Gutter Installation in Madison, WI

Most calls we get start with a stain on a ceiling. The water rarely enters where it shows. We trace it back to the source: a lifted shingle, a cracked pipe boot, step flashing pulled loose at a sidewall, or a nail that backed out and split the seal. Repairs use matching shingles where we can get them, new underlayment under the patch, and fresh flashing rather than a bead of caulk over the old.

We walk the roof, not the driveway. Every valley, penetration, and edge gets checked by hand, and we open the attic to look for daylight, damp sheathing, and blocked vents. You get photos of what we found, a plain description of what is wearing out, and what can wait. Homes around Madison have a median build year of 1979, so many roofs are on their second or third layer, and we say so when that is the case.

Full tear-off is where we start. Old shingles, underlayment, and flashing come off down to the deck so we can see it. Soft or delaminated sheathing gets replaced with new plywood. Then ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment over the field, new drip edge, and architectural shingles or standing seam metal, depending on the job. Replacements in the city are permitted through the City of Madison, and we handle that paperwork.

New construction and additions get the same attention as a replacement, whether the job is residential or a flat commercial roof in Middleton. On low-slope sections we install TPO or modified bitumen with fully sealed seams and tapered insulation so water drains instead of ponding. Steep sections get proper starter courses, six nails per shingle in high-wind areas, and ridge venting sized to the attic. Materials matter, but installation is what decides how long a roof performs.

We start on the roof, not at the curb. We check the shingles or panels, the flashing at every wall and chimney, and the drip edge along the eaves, because the gutter hangs from that edge and the fascia behind it. The median Madison home was built in 1979, and fascia of that age is often soft. We probe it, note any rot, and measure the roof so the downspouts match the water it actually sheds.

Everything we found goes on paper. The estimate lists the gutter profile and gauge (5-inch or 6-inch K-style aluminum in .027 or .032), the number of downspouts, hanger spacing, and any fascia or deck repair we recommend. Roofing work gets its own line items so nothing is bundled where you cannot see it. Read it over, ask about anything that is unclear, and call us when you are ready to schedule.

Old gutters come down first, along with the spikes and ferrules that held them. If the roof is being replaced, we tear the shingles down to the deck, pull the old underlayment and flashing, and strip the drip edge. Nails get pulled or driven flush, never left proud. Debris goes straight into the trailer instead of piling on the lawn, and we run a magnet for loose nails before anyone goes back up.

Once the deck is bare we can see what the shingles hid. Delaminated plywood, water-stained OSB near a valley, and plank decking with gaps too wide for a nail to bridge all get cut out and replaced with matching thickness sheathing, usually half-inch plywood or 7/16 OSB. Rotten fascia and sub-fascia are replaced now too. A new gutter screwed into soft wood pulls loose, and then the water goes exactly where you did not want it.

Self-adhered membrane goes on first along the eaves, in the valleys, and around every penetration, bonded to the deck so water that gets under the shingles cannot reach the wood. Synthetic underlayment covers the rest, lapped and capped down. Drip edge is set over the membrane at the eaves and under the underlayment at the rakes. That small detail is where most leaks near a gutter trace back to, so we do not rush it.

Shingles go on in straight courses with the manufacturer's nail pattern, step flashing woven into every course at the walls, and counterflashing cut into the chimney mortar. Metal roofs get panels fastened with gasketed screws and closures at the eaves. Then the gutters: hidden hangers driven into rafter tails every 24 inches, a quarter inch of pitch per ten feet toward each downspout, and end caps and outlets sealed from the inside.

Before the ladders come down we walk the whole roof again. We check that every hanger bit solid wood, that the seams are sealed, and that the drip edge laps into the gutter rather than behind it. Then we run a hose from the ridge and watch the water reach the downspouts without spilling over the front or backing up at the seams. Anything that fails gets fixed before we call the job done.

Cleanup is not an afterthought on our jobs. The old gutter and roofing go in the trailer, downspout extensions are set to drain away from the foundation, and the yard, driveway and beds get a magnet sweep for nails. We haul the debris off and leave the property as we found it, apart from the new roof and gutters. Walk the lot with us before we leave. If something is off, we want to hear it then.