show you, because heavy granule loss means the shingles are shedding their protective surface. The gutter estimate and the roof condition come back to you together, with photographs, and inspections are free.
Common Questions
Kirkwood Gutter Questions
Why do my Kirkwood gutters overflow even after cleaning?
Usually pitch or capacity. If the trough sags or was hung level it holds water in a low spot, and if a large steep roof is draining into 5-inch gutters they will overshoot in a hard rain no matter how clean they are.
Do I need 6-inch gutters?
On a big or steep Kirkwood roof with long runs, often yes. Six-inch trough with 3x4 downspouts moves substantially more water. We size it against your actual roof area rather than replacing like for like.
Are leaf guards worth it under heavy tree cover?
Yes, if they are the right product properly installed. A flimsy screen laid on top of the gutter collects a wet leaf mat and makes things worse, so the type of guard and the pitch of the roof both matter.
Can you replace rotted fascia at the same time?
Yes, and often we have to. A gutter hung on soft wood will pull loose again, so we replace the damaged fascia board first and then hang seamless gutter on hidden hangers into solid material.
Free Kirkwood Gutter Estimate
Serving Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Glendale, Des Peres and central St. Louis County. Tell us what the gutters are doing and we will call to schedule.
Related Pages
Related Kirkwood And Gutter Pages
Gutters Overflowing In Kirkwood?
We will tell you whether it is a cleaning, a pitch correction, or gutters that are simply too small for the roof above them.