Gutter Screens: Maintenance-Free or Maintenance Nightmare?
Most homeowners want gutter screens for two reasons: better drainage, and no more cleaning out the gutters. Both are good goals. But MTL Construction Services has insight that convinces most clients not to get screens at all.
Here's what MTL has learned from removing a lot of gutter screens, so you can decide with the full picture.
Why cheap gutter screens become a maintenance nightmare
The lower-cost option is usually a black powder-coated screen with large openings. The problem is the openings. Leaves and small twigs get caught in the screen instead of sliding off, and the gutter clogs anyway.
If you think cleaning out the bottom of a smooth gutter is a headache, try picking leaves and twigs out of a gutter screen!
MTL regularly gets calls from homeowners, several years after installing large-opening screens, asking to have them removed and replaced with fine-mesh stainless steel screens, which cost much more.
Do the math first: screens or cleaning?
Screens and gutter cleaning both solve the same headache, so compare what each one costs. Your MTL Project Manager sits down with you and puts the numbers side by side: what a good gutter screen costs to install, and what it costs to have someone clean your gutters.
Most of the time, getting your gutters cleaned every couple of years for the next decade costs less than installing a good gutter screen.
| Option | Up-front cost | What to expect | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large-opening powder-coated screens | Lower | Leaves and twigs get stuck in the openings and clog the gutter; cleaning the screen is harder than cleaning the gutter | Not recommended by MTL |
| Fine-mesh stainless steel screens | Higher | Built to keep leaves and twigs out of the gutter | Homes with a lot of trees directly over the roof |
| Gutter cleaning every couple of years | No install cost | A cleaning visit every couple of years | Most homes |
When gutter screens are worth it
The exception is a home with a lot of trees directly over the roof. If you absolutely need gutter screens, MTL recommends spending the money once on screens that work: fine-mesh stainless steel.
Is this an upsell?
Recommending the more expensive screen can sound like an upsell. It comes from the many homeowners who have asked MTL to tear out large-opening powder-coated screens and install fine-mesh stainless steel instead. MTL is here to serve you and will install whatever you choose. You should just hear this feedback from someone in the industry before you spend the money.
Get a straight answer on gutter screens.
Serving Austin, Lakeway, Steiner Ranch, Bee Cave, Spanish Oaks, West Lake Hills, Barton Creek, Dripping Springs, Spicewood, Marble Falls, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Georgetown.