Gutter Repair in Missouri

Local know-how

Brick homes, Ozarks storms and ice

Missouri gutters face severe spring storms, hail, ice storms and hot, humid summers. St. Louis and Kansas City both see hail and ice; the Ozarks around Springfield had a damaging ice storm in 2007, and the 2011 Joplin tornado was one of the deadliest in US history.

St. Louis has many brick homes with built-in gutters and parapet walls drained by scuppers and conductor heads, and these need relining rather than replacement. Kansas City and its suburbs have a mix of older homes, including many brick bungalows and Tudors, and newer subdivisions with large roofs.

Springfield and the Ozarks sit on karst terrain, where water moves underground quickly and sinkholes are common. Columbia has older homes near the university and newer suburbs, and river towns along the Missouri and Mississippi have their own flood history.

Clay soils and karst terrain mean downspout discharge matters for foundations and basements. Extending downspouts and grading soil away from the house are inexpensive and effective.

St. Louis brick and the conductor head

After the Great Fire of 1849, St. Louis required brick construction in much of the city, and the abundant local clay supplied it. As a result, St. Louis has an enormous stock of brick homes, from Soulard and Lafayette Square to the Hill, Tower Grove and the inner suburbs. Many have flat or low-slope roofs behind parapets, drained by scuppers into conductor heads, the open boxes at the top of downspouts. Conductor heads clog with leaves and overflow down the brick, staining it and washing out mortar. Clearing them twice a year and fitting screens helps.

Kansas City, from bungalows to new suburbs

Kansas City's older neighborhoods, such as Brookside, Waldo, Hyde Park and the Northeast, have brick and stone bungalows, Tudors and foursquares under mature trees. North of the river and in Lee's Summit, Blue Springs and Liberty, newer subdivisions have large homes with complex roofs. Hail and severe thunderstorms are frequent. Kansas City's 10,000 Rain Gardens initiative encouraged homeowners to direct roof water into planted gardens. Many KC homes have basements in clay soils, so extending downspouts matters.

Springfield, Branson and the Ozarks

The Ozarks around Springfield, Branson, Joplin and the Lake of the Ozarks are hilly, wooded and full of springs and sinkholes. Karst ground means water from a downspout can disappear into cracks in the rock and reappear somewhere unexpected, including in a basement. Lake homes and vacation rentals often sit on steep lots and go unchecked for weeks, so gutters full of oak leaves can overflow for an entire storm season. Ice storms, like the one that hit Springfield in January 2007, bend gutters and bring down branches.

Columbia, Jefferson City and mid-Missouri

Columbia, a college town built around Mizzou, has older homes near campus and newer subdivisions on the edges of town. Jefferson City, the state capital, sits on bluffs above the Missouri River, with older brick homes and steep streets. Both see hot, humid summers, cold winters with occasional ice, and severe spring storms.

Flooding and river towns

Missouri's river towns, including St. Charles, Cape Girardeau, Hannibal and Washington, have long flood histories, with the Great Flood of 1993 among the worst. Homes in these areas often have high groundwater in wet years, and basements take on water easily. Gutters and downspouts that move roof water well away from the house reduce the load on sump pumps.

Hiring in Missouri

Missouri does not have a statewide license for general or home improvement contractors. Many cities and counties, including St. Louis County and Kansas City, require local licenses or permits for some work. Ask a gutter contractor about local licensing, liability insurance and a written warranty. After hail, out-of-state crews arrive quickly, so check for a local address and references. St. Louis, KC and Springfield callers are matched to a local crew.

Choosing gutters in Missouri

Six-inch seamless aluminum gutters with 3x4 downspouts suit most Missouri homes, especially two-story houses and those with large roofs. On brick homes, downspouts need straps fixed into mortar joints. On historic homes, half-round copper and built-in gutters may be the right match. Clean after the oaks finish in December and again in spring.

Joplin, Cape Girardeau and smaller Missouri cities

Joplin, in the southwest corner of the state, was devastated by an EF5 tornado in May 2011, and much of the city was rebuilt with newer homes. Cape Girardeau and the Bootheel in southeast Missouri sit near the New Madrid seismic zone and the Mississippi River, with hot humid summers and frequent heavy rain. St. Joseph in the northwest has historic mansions from its days as a Pony Express town.

Seasonal debris in Missouri

Missouri's oak-hickory forests drop most of their leaves in November. Pin oaks hold their dry leaves well into winter and release them in bursts through to spring, so homes under pin oaks often need a late-winter clean too. Sweetgum balls and walnut husks lodge in downspout elbows, and silver maple seeds fill gutters in late spring.

Missouri basements and sump pumps

Many Missouri homes, especially in St. Louis and Kansas City, have basements. Downspouts that discharge at the foundation send water into window wells and along basement walls. Extending downspouts several feet, fitting window well covers and keeping sump pump lines separate from gutter drains reduce basement water.

Gutters and St. Louis tuckpointing

On brick homes, overflowing gutters and leaking conductor heads soak the mortar below them. Repeated wetting and freezing washes out the joints, and many St. Louis homeowners face tuckpointing bills that start with a gutter problem. Fixing the gutter first, then repointing, prevents a repeat. Downspout straps should be fixed into mortar joints rather than the brick face.

Hail in Kansas City

Kansas City is one of the most hail-prone metros in the country. Dented gutters may still work, but crushed downspouts and split seams need repair. Document damage with dated photos after each storm.

Lake of the Ozarks and second homes

Weekend and rental homes around the Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake often sit empty for weeks. Gutters there can fill with oak leaves and overflow through an entire storm season unnoticed. Owners often book a cleaning in December and a check in spring, and fit guards to reduce visits.

Independence and eastern Jackson County

Independence, Blue Springs and Lee's Summit have mid-century ranch homes and newer subdivisions east of Kansas City, with oak and maple canopy and heavy summer storms.

Chimney flashing, valleys and the leaks blamed on gutters

A stain on an upstairs ceiling in a Missouri winter is as likely to come from flashing as from the gutter below it. Where a chimney meets a roof, or where a valley has lost its metal, meltwater backing up behind ice finds those joints first, and the water appears well away from the point it entered.

Before paying for gutter work to fix an interior stain, have someone look at the flashing and the valley above it. Where both are at fault the gutter is the cheaper half of the repair, and doing it alone leaves the leak in place.