As a handyman or handywoman around the house, you might have found that there are certain projects you can DIY. These mostly depend on your skill level, so you might only have the skills to reliably fix a broken cabinet or screw in a loose pipe. People who have devoted themselves to the craft of being handy tend to have a bit more in their repertoire, where they might be able to retile a bathroom or repair larger household appliances.

However, DIYing everything isn’t the best option. No matter how good you are, there will be some projects that are too big, too expensive, too complicated, or too dangerous to handle alone. Dealing with things like water, heights, and electricity tends to be outside the comfort zone of most DIYers, and two of those boxes get checked off whenever you have gutters that need to be installed.

While DIYing your gutters is possible, it can go horribly wrong if you don’t know what you are doing, and here are some of the risks that come with installing gutters on your own. The point isn’t to scare you, but to make sure you know when you can do a project yourself, and when it is best to call the professionals.

1. Not Being Pitch Perfect

Your gutters don’t need to sing to you, but they do need to be at an angle. Even if most gutters look like straight lines from your view, you need to remember that the entire purpose of gutters is to direct rainwater away from your house on a slope. If the gutters are not angled correctly, then not only have you defeated the entire purpose of gutters in the first place, but you also can risk water damage to your home.

Water can overflow without properly pitched gutters, which can cause stains, mold growth, and even damage over time to your gutters that will weaken them. Make sure to always check and see that your gutters are angled properly. It should be around ¼ inches of pitch for every ten feet of gutter.

If you are unsure how to do this, make sure to get a professional opinion and get help before you start installing them. After all, you don’t want water damage to happen to your home.

2. You Have The Wrong Type Of Gutter

There are a lot of different types of gutters in the world today, and chances are you will pick the wrong one before you pick the right one. When it comes to installing rain gutters for your DIY gutter installation, you need to look at a lot of different features. These can include the rain gutters cost, the shape of the gutters, and the material of the gutters as well.

Depending on the style of your house, whether or not your house has Fascia boards attached to it, and the materials you want your gutters made out of, you will have some cosmetic choices. But other choices are purely functional as well, such as the material.

You might live in an area that has a ton of rainfall, but the gutters you get aren’t durable enough to handle that much rain. Then the gutters break down and you will need to have them replaced. In order to prevent this from happening, figure out exactly what type of rainfall you have in your area, and then see what type of gutters compliment that.

3. Too Many/Not Properly Welded Seams

Seams are the part where two gutters are welded or otherwise spliced together, and they are the weakest link in your gutters if they are not connected properly. If you have seams that have not been properly welded or otherwise aren’t put together right, water will leak from those seams. Then that water will drip down to damage your foundation and cause problems.

Additionally, if you have gutters that hold too many seams, then the potential for one of those seams to have problems goes up. Try to get gutters that have few seams or gutters that are seamless to avoid potential problems, and always make sure you know how to seal the seams properly.

4. Not Enough Gutter Hangers

In some cases, accessories are purely cosmetic, and you don’t need to spend extra money on them if you do not want to. However, if you want to purchase some gutter hangers, then you need to pull out that extra cash. Gutter Hangers help to provide support to your gutters by fastening them to your roof’s fascia.

If you don’t have enough gutter hangers or don’t have them spaced out enough, eventually your gutters will start to become damaged and will not have the support they need to hang up. After a while they will sag and then can become less effective. This also causes your home to sag as well, giving rise to a lot of foundation issues.

5. Not Securing The Ladder

Of course, the number one issue is not being on the ladder properly. If you aren’t on the ladder safely then you are putting your own health at risk. Whenever hanging gutters, make sure to keep your balance on the ladder, always have someone spotting you, and ensure that the ladder is properly balanced on the ground before you climb up.

That’s the most important part of a gutter installation, and if you have trouble with heights, make sure to call upon one of the many gutter repair near me companies that are in the area. They can get the job done and can also be safe about it.

Use Common Sense, or Call

For any DIY project, but especially ones with gutters, make sure to use common sense and do your research when it comes to getting the project ready for install. That’s how most people tend to get their projects done without injury. However, if the project is out of your wheelhouse, make sure to reach out and call upon the professionals to get the job done!