Season Greetings & Congratulations!
You've found our humble, yet extensive web site on rain management products for your home, which can save you a great deal of grief and thousands of dollars on rust-free gutters replacement w/stainless steel screw attachment, No-clog gutter options, or just good screen covers over your existing gutters at a much more reasonable cost.

My name is David Rich Owner, Salesman, and Installer. I'm rich in life, but not wealthy. I'm just a working stiff with a creative bent and an unusually high aptitude for mechanical comprehension, spatial arrangement, and math. My mission in life is to rail against 'Planned Obsolescence' in all forms, and champion Ethical Responsibility, which as you must know is sadly lacking in most business practice. I do what I can to set a good example, which is the best most of us can realistically hope to accomplish in life.

Feel free to get plenty of other bids from Gutter Contractors, but I can assure you that you will not find a better value. Please use my Quality Standards linked above while interviewing those other Gutter Contractors and see the reaction you get. I would love to hear about your results. Even if you are not local to the Portland, Oregon area. If they say they cannot get those parts that is very telling and you should not hire them. If they claim they will do what I do they are most likely going to charge you twice what I would, and still not do what I do at any cost when it's all said and done.

 There are several Gutter Contractors around here who charge as much for just gutter covers as I do for copper gutters. No joke. Even if they worked as good as they promise, which would you rather have to add value to your home?

I know this sounds too good to be true, but I can prove this to you if you give me a chance and take the time to read over this web site.

Low Maintenance &
No-clog Gutter Options:

Beyond the many advantages we offer for standard gutter replacement we also offer some No-clog options that are also more cost efficient than most any other devices you may have seen. They are more functional as well, if you can believe that. I have lots of proof of this, but sheer logic is my best weapon. You should keep in mind that window screen is too fine of a weave to be practical, and will become caked with debris and cause the rain water to cascade over the outside edge of the gutter before long. These need large holes and lots of screened surface area to allow the rain water to sift into the gutters before dropping off the outer edge. The metal screens I use have twice the open area than plastic screens and last longer. It is true that these will not keep out the smaller debris, but that's where the larger outlets and the Leaf-catchers I make come in.

As you may have become aware of by now those costly metal hood gutter covers fail in short order as well. If any debris gets trapped in that small grove the water is suppose to use to get into the gutter the rain water will simply run over the outside of the gutter. Many of these companies pushing these covers will adamantly claim they will guarantee the gutters will not clog, but they will never guarantee the gutters will continue to accept water. They also create perfect dark moist breeding ground for moss and become filled with large moss globs that will keep rain water from passing sideways to the outlets. One of the worst details is how their aluminum covers cost more than our copper gutters and screens. I believe a gutter cover should never cost more than a new gutter or it is impractical, no matter how well it may work.

Larger Outlets:
Although the single biggest advantage to any gutter system is the size of the outlets. If you had a bigger gutter with the same size outlets that would only mean you now have 5 minutes in stead of just 3 minutes in a heavy down pour before the gutter over flows after the outlet clogs, which as you may know is the most common cause of a gutter failure. That's why Leaf Guard® hinges their warranty on the use of the 2X larger industrial size downspouts, that I also use. It is best to have a strainer down low where it can be easily accessed without a ladder. Strainers up in the gutter are death to gutters. A strainer up in the gutter is the opposite of a larger outlet. My aim is to make a gutter system that will continue to function without having to get up on the roof in the worst of weather; when you finally notice you have a problem.

You can read more on this subject on our Gutter Covers Comparison web page:
http://dmr-gutters.com/lp.htm

Click on this image to read the magazine article in a National Consumer Protection web site, which has the initials A L, where I was interviewed to discuss my thriving business during this recession for their July 2008 issue. It seems I was the only one in their poll who said their business was doing better than ever.

I attributed my success to doing better quality work at a more reasonable price, along with good communication though this web site and swift e-mail replies:

(they requested not to be named here)

 Because of my diligent efforts here I have been told by dozens of clients how this web site is clearly the most comprehensive web site on rain management in the world: with over 300 web pages spread out over this business web site and http://copper-by-design.com along with over 3,000 digital photos that link to full screen images for a closer look. Many link to a whole separate web page with a gallery of related photos and a more detailed description of that project. They also love how I'm one of the few who list the cost of those projects, so they can do some anonymous price comparison shopping without having to suffer talking to a high-pressure salesman.

