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As a new home builder I haven’t had the opportunity to do much box gutter
work. A local home owner asked me to rebuild their box gutters can anyone
give me a good idea of what a total rebuild would cost per foot.
I would be rebuilding them with 19th century craftsmanship.
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T and M. Jeff
*We just had this done and the going rate is about $50 -$60 per linear foot. Our rafter ends were a train wreck and had to be sawed off and new joists sistered in. I watched the guy work and it was quite an engineering marvel. He built a wide trench out of the new rafter ends, dropping down 1/8" [maybe 1/4" - can't remember] per 16" and lined it with EPDM rubber. It took 2-3 men working 5 days to finish the job. It was a massive project and I thought the $1600 I paid was a *swingin' deal.*And it works and looks wonderful.He even used a 4" round PVC pipe [downspout] to mimic the original old round downspout look.Rose
*Oh, one more thing...The guy who did our box gutter does almost nothing else but box gutters and he stays booked for months in advance. He's a real craftsman and I understand this kind of work [box gutter restoration] is in high demand.Rose
*Could you post a picture?
*Rose: In general, considering the 'built-in' aspect of box gutters, lead-coated copper is the material of choice for lining.Jeff
*Just testing my reply button. BTW, I lined mine with copper that I bent up into 42-ft. long troughs. Took three of us on ladders to carry them up to the roof without kinking them.Andy
*Andy - Reply doesn't work yet.Re: Your gutters - I hope your 42-ft. long troughs have some joints in them for expansion! I would think so since I haven't yet seen a 42-foot long bending brake. Also, there's an optimum shape (per SMACNA) which includes a sloping front leg and some ideal dimensions. The idea is if your trough has straight sides and freezes, the 9% expansion will break something, but if sloped one side the trough will 'pop' the ice up.The only problem I've ever really had with lead-coated copper is with soldered joints on too-long lengths tearing open due to thermal expansion.Jeff
*(reply works here) (the other Andy) Could anyone direct me to some construction details for this sort of thing? I really think the conventional K gutters are ugly, especially with what ladders do to them. In California they use a lot of 3-sided "bevel" galvanized gutters that are practically unnoticeable -- they look like fascia.
*andrew d -There are a number of period references, one of the best being:b Old House Measured and Scaled Detail Drawings for Builders and Carpentersby William A. Radford from Dover Publication (ISBN 0-486-24438-5)You'll like this book. Just substitute lead-coated copper or copper for all the references to 'terne' and 'tin' for updating purposes.Another reason to have this book, for renovation work, is to be able to better anticipate what you might find in traditional construction once you remove visible components. Also, the SMACNA book is great, although expensive, and not necessary for most folks.Jeff
*Thank you, I found it easily enough. But information-kleptomaniacal Amazon also tells me I bought it 2 years ago! Now where the heck did I put it??
*Hey - I wrote a review on that book at amazon.com. Feel *free* to zap that "helpful" button if you're in the neighborhood. BTW, it is a great book!Rose
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As a new home builder I haven't had the opportunity to do much box gutter
work. A local home owner asked me to rebuild their box gutters can anyone
give me a good idea of what a total rebuild would cost per foot.
I would be rebuilding them with 19th century craftsmanship.