I hired a seamless gutter company to install copper K-style gutters on my home in <!—-><!—-><!—->San Diego<!—-><!—->. I asked the owner to have his installers use gloves so that they wouldn’t leave finger and hand prints on the copper. I also asked him to solder them and to use twice as many fasteners as usual to deter theft. He bid the job at $2428.
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Two of his installers came out last week and installed the gutters. I gave them each $40 up front, telling them that I knew the copper was more difficult to work with than aluminum and that I wanted them to do the best possible job. They were happy to get the tip and did a fantastic job. The copper was flawless except for the discoloration where the soldering was done (which actually looks kind of nice and is unavoidable, anyway).
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For about one week I had the nicest gutters I could have imagined. I paid the guy the same day with my Visa card.
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Today the owner of the company shows up at my house while I’m in the shower. A guy who’s helping me work on the interior of my house let him in and he came to the bathroom door and said that he was here to add some fasteners because he didn’t have enough the day the gutters were installed for the amount included in the quote. So I said okay. But I did not even know any part of the work remained to be done, or that the owner was planning to come to my house today.
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After I finished my shower, I went outside to find him working on the gutters on the front of the house. I could tell where he had already installed fasteners by all of the smudges on the gutters. He wasn’t wearing gloves. I pointed that out to him, and he said he’d use them while installing the rest of the fasteners. He also said that he had installed copper gutters on his own house and not used gloves, and that all of the smudges became unnoticeable as the copper turned brown.
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I’d read on the net that gloves should be used because smudges would remain visible to some extent as the copper weathered. So I went in to do some reading on that while he did the rest of the work so I could find out what I could do about the smudges he had already caused.
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I found some information saying such smudges would disappear, and some that they wouldn’t so gloves should always be used. I went outside to discuss this with him further, and found that he had finished and left without telling me.
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I’m very unhappy with the way my gutters look now. They had a great, even appearance before, and I really couldn’t have been happier. But now they look messy. Two of my neighbors have already asked me what happened to them.
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What would you guys do in a situation like this?
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I’m reluctant to clean them, or let the gutter guy clean them, as I’m guessing that any cleaner used would result in an uneven patina as the copper weathers. Plus, I didn’t pay $2400 to clean a could bunch of gutters. I don’t want to spray on some sort of patina agent as I’ve read that the patina they create can peel off over time. Plus, from what I’ve read, they are not to be used on smudged copper.
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Maybe the appearance will even out some day, but I contracted for and paid for gutters that would not be smudged to begin with which then patina evenly and naturally.
Replies
Bummer, but here is a bump to keep this thread alive.
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
Here are some pictures of the smudges/blotches the gutter company owner left on the gutters. The smudges don't appear equally noticeable in all 3 photographs, but they are in person. It was difficult to get the camera to register them the same way the eye does. Again, I'm not talking about the discoloration from the soldering. I'm referring to the smudging and bright areas in the copper.
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Seriously.
You got nice gutters that anyone would be proud to have. Those marks are only seen by you and will go away.
But if you must, go up and wash them with plain water and a soft cloth. It's not reasonable to expect the level of service you believe you need. Because it doesn't matter.
Remember, anyone else would be proud to have what you got.
By me and already two of my neighbors in the eight hours since he screwed them up.
I appreciate the compliment, and your input, but I can't see the level of service that I wanted as being unreasonable when I contracted and paid for it, and received it, up until this guy got up there and started hammering in extra fasteners. This was simply unnecessary and could have been easily avoided.
You mention wiping them off, but I don't know what effect that will have in the future. All I wanted was a nice, even patina as they aged.
A few years back and up the 5 from you, I also had the house done in copper gutters. Beleive me, you'll get the look you're wanting. Give it time.
I see. How much time would it take for them to even out in appearance?
If I had hired that job done I'd be much more upset that the soldering was done with flame instead of irons and made the joints very distasteful.
Fingerprints will disappear before long , but that discoloration from overheating will be seen for quite a while.
Screw the hand prints they will go away, but that END CAP!! Jeezy pete. We fabbed our own and leave the ragged cuts inside, and rivet so that fewer are visable .
To the OP: The prints will all be a moot point in a few weeks, really. The only time I hung CU gutters w/gloves was when it was really cold. I have hung a LOT of gutters, and spilled flux or sloppy solder is much more distasteful than a few handprints.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
We install, or have someone install, a lot of copper flashings and some copper gutters. Our copper guy always wears gloves. I always tick him off because when I pick up flashings at his shop, I don't wear gloves unless it's cold out.
Even he admits though that it's only for the short-term appearance. He knows copper work is expensive, and it's like when you buy a new car--you expect it shiny. In a few weeks the gutters will look fine, and the new car will be dirty. It won't matter anymore. But I understand you asked for shiny and should have gotten it.
Like the other guys said, the soldering and end caps are more distressing from a craftsmanship point of view, but if that's not what you or your neighbors see than it's not a big deal either.
Nice job tipping the installers up front, and paying promptly.
It was your helper's fault the gutter guy came to your bathroom door, not the gutter guy's. But he should have called first. Or he could have just ignored the fact that you asked for extra fasteners. At least he was trying to do the right thing.