So, apparently gutter guards are a thing. 🤷🏼♀️ Who knew?? (Spoiler alert: I definitely didn’t.)
After my husband and I learned that Seattle averages more than 35 inches of rain every year (!!!), we decided that protection for our gutters would be crucial to maintaining the house’s foundation and ultimately extending our home’s longevity. (We also installed tight line drainage; the systems go hand-in-hand… more on that in a few weeks!) Honestly, gutter guards are something everyone should seriously consider investing in, especially if you live in a climate similar to Seattle’s and have a nine month long “rainy season”. 😂
If you’re like me and were completely clueless to the existence of gutter guards (I hope I’m not alone 😅 ), I’m here to confirm that they are pretty much what the name implies. Made from a super durable steel material, this micro mesh protective barrier is installed on top of your existing gutters to keep everything but rain water from collecting in your water relocation system. This product completely eliminates the chore of getting up on a ladder to clean out your gutters — that benefit alone was enough to convince me to make the investment! 😂
As we noticed our gorgeous Kwanzan cherry trees growing nearer to our house, we became concerned about how that would affect our current drainage system. We knew that leaves, twigs and blossoms would find their way into our gutters and eventually form a clog that would end up causing major water issues (resulting in expensive repairs that we definitely did not want to pay). In addition, we had started seeing squirrels spending time on our roof and could hear them making themselves comfortable in the gutters so that ultimately pushed us to call in some professionals.
We did a little online research and decided to call Master Shield for a consultation. A Master Shield installation expert came to our home to tell us more about the product, joined us in a brief walk around the perimeter of house to assess the amount of materials that would be needed (to provide an accurate price quote), and answered all of our questions. The Master Shield consultant also provided us with a pamphlet containing color swatches so that we could be confident that the gutter guards would seamlessly integrate into our existing exterior decor.
Master Shield offers a wide variety of colors to choose from! We originally thought about using the ‘Dark/Dove Gray’ to match the color of our roof, but decided that ’30 Degree White’ would match the actual gutters and blend with the white trim accents we already have around the windows, etc.
After our consultation, we decided that Master Shield was the perfect fit for our needs and looking back, we couldn’t be happier with our decision. On installation day everything was completed within just a few hours! Ever since then, we have had such a peace-of-mind about our house (and bonus: we now have one less chore to worry about!! #adultingwin ).
The guards have truly been invaluable to maintaining the integrity of our home. We can’t emphasize enough how impressed we are by this product and the value that it provides. We also highly recommend using MasterShield if they are available in your area.
What appliances or devices have you installed in your home that you find to be invaluable? Let me know in the comments!
xx, Natalie
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