Gutter Repair in California

Local know-how

Dry summers, winter storms and wildfire country

California's gutters spend most of the year dry and then face a few months of storms. Southern California gets little rain, mostly between November and March; the Bay Area and Sacramento Valley get more; the North Coast and the Sierra foothills get a great deal. Atmospheric rivers can drop several inches in a day almost anywhere in the state, and the first storm of the season flushes months of dry debris into the downspouts.

Wildfire risk shapes gutter choices in much of the state. Dry leaves and needles in an open gutter are an ember trap, and in fire-prone areas metal guards and cleaning before fire season are worth more than any other gutter upgrade. California's building standards for wildland-urban interface areas address ember resistance at the roof edge.

Housing ranges from Spanish-style tile roofs in Los Angeles and San Diego to Eichlers in the Bay Area, Craftsman homes in Pasadena and Berkeley, and ranch homes across the Central Valley. Many Southern California homes have only partial gutters, while homes in the north usually have full systems.

Redwood and Douglas fir country along the North Coast and in the Santa Cruz Mountains brings needle loads and moss more like the Pacific Northwest. In the Sierra foothills and around Lake Tahoe, heavy snow means snow guards and strong hangers. Rain barrels and rain gardens are popular statewide as a way to use winter rain.

California regions, from the desert to the redwoods

San Diego and Orange County see roughly 10 to 14 inches of rain in a normal year, much of it from a few storms, and many homes have only partial gutters. The Inland Empire and the high desert are drier still but get occasional cloudbursts. Sacramento and the Central Valley sit between 12 and 20 inches, with fog-drip and heavy leaf drop from valley oaks, sycamores and ornamental trees. The Bay Area ranges widely, from relatively dry spots in the East Bay flats to much wetter hills in Marin and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

North of the Bay, Eureka and the redwood coast can get 40 inches or more, and parts of the Coast Range far more. In the Sierra Nevada, Truckee and South Lake Tahoe get deep snow, and gutters there are built like those in the Rockies, with heavy hangers and snow retention on the roof.

Stucco, slabs and where the water lands

Many California homes have stucco walls on slab foundations, often with little overhang. Water poured from a downspout onto a slab edge or against stucco leads to staining, efflorescence and, over time, damage at the weep screed where the wall meets the foundation. Directing downspouts to planted areas, gravel basins or pipes that carry water across the yard is usually more important than the gutter itself.

Hillside lots in Los Angeles, the Bay Area and San Diego need special care. Discharging roof water onto a slope can start erosion or make a slide more likely after a wet winter, so many hillside homes route downspouts into closed pipes that empty at the bottom of the lot or into a street drain where that is allowed.

Rainwater capture and local programs

Because rain is scarce and comes in bursts, California homeowners are often keen to store it. Several water agencies and cities, including programs in the Los Angeles area and the Bay Area, have offered rebates for rain barrels, cisterns or turf replacement at various times; the details change, so check with your water district. A gutter system sized to feed a barrel needs a screened inlet and an overflow that leads away from the house.

Contractors in California generally need a state contractor license for jobs above a set dollar amount, and you can look up any license number on the Contractors State License Board website. For gutter work in wildfire zones, ask whether the guards and materials meet the ember-resistance standards that apply to your area.