Gutter Repair in Wisconsin

Local know-how

Heavy snow, lake winds and ice dams

Wisconsin gutters face long, cold winters with heavy snow. Milwaukee averages around 45 to 50 inches; Green Bay and northern Wisconsin see more. Ice dams are common, and the weight of ice pulls gutters off fascia.

Milwaukee's housing includes bungalows, duplexes and Polish flats with long downspouts. Madison has older homes around the isthmus and large newer suburbs, with mature maples and oaks.

Green Bay, Appleton and the Fox Valley have many post-war homes with original gutters. Door County and the lakeside towns face wind off Lake Michigan, and La Crosse and Eau Claire in the west see colder, drier winters.

Some areas, including the Milwaukee region, encourage downspout disconnection to reduce sewer load during storms. Disconnected downspouts need to discharge well away from foundations and neighbors.

Milwaukee bungalows, duplexes and Polish flats

Milwaukee's housing stock reflects its immigrant history. Polish flats, built by raising a small cottage and adding a basement apartment beneath, are found on the south side. Upper-and-lower duplexes line streets in Riverwest, Bay View and the west side, and brick and frame bungalows fill the outer neighborhoods. Many of these homes have gutters on wood fascia that has been painted over for generations, and downspouts that once fed straight into the combined sewer. Lake Michigan breezes bring wet snow and cooler summers near the shore than inland.

Madison and Dane County

Madison sits on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, and older neighborhoods such as the Near East Side, Vilas and Monroe Street have Craftsman bungalows, foursquares and Prairie-influenced homes under mature oaks, maples and lindens. Suburbs such as Sun Prairie, Verona, Middleton and Fitchburg have many newer homes. Madison has encouraged rain gardens and has rules about where roof water can drain. The city also deals with high groundwater near the lakes, so keeping roof water away from basements is important.

Green Bay, the Fox Valley and northeast Wisconsin

Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh and Neenah have long, cold winters and cool lake winds off Green Bay and Lake Winnebago. Many homes were built in the post-war decades and now have their second or third set of gutters. Ice dams form every winter on older houses with shallow attics, and the weight of ice and snow pulls gutters off weak fascia. Door County, with its stone cottages and orchards, sees strong wind off both the bay and the lake.

The Northwoods and the Lake Superior snowbelt

Northern Wisconsin, from Wausau and Rhinelander to the Lake Superior shore, is forest and lake country with very cold winters. The Gogebic Range around Hurley and Iron County, near the Michigan border, can receive around 200 inches of lake-effect snow in a heavy winter. Cabins and lake homes there often skip gutters on the steepest roofs because sliding snow tears them off, and rely on drip edges and gravel beds instead. Where gutters are installed, they need heavy brackets and snow guards above.

Ice dams in Wisconsin homes

Wisconsin's long cold spells and older housing make ice dams a routine winter problem. Heat from the living space warms the roof, snow melts and refreezes at the eave, and water backs up under shingles. Focus on Energy, the state's energy efficiency program, has offered incentives for attic insulation and air sealing, which address the cause. In the meantime, keeping gutters clear and downspouts free of ice gives meltwater somewhere to go. Roof rakes are a common sight in Wisconsin garages.

Kenosha, Racine and the southeast

Kenosha and Racine sit on the lake between Milwaukee and Chicago, with older industrial neighborhoods, lakeside homes and growing suburbs along Interstate 94. Lake-effect snow is lighter than on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, but wet, heavy snow and freezing rain are common. The 2008 floods and repeated heavy rains have made basement flooding a concern across southeast Wisconsin.

Hiring a contractor in Wisconsin

Wisconsin requires a Dwelling Contractor credential from the Department of Safety and Professional Services for contractors who pull building permits on one- and two-family homes. Gutter work often does not need a permit, but ask whether the contractor carries the credential and liability insurance. Get a written scope with gutter size, gauge, hanger spacing and downspout locations. Homeowners from Kenosha to Green Bay, Madison to Milwaukee, can book an estimate with one call.

Wisconsin cleaning calendar

Most Wisconsin homes need a late autumn clean in November after the oaks and maples finish, before the gutters freeze. A spring clean in May clears maple seeds, catkins and any debris that blew in during winter. Under pines and spruces, check again midsummer.

Choosing gutters for Wisconsin winters

Heavy-gauge seamless aluminum in 6-inch width, hung on hidden hangers every two feet or closer, holds up best under snow and ice. Larger 3x4 downspouts are less likely to freeze solid than 2x3. Heat cable in gutters and downspouts on north-facing eaves can keep meltwater moving. Snow guards on metal roofs protect gutters from sliding snow.

Wisconsin's older fascia

Many Wisconsin homes built before 1960 have pine fascia boards that were never primed on the back, and decades of ice dams and overflow have softened them. When gutters are replaced, the fascia often needs patching or replacing too. Aluminum fascia wrap protects new wood but can hide future rot if water gets behind it.

La Crosse, Eau Claire and western Wisconsin

La Crosse sits on the Mississippi below steep bluffs, and Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls are in the Chippewa Valley. Winters here are colder and drier than in Milwaukee, with less lake influence. Bluffside homes need downspouts carried to stable ground.

Milwaukee downspouts and the combined sewer

Milwaukee's older areas still have combined sewers that overflow into Lake Michigan in heavy rain. MMSD has encouraged rain barrels, rain gardens and downspout disconnection. Before disconnecting, make sure the water will flow away from the foundation and not onto a neighbor's lot or a public sidewalk.

Wausau and central Wisconsin

Wausau, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids sit in central Wisconsin's forest and farm country, with cold winters, heavy snow and white pine and maple debris.

Sheboygan and Manitowoc

Sheboygan and Manitowoc sit on Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Green Bay, with older lakeside homes facing wind and lake-effect weather.

Fond du Lac and Lake Winnebago

Fond du Lac sits at the south end of Lake Winnebago, with older homes and wind off the lake.

Lake Superior and the far north

In the northern counties near Lake Superior, snow arrives early and stays late, and gutters can be frozen from November to April. Hangers screwed into sound wood at close spacing and clear outlets before the first hard freeze matter more there than in the southern half of the state.