I'm happy to do free on-site quotes for local homeowners within 30 miles of our local area, as the CCB requires of all Licensed Contractors, but I have found it works best to develop more of an interactive partnership with my clientele by working out some of the details through e-mail first (see Latest News page for details). These days pretty much everyone has a digital camera and knows how to send pics through e-mail. I have had to do this with most all my non-local clientele over the last 7 years for the custom copper fabrications I do, since most of them are located back East.

I am still a hands-on contractor, so I couldn't possibly drive around town all day filling all the bid requests I get, let alone do the volume of work I could sell, so I request a simple pre-qualification effort on your part. I would not be able to get any work done otherwise, as I am already booked several months out. I will not sacrifice quality for a larger production volume.

2009 The Adams House - 20 photos
Hilsboro, Oregon

2009 The Pulliam House - 18 photos
S. W. Portland, Oregon

Included copper ridge caps for moss control

2007 The Olson House - 69 photos
S. E. Portland, Oregon

Included copper ridge caps for moss control

2005 The Blosser House - 26 photos
Milwaukie, Oregon

Copper Gutters

2008 Tara North - 45 photos
 S. E. Portland, Oregon

This was the most impressive restoration I've ever seen. He said my bid was $14k less than a competing Gutter Contractor.

2008 to 2011 The Lenio House - 92 photos
S. E. Portland, Oregon

 I replaced their gutter w/copper, rebuilt their carport, and built a hardwood patio and cedar pergola in back

2004 The Kistler House on the Historical Registry
317 photos - Forest Grove, Oregon

He said after years of searching I was the first Gutter Contractor willing to provide a bid for the work he needed

2002 The Yocum House, just above the Zoo
72 photos - S. W. Portland, Oregon

I was contracted to replace their poorly installed copper gutters

Who is DMR Gutters?
DMR Gutters is just a small company in Portland, Oregon based just 10 minutes South of Down Town. I've been licensed, insured, and bonded for sheet metal work in the State of Oregon under CCB #92250 since 1993 without a single dispute filed with the CCB. With the high cost liability insurance for Roofers I am prohibited from doing any roofing related work.  More specifically I am a Specialty Residential Gutter Contactor. I've also built up a custom aluminum and copper fabrication shop. I have specialized in sheet metal rain management products for nearly 2 decades now and have graduated to building elaborate custom copper chimney caps and turret roof caps for clients across the Country.

Before the year 2000 I carried the type of liability insurance to do roofing as well, but since the cost of that insurance is 500% higher than any other types of construction it was too expensive for a small company like mine, who cannot possibly do enough volume to cover that expense. That's sad, since in my travels I have yet to see evidence of a decent roofer who is committed to doing good work and use materials designed to last more than a decade (no joke). The reason is because contractors are only required to provide a 1 year warranty on the work they do. After the Homeowner had exhausted their efforts to deal directly with that contactors and then had to resort to filing a complaint with the CCB for mediation; it has to be filed within 1 year of completion or it is an invalid complaint and thrown out. Meaning that Contractor is off the hook for any negligent work they did. I know I would not want anyone working on my house who only expected their work to last a little over a year.

I've worked hard over the last 18+ years to maintain the highest reputation for quality and honest work practice, which is a primary reason I have not been able to grow and take on lots of employees. I'm primarily a Hands-On Contractor who specializes in low-maintenance no-clog gutters at a more reasonable cost than my competition, who have charge over $1k more than my copper gutter bid for their aluminum gutters. There are several dozen leaf protection concepts out there, but many of them are more expensive than my copper gutters. No matter how good they could possibly work I do not understand how a gutter cover could cost more than a gutter? Even if they worked better than they claimed they could not worth that much. According to the Homeowner of Tara North my bid for 20oz copper gutters at only $15k was only about half of what a competitor wanted at $29k for less quality than I do. That $14k has been the widest spread I've heard to date. He said he even asked their Sales Rep if he was buying him a Harley. (LOL)

Here is one of the custom copper projects I build shown above. This was shipped to a Lake house in Seneca Falls, New York. I also make custom copper roof caps for turrets and gazebos.  Most of the custom work I do is fabricated with a heavy-duty solid 20oz copper or thicker. Some times 48oz copper is used, which is 3lb per square foot and is too thick to cut with tin snips.

