Roof and Gutter Replacement in North Canton, Ohio

Why replace the roof edge and gutters at the same time?

Because they overlap, literally. Drip edge is a strip of bent metal along the eave. Its lower leg has to drop into the gutter so that water running off the shingles lands inside the trough. If the gutter is hung too low, too far out or behind the metal, water runs down the fascia board instead. That is how fascia rots and how basements get wet at the corners. When one company does both, the gutter is hung to the new drip edge, not to wherever the old one happened to be.

What is drip edge, and do older North Canton roofs have it?

Many do not. Drip edge was often skipped on houses built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, which describes most of this city. Without it, water clings to the edge of the shingle, curls under and wets the deck edge and the fascia. Every roof replaced through this site gets new drip edge on the eaves and the rakes.

The same strip of roof gets ice and water shield. It is a self-sticking membrane that goes on the bare deck at the eaves and runs up past the line of the heated wall. When melted snow backs up behind ice at the gutter, the membrane keeps it out of the house.

What shows up when the old gutters come off?

Things nobody could see before.

• Fascia boards that are soft at the ends and behind the downspouts.
• Old spike hangers that have pulled loose, leaving the gutter tilted the wrong way.
• Paint lines showing the gutter has sagged below the shingle edge.
• Rotted deck edge under the first course of shingles.

With the roof torn off and the gutters down, each of these can be fixed in the open. When only one trade is on site, they tend to get covered back up.

In what order is the work done?

1. The owner inspects the roof and the gutters on the same visit and photographs both.
2. You get a photo report the same day and one written price, good for a year.
3. Old gutters come down where they are being replaced, and the roof is torn off.
4. Soft fascia and deck edge are repaired. Drip edge, membrane, underlayment and shingles go on.
5. New seamless gutters and downspouts are hung to the new roof edge, the same week.
6. Gutter guards, if you want them, go on last.

What gutters go up?

Seamless aluminum gutters in the K-style profile, in a 5-inch or 6-inch size, formed on site to the length of each run. The old gutters are taken down and hauled away. A long, low ranch roof sheds a lot of water onto one eave, so gutter size and downspout count deserve some thought. For guards, a stainless micro-mesh guard that mounts on the fascia side is used, so nothing gets slid under your new shingles.

Can sound gutters stay when the roof is replaced?

Yes. If your gutters are sound, sloped right and hung on screws, they can stay, and the new drip edge is set to feed them. The photo report will tell you which kind you have. Gutters that are spiked on, seamed every few feet and leaking at the corners are the ones worth replacing while the edge is open.

Which North Canton houses gain most from doing both?

Ranches and split-levels from the 1950s to the 1980s, such as those around Applegrove Street. They have long eaves, gutters that may be decades old and often no drip edge. Prewar houses near Main and Maple come next, where wide fascia and old hangers hide years of patching. See the pages on mid-century ranch streets and the older core near Main and Maple.

For the roof itself, start at roof replacement in North Canton. For a problem at the edge of a roof that is otherwise sound, see roof repair. The shingles that go on are described on the architectural shingles page.