So, I've been putting off dealing with my gutters for months now—every time it rained, I'd see water dripping down the side of the house and think "yep, gotta fix that," but then just... didn't. Anyway, last weekend I finally decided enough was enough. Climbed up there (not a fan of heights, mind you), cleaned out all the gunk and leaves, patched up a couple small holes with some sealant stuff from the hardware store, and even adjusted a couple sagging spots by tightening brackets.
Honestly wasn't expecting much since I'm not exactly Mr. Handyman over here, but we had a pretty heavy rain yesterday and guess what—no leaks! Felt kinda awesome actually fixing something myself instead of calling someone else to do it.
Curious if anyone else has tackled gutter issues themselves lately or had one of those small DIY victories that turned out better than expected.
Nice job getting up there despite the heights thing—I feel ya on that.
"Honestly wasn't expecting much since I'm not exactly Mr. Handyman over here"
Did you notice if adjusting the brackets made a big difference long-term? Mine keep sagging again after a couple months...
I had the same issue with brackets sagging after a couple months. Ended up switching to heavier-duty screws and spacing them closer together...seems to be holding up better now, fingers crossed. You're doing great though—heights are no joke!
Interesting fix, though I'd caution against spacing brackets too closely together. When I tackled my gutters (old Victorian house here, so you can imagine the joys...), I found that tighter spacing actually trapped more debris and made cleaning a nightmare. Instead, I opted for sturdier brackets with reinforced supports at key stress points. Hasn't sagged yet, knock on wood. But hey, whatever keeps you off the ladder for longer is a win in my book. Heights and I have an uneasy truce, at best.
Good point about bracket spacing—I learned that the hard way myself. My place is a 1920s bungalow, and the gutters were probably last updated in the 70s, judging by the rust and questionable DIY repairs I found up there. When I first moved in, I thought I'd just slap on some sealant and call it good, but nope...ended up replacing entire sections after realizing how badly they'd rusted through.
I did go with sturdier brackets like you mentioned, but I also installed some basic gutter guards to keep leaves out. They're not perfect, but they've definitely cut down on how often I have to climb up there. Heights aren't my favorite either, so anything that reduces ladder time is a win.
It's funny how these small DIY projects can feel so satisfying. Even if it's just gutters or patching drywall, there's something about fixing your own stuff that feels pretty great.