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You will see a lot of copper gutter photos here and other custom work, but most of the gutter work I have done over the last decade and a half has been in pre-painted aluminum sheet metal.  I refuse to install steel gutters, because I do not believe in planned obsolescence. For my latest availability see my Latest News web page.

Watch out for Gutter Contractors pushing steel gutters!
A little history: Back in the 1960s when aluminum was developed as a cost efficient rust free alternative to steel gutters people started seeing it in all the adds, so most all Gutter Contractors had to switch over to compete. After a while it was not much of a sales advantage, since it was so common-place. We saw it less and less in adds as the catch word and we all expected the Gutter Contractors were using aluminum still, but sadly most contractors reverted back to using steel for gutter fabrication to unsuspecting clients. Through out the last 3 decades builders have been using steel for gutters on over 90% of new house construction.

Why not steel? Depending on how frequently you had your gutters cleaned out steel gutters will last between 10 to 20 years before the metal has become so rusty that it has holes through the bottom and cause nasty rust stains as well. The steel downspouts those Gutter Contractors use are even worse. They are prone to clog easily and are noisy for hours after the rain has stopped; drip, drip, drip ............... Steel can be detected with a simple magnet test, since steel is the only metal that will attract a magnet.  This issue is very important, since rusty steel gutters accounts for over 75% of the need for gutter replacement. Gutters detaching from the house is the second leading cause, and here is a common example of that problem. 

There are more details on this issue at the top of my #2 FAQ web page.

Why do I need to worry about these issues? Sadly most businessmen focus more on maximizing their profit margin over client service. They're relying on Homeowners not networking and just rely on advertising to reach new clients to snow. They see building codes and the CCB as a thorn in their side. Not as minimal recommendations like I do. Giving little to no thought of how they would like to be treated by other Contractors working on their own home. Steel for gutters is pushed because it is a little cheaper metal and offers them planned obsolescence for more repeat business.

They will adamantly claim that steel makes for much stronger gutter. That is a lie they push to sell you on this cheaper metal that will not last nearly as long. Even if their claim were true; damaged gutters account for well under 10% of gutter replacement work, so it's only a minor issue at best. Try to see their obvious motivation for this deception.  They are just fighting to compete with other gutter contractors for the lowest possible bid to make the sale, while making the maximum profit margins till. Simple as that.

What is even funnier is how if they were the actual installer doing the work like I am; to lift those heavier steel gutters and struggle with driving in those 7" nail spikes while holding the gutter up on top of a 2 story ladder they would not work with steel. They are only slick talking salesmen that cannot be trusted.

What do I need to demand? As simple logic would dictate if you have a life time metal for the gutters it does not makes sense that the other parts will not last. I only work with rust-free sheet-metal, other than the leaf screen for over the gutters. They should be willing to use stainless steel screws (nail-free) for a lasting hold. You will most likely need to test them with a magnet to be sure they are not just regular screws. Building code does not require contractors to use aluminum or to use of screws. Although, when aluminum is used for making gutters it is code to be a lot thicker than steel in order to make sure they are just as strong. So you have a metal that is about twice as thick as steel and will not rust. Realize how most of the money you pay for most any construction work is for labor and their business expenses. Not the cost of parts, so it is a waste to use cheaper materials that will not last 1/3 the time.

What about Plastic Gutters? Plastic gutters are even worse than steel for longevity and other issues. They are so soft that you cannot lean a ladder against them for cleaning the gutters and servicing the roof. They may not rust, but within a decade the sun breaks down the plasticizer and they become brittle and crack easily. They're actually more expensive parts, but the seals fail in short order. I have more on this on my FAQ pages

What if I am not local to you?
DMR Gutters also sells unique low-maintenance gutter parts and custom copper sheet metal fabrication to clients across the continental USA through http://copper-by-design.com .  Like: gazebo caps, scuppers or leaderheads, and chimney caps. (see my 'Shipping' web page for details).  I also provide some of the best unbiased advice on Roofing Quality Standards in the industry, as well as another web page on Safe Moss Removal and Effective Maintenance.  I do have a toll free phone number, but please read my contact info page before calling us.