The Day I Met Tessla

If I wasn't having fun I wouldn't do it. Everyday I meet new people and every couple days I meet new pets. Once I met a guy who had 7 albino German shepherds all in the same room with me as I was explaining about our gutter guards. The room was only about 12 x 12 feet. The air was thick with the smell of dog and the floating dog dust and hair which you could almost taste. He sat there proudly explaining why he loved his seven dogs....The house could have used a woman's touch though.

When I was a boy my brothers and I would beg dad for a dog. A classic, predictable scenario would follow...who would take care of it? who would pick up after it? ...of course we promised that we would faithfully do it all...what about in the harsh winter weather? ...of course we will....and on and on and on. Dad won, no dog.

When you measure people's houses everyday you occasionally find a surprise or two in the yard. You find yourself at the car wash after an appointment hosing off your shoes. Dogs bark at you. Little dogs nip at you. And all the Lab owner's tell you not to be afraid because the dog "won't hurt you, he'll just lick you to death." I don't know about you but I don't think that's a very good way to go and what would the epitaph read?..."here lies another salesman licked to death by a Labrador."

Needless to say you can get a little hardened to those puppy eyes. It was then I met Tessla. Tessla is bigger than a big Labrador but is only 7 months old. Tessla is going to grow more. Tessla will weigh more than my average customer someday. Tessla is a great dane. It's the puppies that always melt your heart and bring you back to having those happy dog thoughts, but usually the puppies are not 100 lbs already. My customer sat on the couch and I sat in the chair showing her Leaf Solution...Tessla sat on the customer's lap. I showed how the micro mesh keeps the debris out of the gutter system...Tessla started licking my product sample. I tried to talk but Tessla wanted the attention and licked and nuzzled me until I couldn't ignore. The only thing Tessla didn't do was offer to pay the deposit, though he did try to snatch the credit card from his master's hands when she tried to hand it to me.

Nice to meet you Tessla... The world's biggest lap dog.

Rainy Weekend

Watching out the window on this labor day weekend I watch the rain pouring down. There's been enough rainy days this year for sure. Hopefully you're not spending your weekend doing chores like gutter cleaning, but hopefully you're not putting it off either. If it's raining and your gutters are clogged damage will occur. Call SpringRock first thing after the holiday to get your gutters taken care of. We not only put a cover on them, but we completely clean them out, reseal them, reinforce the brackets and fix anything that's not perfect about them. Your gutters will work perfectly for years to come and help you to have less labor on labor day. See you soon.

www.springrockgutters.com

Signs Of Trouble

One Step forward
Aren't aluminum gutters supposed to last forever? I mean, they don't rust so what can go wrong? In the late 1960's aluminum gutters came onto the market as the rust-proof alternative to steel. The trouble with steel gutters was that, as time went by, they would rust. Also, steel gutters weren't seamless so they were vulnerable to leaking as the seams broke down. One major advantage of aluminum was that you could bring a roll forming machine right out to the job site and make the gutters any length you wanted. This certainly eliminated the issue of the seams breaking and the rust. So aluminum was supposed to be a step forward.

And Two Steps Back
So why am I taking the time to write about seamless gutters since virtually everyone has them these days? Because aluminum was supposed to be a step forward, but since companies have consistently cheapened their materials in an effort to come in with the lowest bid, aluminum gutters actually have proven to be less durable than steal. I have been to many jobs over the past 11 years where we were replacing the steel gutters and except for the rust, they would have lasted for years to come. I've seen 50 and 60 year old steel gutters still doing a great job. The bottom line is that even though aluminum should hold up better, the workmanship is not the same as it used to be.

Aluminum has been a blessing and a curse for the gutter industry. A blessing because it truly is a superior gutter that could last a lifetime. A curse because it made gutters so readily available to people who were not trained in proper installation techniques and practices...Basically, gutter installation was not treated as a trade, but rather as a side job that you have your lower level laborers do. Homeowners rejoiced at the lower prices and the perceived quality but end up paying for it later when 10-20 years is all they get out of their gutters. There are still a few companies that treat gutter installs like a trade, but they are few and far between. Usually you will know them by the fact that they are focused only on gutters and related products...they are not a jack of all trades. You will also know them because, unlike the other quotes you get, the quality companies will always give you a more thorough explanation along with a clear, written proposal. It's easy to tell which company to use if you take the time to look for them. They will be able to install aluminum gutters that will last a lifetime just as they were always meant to.

The Kids Want Me off the Ladder

"So what if the kids want me off the ladder!"  

Well...there I was trying to tell her about our gutter screens and the answer she gave was surprising.  "I've been cleaning my own gutters all my life." she said. "There's no reason why I can't keep doing it."

I just stared in disbelief...So did her husband.

"I don't know why they're so worried about me." She said.  

"Well, your house is two stories tall" I replied, "It is kind of dangerous"

"I'm always careful...I just scoot on my backside when I'm on the high parts" She said.

At this point I realized that the situation was beyond my normal "I'm here to give an estimate" so I decided to follow my gut and tell her, "My grandma is 82 years old too!" I said, "If she were on the ladder cleaning her gutters I would have to ask her to stop.  I would go clean them for her personally or put some Leaf Solution on them or get one of my cousins or something.  I can't imagine how horrible it would be to hear that she passed away because she was cleaning her gutters."

I went away feeling two things:

1. Someone should have helped this lady with her gutters years ago

2. I hope I have the drive that she has when I'm 82

www.springrockgutters.com