Gutter Repair in West Virginia

Local know-how

Steep hills, heavy rain and old housing

West Virginia gutters face heavy rain, around 45 inches a year, freeze-thaw winters and steep terrain. Many homes are built on hillsides or in narrow hollows, with tall downhill walls and long downspout drops. Flash flooding along creeks and rivers is a recurring risk, as the June 2016 floods in the southern part of the state showed.

Older housing in Charleston, Huntington, Wheeling and small towns across the state has original wood fascia that has softened over decades, and many homes have long-neglected gutters. Repairs often start with the fascia and soffit.

Morgantown has a large university and rental housing stock, and the eastern panhandle around Martinsburg has fast-growing suburbs serving the Washington area. Hardwood forests across the state mean heavy leaf drop from oaks, maples and poplars every autumn.

Discharging water safely on steep lots, away from foundations, retaining walls and slopes, is part of any gutter job. Underground drain lines to a stable outlet are often better than extensions on hillsides.

Charleston and the Kanawha Valley

Charleston sits where the Elk River meets the Kanawha, with neighborhoods climbing the steep valley sides. Homes on the South Hills and in Kanawha City have long downspouts and gutters on hillside houses, and water released at the top of a lot can saturate slopes. The Capitol district has older brick homes with built-in gutters.

The 2016 floods

In June 2016, heavy rain caused catastrophic flash floods in Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties, with White Sulphur Springs and Rainelle among the hardest hit. Many homes were rebuilt or repaired. The floods showed how quickly water rises in narrow valleys, and how important it is to route water away from foundations.

Huntington and the Ohio River

Huntington, home to Marshall University, sits on the Ohio River behind a floodwall, with older neighborhoods of frame and brick homes. Parkersburg and Wheeling upriver have Victorian homes with box gutters and steep streets. Wheeling's historic districts have some of the finest Victorian architecture in the state.

Morgantown and north central West Virginia

Morgantown, home to West Virginia University, has steep streets, rental homes and newer suburbs. Fairmont and Clarksburg have older coal and glass-industry neighborhoods with frame homes on hillsides.

Coal camps and older housing

Across southern West Virginia, many towns began as coal camps, with simple frame houses built close together on hillsides and along creeks. These homes often have small gutters on narrow eaves and downspouts that drain straight onto the slope or the road. Fascia and soffit rot is common.

Snowshoe, Canaan Valley and the high country

The highlands around Snowshoe, Canaan Valley and Davis see heavy snow, often over 150 inches a year at higher elevations. Cabins and resort homes need snow guards, strong hangers and heat cable on problem eaves.

Martinsburg and the eastern panhandle

Martinsburg, Charles Town, Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry have historic homes and fast-growing commuter suburbs serving the Washington area. Winters are milder than in the mountains, with occasional heavy snow.

Hiring in West Virginia

West Virginia requires contractors to be licensed by the Division of Labor for jobs of $2,500 or more, and you can verify a license online. Have the quote broken down by material and labor, and check the insurance. Calls from Charleston, Morgantown or Huntington are matched with a licensed local installer.

Beckley and the New River Gorge

Beckley sits at about 2,400 feet near the New River Gorge, with cooler summers and snowier winters than the valleys.

Hillside drainage and retaining walls

Because so many West Virginia homes sit on cut slopes, retaining walls are everywhere, and water is their enemy. Roof water released behind a wall adds pressure and can push it over. Downspouts should be carried past the wall to the downhill side or into a pipe that drains to the road ditch. On homes below a slope, water from uphill can flow toward the foundation, so a swale or drain above the house may be needed.

Leaves and debris in West Virginia

West Virginia is one of the most forested states, and oaks, maples, tulip poplars, hickories and beech all drop leaves into gutters from October to December. Many homes need a clean after the leaves have fallen and another in spring. Gutters on homes in wooded hollows fill faster than those in town.

Ice and snow in the valleys

Valley towns see frequent freeze-thaw cycles in winter, and freezing rain is common. Gutters and downspouts on north-facing walls can stay frozen for days. Clearing gutters before winter and keeping downspouts open helps.

Choosing gutters in West Virginia

A 6-inch trough handles mountain downpours better than the 5-inch gutters found on many older homes. On steep lots, underground pipes to stable outlets work better than surface extensions.

Wheeling's Victorian streets

Wheeling grew rich on the National Road, steamboats and nail mills in the 1800s, and neighborhoods such as North Wheeling, Woodsdale and the Island are packed with Italianate and Queen Anne homes. Many have built-in gutters behind ornate cornices, slate roofs and tall downspouts. Relining those gutters with copper or a membrane keeps water out of the brick. Flooding along the Ohio, as in 1936, shaped the lower parts of town.

Lewisburg and the Greenbrier Valley

Lewisburg's historic downtown and the farms of the Greenbrier Valley sit on karst limestone with sinkholes and caves.

Parkersburg and the Mid-Ohio Valley

Parkersburg and Vienna sit where the Little Kanawha joins the Ohio, with historic Julia-Ann Square homes and post-war suburbs. River fog and damp winters keep wood trim wet.

Princeton and Bluefield

Princeton and Bluefield on the Virginia line sit at high elevation with cool summers and snowy, icy winters.

Elkins and the Allegheny towns

Elkins sits in the Tygart Valley among high ridges, with cold winters and heavy hardwood debris.