These accessories help stop ice, leaves, pine needles, and even animals from clogging your house's drainage system. Their role is to offer peace of mind for homeowners. With guards, there's no worry about having to constantly check for ice dams & clean out your gutters.
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The best models also prevent many of the problems that snow, ice, and frigid temperatures can cause during the winter months. So which ones are the best choice for winter in Colorado?

Read on to discover what you should be looking for when choosing gutter guards for all the Colorado seasons.

​For gutter guard protection during the winter, a homeowner's best bet is Legacy premium leaf filters. These gutter protectors are aluminum ridged, making them stronger and less susceptible to deterioration over time. They also deter birds, squirrels, insects, and other animals from creating nests inside your gutters.

Their unique ridging design allows for better water and debris flow through and out of the gutter tray. Debris never gets in the way of necessary drainage.

Furthermore, the ridges in these gutter guards are self-cleaning, which prevents clogging of your gutters. That's a reason why these products have a 20-year no-clog guarantee.

When it comes to dealing with winter weather, these guards can resist the tough conditions caused by colder temperatures. When installing leaf filters over gutters, the Legacy team will recommend the darker brown leaf filter over white in order to capitalize on the sunny Colorado weather. The darker filter will warm to the sun's rays, enhancing the ability of the filters to melt ice and keep water and snow melt flowing off of your roof. 

The aluminum construction not only provides protection but also can improve your entire gutter system. It will help make your gutter strong enough to handle buildup from Colorado's snow.

Thanks to the strength of these guards, your gutter system should also not have any issues with ice dams.

​The main type of guard that you want to avoid for winter in Colorado is micro-mesh leaf filters. While these gutter guards are being sold to many homes, these are designed for warmer climates where freezing and snowis not an issue. These filters are not likely to withstand rough Colorado winters.

The fine mesh clogs easily and allows snowmelt to pool up on top of the gutter filter, re-freezing as soon as the sun and temperatures drop down. This will lead to ice damming on top of your gutter and roof, causing additional freeze/refreeze issues and damage to roof and guttering. 

Freezing and snow are a part of the Colorado winter season, which can render these types of gutter guards useless.

Going Forward

When deciding on how best to protect and maintain your gutters throughout the winter season, please keep these factors in mind. You want something that can take on the harsher temperatures, and handle the snow and ice that the colder months bring. 

If you follow these guidelines, you should end up choosing the right type of guard. Do you have any other questions or concerns about your home's gutters? If so, contact us at any of our Denver metro  or Colorado Springs gutter contractor offices  so we can help!

​Often in our daily, weekly, or monthly routine of home maintenance we tend to maintain issues under our roof, without giving any thought to the actual roof itself.  This can be an expensive oversight as like with anything in life, your roof needs regular maintenance and can sometimes suffer from unexpected failures and need replacing. The following are indications that your roof may  need some expert attention:

There may come a time when you want to give your home a new look or you are fed up with trying to keep up with the maintenance on your ageing roof. This is the perfect time to assess what you want to get done and what option is the best fit with your vision and your budget.

At Legacy Gutters, our team is knowledgeable on many aspects of roofing. They will happily provide you with an assessment of the condition and options for your roof. If you decide to make a change, there are a number of different possibilities depending on the design of your roof. However, it is important to bear in mind that some types of roofing will be a better fit for your home than others. 

For example if your area is prone to high winds or wildfires then you will need a product that is wind resistant and has a high fire rating. To give you a better idea, here are some of the possibilities: 

So if you want to find out your best roofing options for you give us a call. Our specialists will come to your home and do a complete assessment of both your roof and your gutters so that they can provide you with a comprehensive and competitive quote.  ​

Badly Placed Gutters

When doing maintenance for the first time, we will review whether your gutters are placed at the correct distance from your roof. Oftentimes, gutters are installed directly under the roof shingles. However, if they are placed too high, it can result in your gutters being pulled away from the house by ice and snow during a strong winter. Conversely, if your gutters have been installed too far down, water coming off the roof during a heavy storm could miss them altogether.  

