I removed another annoyance from my life this week. All it took was three phone calls and an outlay of cash. While it wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t all that expensive.
I’d never gotten an estimate before. Each time I walked under the leaking gutter, I would look up and survey the entire length. Being a glass (and gutter) half-full kind of guy, I told myself that the channel was only leaking in three places throughout the forty-eight-foot foot span.
The real issue was that it leaked directly over the main door, creating enough water on the warmer days to develop a hockey rink during subsequent cold nights.
I managed it through salt and scraping. In the summer, I walked around the deluge. As I’ve said, working around something is sometimes easier than facing it head-on, so that’s what I did. I do not recommend this method.
On the opposite side of the house, it leaked in two places throughout forty-eight feet span.
On the addition to the dwelling, at the far end of Chez Cotton—housing an empty in-law apartment— I sustained some horrific damage to the gutter. It leaked everywhere. The good news is that it’s not in an area where it matters that much, except for aesthetics. Curb appeal, I guess.
That damage was not caused by age or wear and tear but more by me and the tractor bucket. I struck it with the raised bucket while moving snow a few years ago. Yes, I lifted too high to avoid the car parked nearby. When I made a wide swing, I didn’t hit the car but hit the house instead, right in the gutter.
This year’s incessant snow has led me to deal constantly with the deluges of melting roof snow. Carrying groceries into the house a few weeks ago, I got soaked trying to unlock the door. Once inside, I called my buddy, Hutch, and he gave me another guy’s name. That fellow sent me to this guy, and I called him.
John texted me back and asked for some photos and an estimated total length. He gave me a rough price, and we still had not spoken in person or by phone.
I have friends that are so reliable that I trust their opinions. I am blessed that way. None who makes up the inner circle would give me bad advice, so if they say the guy is good, he’s good. If that guy says the gutter guy is good, he’s good.
He showed up with a crew and some trucks yesterday. I was off on my length estimate by about twenty feet, so the price had to be rewritten, but I expected that.
They started ripping off the old gutters when the sun started warming the roof. That meant snow became water, running down their arms and their backs while they practiced their craft. The new gutters gleam and are leak-free, something I haven’t experienced for years.
This isn’t about the gutters. It’s about my friends.
It was cold yesterday. This group of men—friends of a friend of a friend— did one heck of a job.
Long before Google reviews, Yelp, and Siri, we relied on the opinions of our friends. It’s now too easy to punch up the Interweb and do our research; we feel we have exercised due diligence. But have we?
Spend the time required to pick good friends. The rest will sort itself out.
Tim
Thanks for all your support, for the blog, for my webpage, Facebook presence, the books, and for all the emails and notes. I appreciate it so much. Most of all, thanks for reading my stuff. TC