Away from the house, onto ground that slopes away and can soak the water up. Snohomish County's surface-water guidance says at least 10 feet from the foundation, downslope, onto planted ground, using 4-inch extensions where needed. Water that soaks in beside the wall is still water against the foundation. In a New England winter, keep the outlet off paths and drives, where it freezes.
A downspout that empties against the wall has only moved the problem down a few feet.
Backed by Wood & Wood Seamless Gutters, more than 30 years in the gutter business.
Distance and direction
Snohomish County's guidance asks for a minimum of 10 feet from the foundation, sent downslope to well-vegetated ground or another safe outlet. It is one county's advice, not a New England code, but the logic holds anywhere.
A 4-inch extension, flexible or rigid, carries the water out past the planting bed. Check the ground where it lands. If the yard tilts back toward the house, the water comes back with it.
Buried drains
Many houses send downspouts into a pipe in the ground. That works only if the pipe still carries water to somewhere useful. If an old buried line is crushed or full of roots, the downspout backs up and the water can surface beside the foundation. Run a hose into it before trusting it.
Winter
A downspout that empties onto a shaded path or the drive can freeze into a sheet of ice. We plan each outlet with that in mind. How to remove ice dams covers the roof side of winter.
What it costs
Downspouts are priced per foot, $14 installed or $16 for 6-inch, elbows included. How many downspouts do I need? covers the count.
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
How far from the house should a downspout drain?
Snohomish County's guidance is at least 10 feet from the foundation, downslope.
Should downspouts be buried?
Only into a pipe that still carries water away. Test an old buried line with a hose first.
How do I get a price?
Call (617) 401-9301 and tell us where each downspout empties now. We plan the outlets on the same call.
Compare the systems before you call: all gutter guards, Gutter Clean Pro, T-Rex, DoublePro, and the full price list.
Sources
- 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