​If you live in the Denver metro area, then you are no stranger to hailstorms. These sudden yet common occurrences can be anywhere from a mild annoyance to a damaging deluge of ice particles raining from the sky. In fact, according to data from the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (which monitors this stuff for insurance companies), Colorado has the second highest amount of hail claims in the country, right after Texas.
 
But how much damage can hail do? Well, as it turns out, a significant amount. According to that same data, Colorado experiences around four catastrophic hailstorms (rated as $25 million or more in damages) per year, which can add up to a lot of money.

​That all pales in comparison, however, to the most recent storm that hit Denver this year. On May 8th, the skies opened up and released a swarm of gigantic, baseball-sized hail stones that pummeled the area for what seemed like forever as residents struggled to avoid getting hit by falling ice. It was so thick and so bad that even Coors Field was completely covered in hail, giving the stadium a white blanket of ice.
 
Considering that Denver is used to this sort of thing, this storm should be much like the others of previous years, right? Well, it turns out that this one set a record for the most damage done in a single hailstorm. Back in July of 2009, a storm hit the area and cost taxpayers about $767.6 million dollars. This year, that number swelled to about $1.4 billion. Even when adjusted for inflation, the 2009 storm still cost much less than this one, running about $850 million if it happened today. As you can see, it’s obvious that this one was far more devastating than storms of old.
 
Cause and Effect
So why the extra damage? What was so special about this storm that made it the worst in the city’s history? Well, there are a few different reasons that contributed to the lasting effect of the storm. First, the size of the stones was a major factor, as they were far larger than storms past. Although the largest one on record was only 2.75 inches (according to the National Weather Service), there were plenty of larger stones found by residents in the aftermath.
 
Second, the cost of repairs is much higher than it used to be. As we upgrade to nicer accommodations and vehicles, it is going to take a lot more money to fix them. Considering that the storm happened during peak rush hour, that meant that a lot of cars were out on the road that suffered minor to severe damage. Most of it was related to broken windshields and windows, but there were also plenty of dents and scratches that had to be mended as well. In fact, from this single storm, over 150,000 claims were made for cars alone.
 
Finally, the other contributor to this being the worst storm (financially) in history is that Denver has been experiencing a population boom. Due in no small part to the burgeoning legalized recreational marijuana industry, more and more people are flocking to the city and the surrounding areas of Lakewood, Golden, and Westminster, to name a few. This influx of new residents means that there are a lot more people affected by the storm, whereas just a decade ago the numbers were much lower.
 
Unfortunately, this all adds up to a troubling sign of the times. Considering that only one of these factors could potentially change (having a storm at night or during non-peak traffic hours), it seems that the residents of Colorado are going to have to face a higher cost of living as insurance for this kind of damage will only increase. Most likely the Denver area will suffer even more damage in the future, which means that this record will be broken sooner rather than later.

​So, what can you do to prepare yourself? Well, unfortunately, there is not a lot you can do for your car, as most manufacturers don’t offer extra protection from blocks of ice. However, for your home, you can invest in impact-resistant roofing and thicker windows that could sustain damage without having to be replaced immediately.
 
If you’re caught out in a storm, be sure to find cover and pull off the road if you are in your car. The ice will make conditions much more slippery than usual, so it’s best to pull off as soon as possible rather than trying to make it under cover. If your car is at an angle, then it will direct most of the stones toward the windshield, which is stronger than the rest of the windows. Also, keep your back to the glass in case it does break so that you don’t get injured from it.
 
Overall, if you live in Colorado Front Range or its surrounding neighborhoods, preparing for hail is simply a fact of life. The more you can do to protect yourself the better off you’ll be in the long run. 

If you suspect hail damage repairs are needed, contact Legacy Gutters to help inspect and refer you to qualified and trusted contractors.