They help when the water comes from the roof. University of Minnesota Extension lists missing gutters and downspouts, and ground that does not slope away, as common causes of wet basements, and says to fix them before any below-grade drainage. A downspout with no extension can be worse than none, since it dumps the roof's water in one spot by the wall. Gutters do nothing for condensation or rising groundwater.
Gutters are the first fix to check, and the cheapest.
Backed by Wood & Wood Seamless Gutters, more than 30 years in the gutter business.
Start above ground
Extension's advice is to do the easy, low-cost things first: check the gutters, the downspouts and the grade around the house. Those corrections may solve the problem on their own. If the moisture persists, then look at an interior or exterior drainage system.
- Gutters on every eave that sheds water toward the house.
- At least one downspout per 50 feet of eave.
- Extensions that discharge at least 4 feet beyond the wall.
- Soil that falls away at least 1 inch per foot for 6 feet.
How far out the water should go
Extension's minimum is 4 feet. Snohomish County's surface-water guidance asks for 10 feet, downslope. Where should downspouts drain? covers buried drains and winter ice.
When it is not the gutters
Some wet walls are condensation. Warm, humid summer air meets the cool basement wall and leaves water on it. The water table can also rise after flooding or in a wet season. Gutters touch none of that.
What it costs
Downspouts are priced per foot, $14 installed or $16 for 6-inch. A guard over sound gutters starts at $18 a foot.
Call to install: every step
Three ways to start
- Call (617) 401-9301. It is answered any hour, and a missed call gets called back.
- Send the short form on the home page with your street address, and your number lands in your inbox.
- Text or chat through the chat window on this site.
Understand what you actually need
About fifteen minutes on the phone: the length of the roofline, the number of stories and the trees around the house. The roofline is measured remotely, so nobody comes to the house to sell. You get your price the same day, from the published per-foot rates.
- Gutters still in good shape: Gutter Clean Pro goes over the gutters you already have, from $18/ft.
- Gutters that need replacing: new gutters with the guard built in. T-Rex (continuous hanger) from $25/ft, or DoublePro (two filtration layers) from $30/ft.
- Fascia that cannot be drilled: Hover Pro, quoted for your house.
- Complex rooflines, third stories and copper are quoted separately, and we say so on the call, never after arrival.
Your plan, in writing
You get a written quote and your StormRail plan: photos of your house, the system, the gutter size and your color choices. The certified installer works from that same plan, so you and the installer are never on different pages.
A deposit capped at one third
Massachusetts law caps a home-improvement deposit at one third of the contract. We hold to that in every state we work in. Your quote names the exact figure before you pay anything.
Material ordered and confirmed
Your Alu-Rex system is ordered through the Alu-Rex distributor and confirmed before an install date is set, so the date you get is one the material can meet.
Scheduled with a certified installer in your county
A certified Alu-Rex installer working in your area takes the job, and you get the date without chasing anyone. In season we're typically booking four to six weeks out. We'd rather tell you that now than promise you Tuesday and send whoever happened to be free. Emergency work — a collapsed run, active water in the basement — gets triaged ahead of the queue.
Installed
The installer fits the system on the plan you already approved. Any balance is due as your quote states.
After the install
We check in after the job is done. Each system carries its own written Alu-Rex warranty:
- Gutter Clean Pro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
- T-Rex: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance 25-year prorated limited
- DoublePro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
Questions homeowners ask
Will new gutters fix a wet basement?
Only if roof water is the cause. Check the downspout extensions and the grade first.
Is a damp basement always a leak?
No. University of Minnesota Extension notes that condensation on cool basement walls can be mistaken for leakage.
How do I get a price?
Call (617) 401-9301 and tell us which corner of the basement gets wet. We look at the gutter and downspout on that side first.
Compare the systems before you call: all gutter guards, Gutter Clean Pro, T-Rex, DoublePro, and the full price list.
Sources
- University of Minnesota Extension: Moisture in basements, causes and solutions extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/home-maintenance/caring-for-a-home/moisture-in-basements-causes-and-solutions
- Snohomish County, WA: Gutters and Downspouts snohomishcountywa.gov/6944/Gutters-and-Downspouts
Get a number for your roofline
One call is enough to start: the address, how many stories, and what grows over the roof. The published per-foot rate is the starting point, and the full scope and total are confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
Call (617) 401-9301