FAQ

Bigger than the default a lot of homes here were fitted with. Livingston Parish gets more than 60 inches of rain in a typical year and much of it falls in short, heavy bursts, so a trough sized for average rainfall overflows in exactly the storms that cause damage. We size the trough and the number of downspouts to the roof area and pitch rather than matching whatever was there before.

Sometimes, but we check first. A lot of repairs in this parish were done quickly under pressure and stopped at the surface rather than going back to the studs. Before we build over anything we look at moisture in the wall cavities, the framing and subfloor in previously repaired areas, and whether drainage around the house is still feeding the problem.

Yes. Lots around Livingston often have the room for a detached shop, covered equipment storage, or a carport, and those are projects a strictly residential contractor will sometimes pass on. We handle the foundation, the structure, and the flatwork that ties into it with the same crew throughout.

Because the water that rotted it is still there. Fascia sits directly under the gutter, so an overflowing or leaking run keeps the new board just as wet as the old one. We trace the water first and correct the drainage or flashing at the same time as the structural repair, otherwise the replacement is on a countdown.

Once a year, ideally before storm season. The expensive problems all start small here, usually a loose fastener, a hairline gap at the flashing, or a footing that has dropped a fraction as the clay saturated. Caught early those are minor repairs. Left through a wet season they stop being minor.

Carefully, and not always. Too much pressure strips painted finishes, dents lighter panels, and drives water into seams. On an insulated cover, water forced into the panel core does not come back out. We match the pressure and the cleaning solution to what the cover is actually made of.

No. The panel is different, but the framing, ledger attachment, post anchoring, and footings are detailed exactly the same way. What fails in a Livingston storm is the connection or the footing, never the insulation, so choosing non-insulated is a cost decision rather than a quality one.

It depends on which way your patio faces. A north-facing slab used mostly in spring may not justify it. A west or south-facing patio that takes direct sun from mid afternoon almost always does, because an insulated panel blocks radiant heat rather than absorbing it and sending it back down at you.

Almost always a plug inside an elbow. Pine needles pass through the gutter outlet easily, then bridge across the first bend and build a blockage you cannot see from the ground. The gutter backs up and spills while the downspout below stays dry, which is why flushing through to the discharge point matters more than a visual check.

Repeated separation at one joint usually means that downspout is draining more roof than it was sized for, or the run is not strapped often enough and the weight of moving water works the joint loose. Reattaching it again will not hold. We correct the strap spacing or add an outlet so the run is not overloaded.