Here’s some shots of a very large seamless gutter job with Hicks vent application we are currently doing in Marlborough, MA. Our guys, led by Joe Alo, owner/operator of Alo Seamless Gutters, do a fantastic job on every home they work on, from gutters and downspouts to fascia wrap and trimwork. And it’s in these specialty applications that they really shine, as you can see from the pictures. This home has roof edge, or Hicks, vents that are quite substantial as you can see from the pictures. We used an Azek-type composite block in what is referred to as 5 quarters (a full inch plus) to set the seamless gutters on so they’d be out far enough to provide adequate catch from the shingle edge and still allow the Hicks vents to breathe properly. This is critical in that, if you were to simply mount the gutters on the existing fascia, as some of our less expensive competitors do, the gutter would not only be too far back from the shingle edge to provide adequate catch – especially during periods of heavy rain- but also it would not allow for any air convection up and into the roof edge venting – critical in keeping your home vented. There are a few choices with the Hicks vents, but we believe our approach to this particular home provides the best and most cost effective solution.
As you can see, the blocks are all evenly spaced and fastened with stainless steel marine screws, with the blocks doubled up at the corners to provide maximum mitre strength (more on mitres in another blog).
Then you can see the how a gutter will look and sit on the blocks, and finally
what an installed gutter looks like from below and the adequate breathing space that we’ve allowed the Hicks vents. We use high-strength 297 pound test bar hangers that a grown man can hang from, and we are assuring the hold by using a proprietary extra long and beefy screw that insures a full, deep bite that won’t come loose. There will be some before, during, and after shots tomorrow of this same job, including the downspout placements that will show just how functional yet unobtrusive our systems are – and how they also kind of finish off a home. Seamless aluminum gutters and downspouts are not glamorous by any means, yet they provide an important and integral part of your exterior structure in keeping your interior safe and sound – and dry! And with this particular work we show just how much care and attention to detail we have to ensure that the new rain control system not only works properly, but doesn’t impede with the function or requirements of having a roof edge vented home. Good job guys – a team you can really depend on to perform high-quality, long-lasting work – I do.