Gutter guards for Morgantown, West Virginia homes

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us your town and what your gutters or downspouts are doing.

2. We connect you

   Your call goes to an independent gutter or gutter guard company that works in the Morgantown area.

3. They call you back

   They visit, look over the roofline and quote the job themselves.

Who calls us?

Homeowners and landlords in Morgantown and the communities around it: Westover across the Monongahela, Star City and Granville to the north and west, and Cheat Lake, Brookhaven and the Mileground to the east. The calls tend to fall into three groups. Trees over the roof fill the gutters faster than anyone wants to clean them. Gutters overflow in a hard rain even right after a cleaning. Or downspouts let go next to the foundation on a sloped lot, and the basement, crawl space or the hillside below shows it.

Why do Morgantown gutters fill up so fast?

Because this is one of the most wooded corners of one of the most wooded states. West Virginia is about 78 percent forest, third in the nation behind Maine and New Hampshire. Morgantown is a Tree City USA, and plenty of older streets in neighborhoods like South Park, Woodburn, Greenmont and Suncrest are lined with big shade trees. Newer subdivisions toward Cheat Lake and Brookhaven were cut out of woodland and still back up to it. The result is the same everywhere: leaves in October and November, seeds and flower parts in spring, and twigs after every windstorm.

Do gutter guards end gutter cleaning?

No guard is maintenance-free, but a good one installed correctly turns a twice-a-year ladder job into an occasional brush or rinse from the top. The point of a guard is to keep leaves, twigs and seed clusters out of the trough and out of the downspouts. That's where clogs cause overflow, and where they back up buried drain lines you can't easily reach. Fine debris and roof grit can still collect on top of a guard, especially in roof valleys, so plan on a quick check each season.

Which gutter guard types are worth comparing?

• Stainless micro-mesh. A tight steel mesh over a rigid frame. It blocks the smallest debris and is the usual pick for houses under dense hardwoods or a few pines.
• Perforated aluminum or steel. Solid panels punched with holes. Less expensive and fine for broad leaves, but small seeds and needles can slip through.
• Reverse-curve hoods. Water follows a rounded front edge into the gutter while leaves slide off. They can overshoot in a downpour off a steep roof, and they change the look of the roofline.
• Foam and brush inserts. Store-bought do-it-yourself products that sit in the trough. They tend to hold debris and wear out well before metal guards.

How hard does it rain here?

Morgantown averages about 43 inches of precipitation a year, based on NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Morgantown Municipal Airport. July is the wettest month at almost 5 inches, and February is the driest at under 3. Summer rain often arrives as short, heavy thunderstorms, which is when undersized or clogged gutters spill over. Winter brings snow too, about 27 inches in an average year, and gutters packed with wet leaves are slow to drain meltwater.

Why does roof water matter more on a hillside?

Morgantown climbs from roughly 800 feet at the Monongahela River to nearly 1,400 feet at Dorsey Knob, and many houses sit on steep lots. A landslide risk study by West Virginia University's GIS Technical Center counted 2,967 primary structures in Monongalia County in high or medium landslide susceptibility areas, second most in the state. The same report notes that slides are most troublesome when soils are saturated in late winter and early spring, and that poorly planned drainage around development can soak the ground. Gutters and downspouts can't stop a landslide, but they decide where a whole roof's worth of water lands. Sending it away from the foundation and the slope below is cheap insurance.

Signs your gutters aren't keeping up

• Water sheeting over the front edge of the gutter in a storm
• Peeling paint, stains or soft spots on fascia and soffit boards
• Mulch washed out or a groove worn in the soil under the roof edge
• A wet basement or damp crawl space after heavy rain
• Plants or moss growing in the gutter
• Runs that sag, hold water or lean away from the house

Can guards go on my existing gutters?

Usually, if the gutters are solid, slope toward their downspouts and are fastened to sound wood. If they sag, drip at several joints or overflow even when clean, guards will only hide the problem. Then new seamless gutters with guards installed at the same visit is generally the smarter job.

Does a gutter installer need a West Virginia license?

For most jobs, yes. West Virginia law defines a contractor by the size of the job: $5,000 or more for residential work, or $25,000 or more for commercial work. The Division of Labor issues contractor licenses, and the license number must appear on contracts and advertising. Jobs of $10,000 or more also require a written contract signed by both sides. The Morgantown gutter guard guide covers licensing, permits and hiring in more detail.

Is this a gutter company?

No. Morgantown Gutter Guards is a referral service. We connect you with an independent gutter company that works near your address, and that company quotes, installs and stands behind the work. Before you sign, read our tips for hiring a gutter installer.

Areas we cover

• Morgantown
• Westover
• Cheat Lake
• Brookhaven

Planning ahead? Read our Morgantown gutter guard guide.